Europole Mer : research consortium on marine science and technology in Brittany

In many marine benthic invertebrates, the larval stage is the main vector of dispersal. Selective metamorphosis of larvae into an appropriate habitat is then essential to the survival of the benthic adult, with profound implications for population dynamics. Within this context, the identification of causal external factors triggering larval metamorphosis is of primary interest. In the widely invasive marine species Crepidula fornicata (L.), effective natural inducers have not yet been chemically characterized. In the present study, we experimentally tested the inductive ability of dibromomethane (DBM), a halogenated compound naturally produced by red algae of the family Corallinaceae that co-occur with C. fornicata in the field.