Diurnal observations of sheltering behaviour in the coral reef sea cucumber Holothuria whitmaei

Shiell, Glenn R.; Knott, Brenton

doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2007.12.010

Cited by 27 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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Section: Temporal Behaviour: Rates Of Activity and Sediment Egestionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Behavioural monitoring was undertaken on a 1 ha section of reef located ca. 3 km south of Coral Bay (see also Shiell & Knott 2008).Density, distribution and aggregations. Densities of Holothuria whitmaei were calculated based on the number of individuals observed after (1) stratified manta tow surveys, designed to target specific habitats; and (2) 'blanket' manta tow surveys (in conjunction with GIS analysis), designed to include all habitats.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ha -1 (Massin & Doumen 1986, Conand 1989, Preston 1993, Long et al 1996, Lawrence et al 2004); however, densities of 100 to 275 ind. ha -1 have been reported (Conand 1989, Lokani 1990, Kinch et al 2008.Activity behaviour in sea cucumbers has been linked with feeding (Hammond 1982, Massin 1982a, Shiell & Knott 2008. Feeding in aspidochirotes is achieved by ingesting and stripping sediments of associated organic nutrients (Massin 1982a).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Eighteen individuals were included in the initial 2 field trips and 30 in subsequent field trips. Before the beginning of monitoring, adult specimens were collected by SCUBA and transferred to preselected sites within the study area (see Shiell & Knott 2008). Individual Holothuria whitmaei specimens were then marked with a number and left to recover for a minimum of 5 d following Shiell (2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Increasing activity between EM to LA is common in large aspidochirotes, having been described in Holothuria mexicana, Isostichopus badionotus, Stichopus chloronotus and Actinopyga mauritiana (Hammond 1982, Uthicke 1994, Graham & Battaglene 2004. EM periods of reduced activity have also been linked with periods of corresponding cryptic behaviour, whereby individual animals tended to remain hidden beneath coral (Shiell & Knott 2008).Superimposed on this diurnal pattern was a seasonal pattern, with significantly increased daily activity in April compared with January and August. This trend, detected in 2002 and 2003, coincided with the annual peak in water temperature and the annual gonadal index (Shiell & Uthicke 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Aggregations and temporal changes in the activity and bioturbation contribution of the sea cucumber Holothuria whitmaei (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

Shiell¹,

Knott²

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The population density, activity and bioturbation contribution of the sea cucumber Holothuria whitmaei was investigated on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Two methods, stratified manta tows and blanket manta tows, recorded population densities between 11.4 and >100 individuals (ind.) ha -1 . Further analysis revealed a heterogeneous pattern of distribution, with individuals tending to aggregate (Moran's I; 0.039; p < 0.05) on the outer reef lagoon and particularly in areas of high flow. Densities within aggregations were up to 7.2 times greater than those obtained after blanket manta tows (17.1 ind. ha -1 ), and 4.5 to 6.3 times greater than those obtained after traditional stratified manta tows (19.3 to 27.1 ind. ha -1 ). Behavioural studies, including investigations of activity and bioturbation, were conducted over a 2 yr time frame (2002)(2003) incorporating 3 monitoring periods within each year: January, April and August. Rates of activity varied diurnally, increasing between morning and afternoon, and seasonally, increasing in April, relative to January and August. Temporal patterns of feeding were more difficult to characterise; although rates of sediment egestion were in many cases higher in the morning, no conclusive diurnal or seasonal patterns could be established. Subsequent regression analysis, however, did find a significant positive correlation between the distance travelled and the volume of sediment egested. The volume of sediment bioturbated by H. whitmaei at a population level was found to represent only a small fraction of the sediments available (ca. 2 to 14% per annum), even though the contribution per individual was greater than that of smaller sea cucumber species. However, at maximum densities and typical rates of activity, H. whitmeai makes physical contact with approximately 2 times the available coral reef sediments per annum per hectare, simply by crawling. This may represent an important ecological contribution, particularly in light of previously documented links between sea cucumber activity, nutrient recycling and the enhancement of benthic microalgal communities.KEY WORDS: Aggregation · Behavioural activity · Bioturbation · Coral reef lagoon · Densitydependent effects Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 415: [127][128][129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139] 2010 tributed to a 'boom and bust' cycle where high-value sea cucumbers are targeted preferentially, leading to high-value species being fished to near local extinction (Rees et al. 2003) or to levels too low to sustain the fishery (Uthicke & Benzie 2000a).Previous studies of the ecology and biology of Holothuria whitmaei centred on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Queensland, Australia (Uthicke & Karez 1999, Uthicke & Benzie 2000a,b, 2002) and elsewhere in the broader Pacific Ocean (Conand 1981, Martinez & Richmond 1998. Several of these provide useful descriptions of the habitat preferences of H. whitmaei, which are described broadl...

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Section: Temporal Behaviour: Rates Of Activity and Sediment Egestionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aggregations and temporal changes in the activity and bioturbation contribution of the sea cucumber Holothuria whitmaei (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

Shiell¹,

Knott²

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Sea cucumbers in the Seychelles: effects of marine protected areas on high‐value species

Cariglia

Wilson

Graham

et al. 2013

Aquatic Conservation

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In tropical regions all over the world, holothurian (sea cucumber) fisheries are an important source of income for local communities.Almost all fisheries targeting holothurians are considered fully exploited or in decline, and several fisheries have collapsed.This study examined the differences in abundance of commercially exploited and ecologically important coral reef holothurian species between long established marine protected areas (MPAs) and unprotected areas in the inner islands of the Seychelles.Over a period of 1 month, 21 sites across the inner islands of the Seychelles were surveyed, nine of which were within MPAs.The probability of observing holothurians in areas protected from fishing (~80%) was twice that in areas subjected to fishing.The probability of observing holothurians of high or medium commercial value in counts was 10‐fold greater inside rather than outside MPAs.Habitat was an important determinant of holothurian presence: occurrence of high and medium value holothurians was associated with rock and coral habitats.MPAs may help conserve high densities of holothurians of economic importance.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Diel burying by the tropical sea cucumber Holothuria scabra: effects of environmental stimuli, handling and ontogeny

Purcell

2009

Mar Biol

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Diurnal observations of sheltering behaviour in the coral reef sea cucumber Holothuria whitmaei

Cited by 27 publications

References 19 publications

Aggregations and temporal changes in the activity and bioturbation contribution of the sea cucumber Holothuria whitmaei (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

Aggregations and temporal changes in the activity and bioturbation contribution of the sea cucumber Holothuria whitmaei (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

Sea cucumbers in the Seychelles: effects of marine protected areas on high‐value species

Diel burying by the tropical sea cucumber Holothuria scabra: effects of environmental stimuli, handling and ontogeny

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