Variation in maternal provisioning in Watersipora subtorquata

A number of marine organisms do not provide any resources for their offspring other than the initial investment in larva. The extent of larval provisioning can be a strong determinant of larval fitness. Considerable variation in larval provisioning has been demonstrated but the factors responsible for this variation are not well understood. This dataset assesses if larval provisioning in the encrusting bryozoan Watersipora subtorquata is influenced by i) colony size, ii) colony age or iii) physical damage. To determine if these response vary with site conditions studies were undertaken at two locations within Port Phillip Bay, Victoria; Workshops Jetty, Williamstown and St Kilda pier, between September 2006 and March 2007.诸多海洋生物仅会为幼体提供初始资源投入，除此之外不会为后代提供任何其他资源。幼体抚育投入的程度可显著决定幼体的适合度。现有研究已证实幼体抚育投入存在显著变异，但造成该变异的影响因素尚未得到充分阐明。本数据集旨在探究附着型苔藓虫（bryozoan）扭面瓦苔虫（Watersipora subtorquata）的幼体抚育投入是否受以下三方面因素影响：i） 虫群大小、ii） 虫群年龄，以及iii） 物理损伤。为明确上述影响效应是否随生境条件发生变化，本研究于2006年9月至2007年3月期间，在澳大利亚维多利亚州菲利普港湾（Port Phillip Bay）内的两处实验点位开展了相关工作：威廉斯敦车间码头（Workshops Jetty, Williamstown）与圣基尔达码头（St Kilda pier）。