Wettability and Substrate Selection in the Larval Settlement of the Solitary Ascidian Phallusia philippinensis (Phlebobranchia: Ascidiidae)

For marine benthic animals, the selection of substrate by larvae is important for their survival, with early post-settlement mortality often being affected by the microenvironment where they settle. We tested the substrate preference of the larvae of the ascidian Phallusia philippinensis toward nine commercially available substrates. In the present assay, the larvae settled on one of four substrates for seven substrate combinations with...