Cue selection and ontogeny reveal larval settlement dynamics of the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum, a keystone coral reef herbivore

Pilnick, Aaron R.; Petrosino, Alex; Hassan, Md Mahbubul; Patterson, Joshua T.

doi:10.1007/s00227-023-04290-5

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Many species of sea urchins respond to bare substrate or those with new biofilms as cues for settlement (Bak, 1985;Pearce and Scheibling, 1991;Rahim et al, 2004;Williams et al, 2011), but the spatiotemporal patterns of settlement by D. antillarum vary appreciably among locations (Bak, 1985;Miller et al, 2009;Vermeij et al, 2010;Williams et al, 2010Williams et al, , 2011Feehan et al, 2019;Maldonado-Sańchez et al, 2019;Hylkema et al, 2022a). Recent laboratory experiments by Pilnick et al (2023) and Wijers et al (2024) revealed a lack of settlement by competent D. antillarum larvae exposed to a sterile seawater control, but settlement rates increased to ~50% in response to two types of calcareous macroalgae (Pilnick et al, 2023;Wijers et al, 2024) and to natural biofilms (Wijers et al, 2024). If settlement hotspots are identified it is possible to collect high numbers of D. antillarum settlers during certain months of the year (Williams et al, 2010(Williams et al, , 2011Hylkema et al, 2022a;Klokman and Hylkema, 2024).…”

Section: Urchinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of herbivory on Caribbean coral reefs: are fishes, urchins, or crabs the solution?

Butler,

Duran,

Feehan

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

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That coral reefs are in decline worldwide, particularly in the Caribbean, will come as no surprise. This decades-long decline has reached a potential tipping point as the weight of the effects of climate change have come decidedly to bear on the planet’s most diverse marine ecosystem. Whether coral reefs can persist without restorative intervention is debatable, which has prompted a surge in coral reef restoration projects focusing primarily on the cultivation and transplantation of coral fragments onto degraded reefs. But that widespread approach does little to address the underlying causes of coral loss, one of which is the proliferation of macroalgae that are deleterious to corals. An emerging solution to this problem is the enhancement of herbivory on coral reefs through improved management of herbivores, artificial enhancement of herbivore settlement, or their mariculture and subsequent stocking. This review explores the nuances of the biology of well-studied Caribbean coral reef herbivores (fishes, sea urchins, and crabs) as it relates to their mariculture and investigates the promise of herbivore stocking onto coral reefs as a restoration strategy. Fish, urchin, and crab herbivores differ appreciably in life histories, which confers advantages and disadvantages with respect to their mariculture and effectiveness as grazers. Mariculture of herbivorous marine fish for reef restoration is essentially non-existent so the reestablishment of grazing fish abundance on coral reefs focuses primarily on their protection through fishery regulations, but only at a few locations in the Caribbean. Mariculture of herbivorous urchins and crabs for restoration purposes is in its infancy, but promising especially for crabs whose larval rearing is less difficult. Perhaps the biggest challenge for the mariculture of either taxon is “scaling-up” from research settings to large-scale mariculture needed for stocking. Numerous studies extol the benefits of functional redundancy and complementarity for coral reef ecosystem stability, but whether this principal applies to the restoration of grazing function is untested. We identify gaps in our knowledge of best practices for the restoration of grazing function on coral reefs and conclude with some practical guidance on the establishment of targets for macroalgal reduction, along with strategic advice on grazer stocking in a given reef habitat.

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Section: Urchinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of herbivory on Caribbean coral reefs: are fishes, urchins, or crabs the solution?

Butler,

Duran,

Feehan

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

Self Cite

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“…This settlement phase encompasses all the processes necessary for the transition from pelagic to benthic life, including substrate selection and metamorphosis. Certain algal species, such as CCAs, are able to have a great in uence on the sea urchin settlement phase, by providing competent larvae with appropriate cues to initiate settlement (Pearce and Scheibling, 1990;Huggett et al 2006;Swanson et al 2006;Dworjanyn and Pirozzi, 2008;Pilnick et al 2023;Wijers et al 2024). Conversely, although lesser studied, some algal species are able to constrain sea urchin settlement success due to the release of toxic compounds (Norris and Fernical, 1982;Agatsuma et al 2008;Li et al 2011;Wijers et al 2024).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the influence of macroalgae and micropredation on the early life success of the echinoid Diadema africanum

Cano,

Ugena,

González-González

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The sea urchin Diadema africanum has a significant influence on subtidal rocky reef communities on the Canary Islands, facilitating transitions between macroalgal beds and barren grounds. Barren grounds in the archipelago are characterized by a dominance of crustose coralline algae and a lack of invertebrates and fishes compared to macroalgal beds, which are mainly dominated by brown algae. To assess the impact of these benthic community states on the early life success of D. africanum a manipulative study was conducted during September 2022 in four sites of the eastern coast of Tenerife Island, 'Añaza' (28.4204060 N–16.2954172 W), 'Boca Cangrejo' (28.4061537 N–16.27429 W), 'Las Caletillas' (28.3814250 N – 16.3552938 W), and 'La Jaca' (28.12087153 N – 26.46111758 W. For this purpose, modified experimental larval collectors were employed to examine sea urchin settlement rates in response to two dominant macroalgal species, Lobophora schneideri, in algal beds and encrusting corallines (CCA) in barren grounds. Statistical analysis revealed significant spatial differences in sea urchin settlement and the interaction between site and treatment response. Specifically, the site with higher sea urchin recruitment exhibited lower numbers of D. africanum settlers in treatments containing L. schneideri than in the Control and CCA treatments. Three decapod species (Alpheus macrocheles, Lophozozimus incisus, and Pachygrapsus marmoratus) negatively correlated with D. africanum settlers. These results suggest that larval supply, L. schneideri beds, and micropredator abundance play a role in the early life success of this species. This may imply a community stability mechanism that helps prevent shifts between alternative stable states.

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Implications of changing Caribbean coral reefs on Diadema antillarum larvae settlement

Wijers,

van Herpen,

Mattijssen

et al. 2024

Mar Biol

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Tropical western Atlantic reefs have gradually shifted from being dominated by corals to being mainly covered by macroalgae. The mass-mortality of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in the 80s and the slow to non-existent recovery exacerbated this shift. Chemical cues associated with these reefs are expected to have shifted too with potential negative effects on larval recruitment, possibly limiting recovery of important species like D. antillarum. In this study, we tested the effects of naturally derived biofilm and macroalgae species native to Caribbean coral reefs on the settlement rate of cultured D. antillarum larvae in two separate experiments. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) were included in both experiments, making it possible to compare settlement rates from both experiments. A biofilm of one week old yielded significantly lower settlement rates compared to two, four, and six weeks old biofilm and the highest settlement rate was found for CCA with over 62% of total larvae. All six tested macroalgae species resulted in settled larvae, with little significant difference between algal species, partly due to a high variation in settlement rates within treatments. Sargassum fluitans induced the highest settlement rate with 33%, which was not significantly different from CCA with 29%. We conclude that dominant macroalgae species likely to be encountered by D. antillarum on shifted reefs are no major constraint to settlement. Our findings increase the understanding of alternative stable state settlement dynamics for a keystone coral reef herbivore.

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Cue selection and ontogeny reveal larval settlement dynamics of the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum, a keystone coral reef herbivore

Cited by 5 publications

References 70 publications

Restoration of herbivory on Caribbean coral reefs: are fishes, urchins, or crabs the solution?

Restoration of herbivory on Caribbean coral reefs: are fishes, urchins, or crabs the solution?

Assessing the influence of macroalgae and micropredation on the early life success of the echinoid Diadema africanum

Implications of changing Caribbean coral reefs on Diadema antillarum larvae settlement

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