Meeting Abstract
Dispersal of many marine species is limited to the larval phase. This larval phase is diverse with regard to duration and feeding mode, even between closely related taxa. In brooding species, the larval phase is nearly absent, while feeding larvae disperse for weeks or months. Several taxa can adjust larval duration by changes in egg size. Initial studies on barnacles indicated a lack of such adaptations. We re-evaluated the adaptive potential of barnacles, using a large number of species with data on pelagic larval duration, larval mode, egg and larval size, and taking phylogenetic relationships into account. We found that barnacles exhibit adaptive potential but also phylogenetic constraints.
