Spawning events in small and large populations of the green sea urchin <i>Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis</i>
 as recorded using fertilization assays

Gaudette, Julien; Wahle, Richard A.; Himmelman, John H.

doi:10.4319/lo.2006.51.3.1485

Cited by 53 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…However, real temporal patterns can be quite different because environmental cues may completely override endogenous rhythms. Natural patterns can be spatially consistent for different groups (Gaudette et al 2006, Flores et al 2007); hence, underlying processes responsible for release activity may be the same over relatively large scales. Although still very scarce, information on the timing of propagule release by natural intertidal populations can be important in clarifying reproductive strategies and assessing dispersal potential, which is considered a key issue in conservation marine ecology.…”

Section: Abstract: Reproductive Timing · Propagule Retention · Rockymentioning

confidence: 99%

Retention-favorable timing of propagule release in barnacles and periwinkles

Bueno¹,

Moser

Tocci³

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Recent studies on the ecology of marine larvae suggest that retention near coastal areas and self-recruitment are probably much more common than previously thought. In light of this, the advective potential of pelagic stages can be partially determined by the timing of propagule release. We sampled the upper-shore levels of a subtropical coastline in southeastern Brazil to examine the temporal patterns of propagule release for the common barnacle Chthamalus bisinuatus and the periwinkle Nodilittorina lineolata. The release timing in both species was very consistent between sites a few kilometers apart. Barnacles released nauplii in a rhythmic pattern, mostly coinciding with neap tides, when the speed of tidal currents was lowest. There was no variation in propagule release in relation to diel or flood -ebb tidal cycles. Periwinkles released propagules in a very irregular pattern, which remarkably matched a time series of wave heights. Egg capsules were released during periods of rough seas, when onshore surface currents were expected to prevail. Eggs were released mostly during ebb tides, and there was no diel variation. Propagule release rhythms are usually viewed as a means to ensure fast offshore advection, thus avoiding presumed hazardous conditions for larvae. However, propagule release strategies in these upper-shore species would more likely contribute to the retention of offspring close to parental stocks. KEY WORDS: Reproductive timing · Propagule retention · Rocky shoresResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Mar Ecol Prog Ser 414: 155-165, 2010 gan 1995). In the case of intertidal brachyuran crabs, an extensive dataset suggests that hatching is timed with different environmental cycles, so that optimal release is expected to take place during spring tides, at nocturnal ebbing periods, ensuring a fast offshore advection to a habitat patch where predation risk is lower (Forward 1987, Morgan 1995. By this means, larvae may easily be transported off coastal retention zones. However, intertidal crabs are mobile animals which can undertake tidal excursions prior to hatching and larval development is relatively long, usually lasting from 3 to 10 wk (Hines 1986). In rocky shores, the most abundant organisms are sessile or sedentary, and their larvae develop relatively faster. Many of these animals also respond to environmental cues, which are far less predictable. For instance, phytoplankton blooms were shown to trigger spawning and larval release events in different marine invertebrates (Barnes 1962, Starr et al. 1990, and mechanical stimulation, which may simulate wave action, is frequently used to obtain gametes in mussels and polychaetes in the laboratory (e.g. Young 1945, Eckelbarger 1976. In such cases, ripe individuals must be capable of retaining their fully developed eggs until they perceive release-inducing stimuli. Because these environmental cues are highly stochastic, they are also very difficult to anticipate. Endogenous control in such species...

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Section: Abstract: Reproductive Timing · Propagule Retention · Rockymentioning

confidence: 99%

Retention-favorable timing of propagule release in barnacles and periwinkles

Bueno¹,

Moser

Tocci³

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…The coincidence of spawning with sharply increasing sea temperatures does not necessarily mean that (Himmelman 1975, Starr et al 1990, Gaudette et al 2006). The sequential spawnings observed for different species in 2003 (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis followed by Ophiura robusta and then Ophiopholis aculeata) could mean either that each species was triggered to spawn by a different environmental signal or by different thresholds to the same signal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To identify spawning cues sampling must be done at much greater frequency (weekly or less), and there should also be continual or daily measurements of environmental factors (Bonardelli et al 1996). Fertilization assays sensu Gaudette et al (2006) provide an interesting alternative approach for documenting the timing and intensity of spawning observations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spawning synchrony and aggregative behaviour of cold-water echinoderms during multi-species mass spawnings

Himmelman

Dumont²,

Gaymer³

et al. 2008

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Although many marine invertebrates reproduce by releasing gametes into the water, major spawning events have rarely been observed for cold-water invertebrates. We documented mass spawnings by the sea star Asterias vulgaris and the ophiuroid Ophiopholis aculeata on 6 July 1996 and 2 July 1998, and by these 2 species plus a second ophiuroid Ophiura robusta and the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis on 3 July 2003. In each year, the abrupt spawning events coincided with the first major intrusion of warm surface water into a region normally dominated by cold upwelling. The behaviours of the ophiuroids and sea stars favoured fertilization success. First, they spawned from elevated surfaces, with the central disc raised, to increase suspension and mixing of gametes. Second, many individuals pseudocopulated, which involved crawling over one another in the case of the sea star, and individuals holding their central discs together in the case of the 2 ophiuroids. Models of fertilization success need to incorporate such behaviours to better understand fertilization in the sea.KEY WORDS: Ophiopholis aculeata · Ophiura robusta · Asterias vulgaris · Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis · Mass spawning · Behaviour · Pseudocopulation · External fertilization · Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 361: [161][162][163][164][165][166][167][168] 2008 Japan (Kubota 1980) and for the palolo worm Eunice viridis in the Samoan Islands (Caspers 1984). Subsequently, multi-species mass spawnings have been documented for many sessile tropical species (corals, anemones and sponges) that spawn at a predictable time in coordination with environmental rhythms (Harrison et al. 1984, Babcock et al. 1992). In contrast, there are surprisingly few reports of major spawning events for temperate and cold-water invertebrates. The reports most clearly indicating synchronous spawning by large numbers of individuals are probably those of Minchin (1987Minchin ( , 1992, Breen & Adkins (1980), Sewell & Levitan (1992) and Hamel & Mercier (1996). The scarcity of such observations, due to their short duration and unpredictable timing, greatly limits our understanding of fertilization dynamics. In particular, we know little about how animals behave during major spawnings. Strong selective pressure to adopt behaviours that enhance fertilization success would be expected. Most reports of spawning behaviours are based on incidental spawnings of a few individuals.The aim of the present paper is 3-fold: (1) to report rare spawning events involving mass multi-species spawnings of cold-water echinoderms; (2) to consider environmental factors that potentially triggered these highly synchronized events; and (3) to describe behaviours during spawning, including rapid aggregation and pseudocopulation, which likely enhanced fertilization success. MATERIALS AND METHODSOur observations were made during the course of ecological studies of sea stars (Gaymer et al. 2001...

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“…Reproductive periodicity is primarily cued by changes in temperature (Walker & Lesser 1998, Garrido & Barber 2001, Kirchhoff et al 2010, photoperiod (Böttger et al 2006, Kirchhoff et al 2010) and phytoplankton abundance (Starr et al 1994, Gaudette et al 2006, Himmelman et al 2008. Some populations also spawn in late summer and autumn (August to November), but this second spawning event is thought to occur only in food-rich habitats (Keats et al 1987, Meidel & Scheibling 1998, Lyons & Scheibling 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Filbee‐Dexter¹,

Scheibling²

2014

Aquat. Biol.

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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.

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Spawning events in small and large populations of the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis as recorded using fertilization assays

Cited by 53 publications

References 33 publications

Retention-favorable timing of propagule release in barnacles and periwinkles

Retention-favorable timing of propagule release in barnacles and periwinkles

Spawning synchrony and aggregative behaviour of cold-water echinoderms during multi-species mass spawnings

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

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