Intra- and interspecific variation of attachment strength in sea urchins

Santos, Romana; Flammang, Patrick

doi:10.3354/meps332129

Cited by 48 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…For example, A. lixula presents tube feet exclusively on the oral side, where they are numerous. In contrast, P. lividus shows less densely packed tube feet, but they are distributed all around the test (Santos and Flammang, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…This was gently pulled normal to the substratum and manually moved upwards at a constant speed (Flammang and Walker, 1997). In this study we evaluated the echinoid attachment strength as scaled attachment force (force expressed in N) according to the protocol described in Santos and Flammang (2007); at the end of the experiments all the sea urchins were brought back to the sampling sites.…”

Section: Adhesion Strengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While much of the literature on P. lividus and A. lixula stresses the importance of the size and shape of the sea urchin test in attachment strength and thus the probability of dislodgment in relation to hydrodynamic conditions (Smith, 1978;Santos and Flammang, 2007), little is known about the influence of the type of substrate on sea urchin adhesion strength (Santos et al, 2005) and its implications for predator success (Guidetti and Mori, 2005). Santos et al (2005) evaluated, under laboratory conditions, the influence of substratum roughness on the adhesion strength of tube feet in the sea urchin P. lividus and the sea star Asterias rubens, and showed a stronger adhesion on a rough substratum in comparison to a smooth counterpart, which is mostly due to an increase in the contact surface between the tube foot disc and the substrate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large sea urchins may respond to fish attacks with cryptic behaviours such as clinging tenaciously with their tube feet to the substratum and sometimes into holes drilled into the substratum where they shelter during the daytime, whilst displaying a nocturnal feeding activity (Shepherd and Boudouresque, 1979;Dance, 1987;Hereu et al, 2005;Sala and Zabala, 1996). The sea urchin adhesion strength is determined by the number of tube feet involved, the tube foot tenacity and the type of substratum (Santos et al, 2005;Santos and Flammang, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Macroalgal assemblage type affects predation pressure on sea urchins by altering adhesion strength

Gianguzza

Bonaviri

Milisenda

et al. 2010

Marine Environmental Research

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Adhesion Strengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Macroalgal assemblage type affects predation pressure on sea urchins by altering adhesion strength

Gianguzza

Bonaviri

Milisenda

et al. 2010

Marine Environmental Research

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“…If disc adhesion forces in this species are similar to those in A. rubens and M. glacialis, 100-200 tube feet would be necessary to produce this overall attachment force. To respond to increased water velocities, sea urchins use more tube feet, thereby increasing their attachment force (Santos and Flammang, 2007). Sea stars probably rely on the same behaviour, and maximal attachment forces reaching several hundred Newtons can therefore be expected for asteriids.…”

Section: Biomechanics Of Tube Foot Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the different forces brought into play during tube foot activities in sea stars

Hennebert

Haesaerts

Dúbois

et al. 2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYSea star tube feet consist of an enlarged and flattened distal extremity (the disc), which makes contact with the substratum, and a proximal contractile cylinder (the stem), which acts as a tether. In this study, the different forces brought into play during tube foot functioning were investigated in two related species. The tube feet of Asterias rubens and Marthasterias glacialis attach to glass with a similar mean tenacity (0.24 and 0.43MPa, respectively), corresponding to an estimated maximal attachment force of 0.15 and 0.35N. The contraction force of their retractor muscle averages 0.017N. The variation of the retractor muscle contraction with its extension ratio follows a typical bell-shaped length-tension curve in which a maximal contraction of approximately 0.04N is obtained for an extension ratio of approximately 2.3 in both sea star species. The tensile strength of the tube foot stem was investigated considering the two tissues that could assume a load-bearing function, i.e. the retractor muscle and the connective tissue. The latter is a mutable collagenous tissue presenting a fivefold difference in tensile strength between its soft and stiff state. In our experiments, stiffening was induced by disrupting cell membranes or by modifying the ionic composition of the bathing solution. Finally, the force needed to break the tube foot retractor muscle was found to account for 18-25% of the tube foot total breaking force, showing that, although the connective tissue is the tissue layer that supports most of the load exerted on the stem, the contribution of the retractor muscle cannot be neglected in sea stars. All these forces appear well-balanced for proper functioning of the tube feet during the activities of the sea star. They are discussed in the context of two essential activities: the opening of bivalve shells and the maintenance of position in exposed habitats. Supplementary material available online at

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Ocean warming and acidification alter the behavioral response to flow of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Cohen‐Rengifo

Agüera

Bouma

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Ocean warming (OW) and acidification (OA) are intensively investigated as they pose major threats to marine organism. However, little effort is dedicated to another collateral climate change stressor, the increased frequency, and intensity of storm events, here referred to as intensified hydrodynamics. A 2‐month experiment was performed to identify how OW and OA (temperature: 21°C; pHT: 7.7, 7.4; control: 17°C‐pHT7.9) affect the resistance to hydrodynamics in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus using an integrative approach that includes physiology, biomechanics, and behavior. Biomechanics was studied under both no‐flow condition at the tube foot (TF) scale and flow condition at the individual scale. For the former, TF disk adhesive properties (attachment strength, tenacity) and TF stem mechanical properties (breaking force, extensibility, tensile strength, stiffness, toughness) were evaluated. For the latter, resistance to flow was addressed as the flow velocity at which individuals detached. Under near‐ and far‐future OW and OA, individuals fully balanced their acid‐base status, but skeletal growth was halved. TF adhesive properties were not affected by treatments. Compared to the control, mechanical properties were in general improved under pHT7.7 while in the extreme treatment (21°C‐pHT7.4) breaking force was diminished. Three behavioral strategies were implemented by sea urchins and acted together to cope with flow: improving TF attachment, streamlining, and escaping. Behavioral responses varied according to treatment and flow velocity. For instance, individuals at 21°C‐pHT7.4 increased the density of attached TF at slow flows or controlled TF detachment at fast flows to compensate for weakened TF mechanical properties. They also showed an absence of streamlining favoring an escaping behavior as they ventured in a riskier faster movement at slow flows. At faster flows, the effects of OW and OA were detrimental causing earlier dislodgment. These plastic behaviors reflect a potential scope for acclimation in the field, where this species already experiences diel temperature and pH fluctuations.

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Intra- and interspecific variation of attachment strength in sea urchins

Cited by 48 publications

References 47 publications

Macroalgal assemblage type affects predation pressure on sea urchins by altering adhesion strength

Macroalgal assemblage type affects predation pressure on sea urchins by altering adhesion strength

Evaluation of the different forces brought into play during tube foot activities in sea stars

Ocean warming and acidification alter the behavioral response to flow of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

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