Ecology Summary - Homarus gammarus

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Ecology of Homarus gammarus

Main Ref.	Holthuis, L.B., 1991
Remarks	Occurs on the continental shelf at depths of 0 to 150 m, usually not deeper than 50 m. Found on hard substrates such as rock or hard mud. Nocturnal and territorial living in holes or crevices. Females with eggs are usually found throughout the year. The eggs are laid around July and carried for 10 to 11 months (Ref. 4). Indiscriminate scavengers, omnivorous or carnivorous. Feeds primarily on malacostracan crustaceans, gastropod mollusks, and polychaete annelids; but diet known to include carrion, echinoderms, lamellibranchs and plant matter (Ref. 96319).

Main Ref.

Holthuis, L.B., 1991

Remarks

Occurs on the continental shelf at depths of 0 to 150 m, usually not deeper than 50 m. Found on hard substrates such as rock or hard mud. Nocturnal and territorial living in holes or crevices. Females with eggs are usually found throughout the year. The eggs are laid around July and carried for 10 to 11 months (Ref. 4). Indiscriminate scavengers, omnivorous or carnivorous. Feeds primarily on malacostracan crustaceans, gastropod mollusks, and polychaete annelids; but diet known to include carrion, echinoderms, lamellibranchs and plant matter (Ref. 96319).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Homarus gammarus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Benthic: mobile; Hard Bottom: rocky; rubble;
Substrate Ref.	Holthuis, L.B., 1991
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.	Holthuis, L.B., 1991
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	plants/detritus+animals (troph. 2.2-2.79)
Feeding type Ref.	Barker, P.L. and R. Gibson, 1977
Feeding habit	variable
Feeding habit Ref.	Barker, P.L. and R. Gibson, 1977

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items	3.70	0.23			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.

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