Seasonal variation in movement, aggregation and destructive grazing of the green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) in relation to wave action and sea temperature

Lauzon-Guay, Jean-Sébastien; Scheibling, Robert Eric

doi:10.1007/s00227-007-0668-2

Cited by 81 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…−1 d −1 (Filbee-Dexter & Scheibling 2012), which is within the range recorded for S. droebachiensis grazing in shallow water (Lauzon-Guay & Scheibling 2007a). From these results, we estimated that it would take ~2 mo for sea urchins off Owl's Head to consume an average deposit of detrital kelp (Filbee-Dexter & Scheibling 2012), which approximates the time in which the majority of kelp was consumed on both experimental lines in our present study.…”

Section: Detrital Kelp Subsidy and Reproductive Condition Of Deep-livsupporting

confidence: 88%

Detrital kelp subsidy supports high reproductive condition of deep-living sea urchins in a sedimentary basin

Filbee‐Dexter¹,

Scheibling²

2014

Aquat. Biol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Highly productive kelp beds off Nova Scotia, Canada export detrital material to adjacent sedimentary habitats in deeper waters. We evaluated the importance of this subsidy to sea urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis in less productive habitats. Gonad index and gut content of urchins on sediments at 60 m depth were measured monthly from September 2010 to May 2013 in a large semi-protected bay, and compared to concurrent measurements of sea urchins at 8 m depth off a nearby headland. Detrital algal cover in the bay was measured using a towed camera system. Seasonal patterns in algal deposition and gut contents of deep-living urchins indicated that detritus was the predominant food source from March to October. We observed lower gonad indices in deep-living sea urchins compared to those at 8 m, but deep-living urchins spawned outside of the main spring season, suggesting periodic detrital subsidy enhances their reproductive condition. Food availability and temperature appear to control the timing of gametogenesis, and phytodetritus may cue gamete release in these deep habitats. To evaluate the response of deepliving urchins to detrital subsidy, and turnover time of this material, we deployed lines baited with kelp thalli at 45 and 60 m depth and measured rates of encounter and consumption of kelp detritus by sea urchins, using the towed camera. Sea urchins aggregated on kelp within hours of deployment, and consumed it after 3 to 5 mo. Our findings suggest kelp detritus represents an important energy source that can support a high reproductive capacity in deep-living urchins.

show abstract

Section: Detrital Kelp Subsidy and Reproductive Condition Of Deep-livsupporting

confidence: 88%

Detrital kelp subsidy supports high reproductive condition of deep-living sea urchins in a sedimentary basin

Filbee‐Dexter¹,

Scheibling²

2014

Aquat. Biol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Mar Ecol Prog Ser 413: [69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80] 2010 eastern Canada; Scheibling 1986, Lauzon-Guay & Scheibling 2007.…”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, urchin population dynamics and their implications for these transitions have been particularly well studied in some temperate regions (e.g. eastern Canada; Scheibling 1986, Lauzon-Guay & Scheibling 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of temperature on settlement and postsettlement survival in a barrens-forming sea urchin

Hernández¹,

Clemente²,

Girard³

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large populations of the sea urchin Diadema aff. antillarum occur in the east Atlantic archipelagos. The origin and stability of these large herbivorous populations are not well known. Variability in settlement, recruitment and adult urchin density were quantified and compared over a 7 yr period (2002 to 2008) within the Canary Islands. Variables that potentially affect urchin settlement such as gonad index, temperature and primary productivity (phytoplankton) were measured. Settlement was found to be high during warm years; temperatures > 24°C induced important settlement pulses. Postsettlement survival in barren areas of Tenerife was exponentially and positively correlated with seawater temperature changes, while very low to 0 survival was found at macroalgal beds off El Hierro. Assuming that climate change predictions are correct, the strong positive relationship between thermal history and postsettlement survival of this ecologically important species suggests that barren grounds will persist as seawater warms up if no mass mortality occurs. This future scenario will have important implications for the stability of algal beds and coastal ecosystems as a whole.KEY WORDS: Diadema aff. antillarum · Larval settlement · Seawater warming · Recruitment · Habitat Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 413: [69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80] 2010 eastern Canada; Scheibling 1986, Lauzon-Guay & Scheibling 2007.It is well known that temperature regulates larval development and higher temperatures facilitate faster larval growth (Thorson 1950, Hoegh-Guldberg & Pearse 1995 and urchin reproduction . Temperature has been considered an important causative factor in the destruction of macroalgal beds by sea urchin grazing (Hart & Scheibling 1988, Ling et al. 2008. However, in population ecology, it is not always easy to establish causative effects due to the lack of historical data or baseline studies. The link between sea surface temperature and destructive grazing due to the rapid development that urchin larvae experience in warmer waters seems an oversimplistic model that requires further study. This relationship may apply for some sea urchin species, but not for others in which recruitment is inversely related to high temperatures. For example, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus recruits around southern California are more abundant following cold winter episodes (Ebert 1983), and low temperatures seem to favour high recruitment of S. droebachiensis in the coast of Norway (Sivertsen 2006). In any case, understanding the influence of abiotic factors on urchin populations is necessary to predict the consequences of seawater warming that is associated with large-scale climate change. This is of particular interest in the study of population dynamics in thermophilous species such as Diadema aff. antillarum, which is particulary sensitive to water warming processes and is a key herbivore.The relevance of larval supply in regulating populations of me...

show abstract

“…These factors, through their influence on organisms that vary in An inexpensive instrument for measuring wave exposure and water velocity Jared D. Figurski 1 metabolic requirements, may contribute to patterns of species abundance and community composition. Furthermore, wave exposure can have strong indirect effects on communities by influencing the growth (Hurd 2000;Storlazzi et al 2005), movement (Lauzon-Guay and Scheibling 2007), and interactions (Navarrete and Menge 1996) of marine organisms. All of these effects in combination make wave exposure one of the most important processes contributing to the structure and function of nearshore marine ecosystems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An inexpensive instrument for measuring wave exposure and water velocity

Figurski

Malone

Lacy

et al. 2011

Limnology & Ocean Methods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ocean waves drive a wide variety of nearshore physical processes, structuring entire ecosystems through their direct and indirect effects on the settlement, behavior, and survivorship of marine organisms. However, wave exposure remains difficult and expensive to measure. Here, we report on an inexpensive and easily constructed instrument for measuring wave-induced water velocities. The underwater relative swell kinetics instrument (URSKI) is a subsurface float tethered by a short (<1 m) line to the seafloor. Contained within the float is an accelerometer that records the tilt of the float in response to passing waves. During two field trials totaling 358 h, we confirmed the accuracy and precision of URSKI measurements through comparison to velocities measured by an in situ acoustic Doppler velocimeter and those predicted by a standard swell model, and we evaluated how the dimensions of the devices, its buoyancy, and sampling frequency can be modified for use in a variety of environments.

show abstract

Seasonal variation in movement, aggregation and destructive grazing of the green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) in relation to wave action and sea temperature

Cited by 81 publications

References 37 publications

Detrital kelp subsidy supports high reproductive condition of deep-living sea urchins in a sedimentary basin

Detrital kelp subsidy supports high reproductive condition of deep-living sea urchins in a sedimentary basin

Effect of temperature on settlement and postsettlement survival in a barrens-forming sea urchin

An inexpensive instrument for measuring wave exposure and water velocity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About