DOCSLIB.ORG

Variation in Righting Times of Holothuria Atra, Stichopus Chloronotus, And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Variation in Righting Times of Holothuria Atra, Stichopus Chloronotus, And Rowan University Rowan Digital Works School of Earth & Environment Faculty Scholarship School of Earth & Environment 1-1-2019 Variation in righting times of holothuria atra, stichopus chloronotus, and holothuria edulis in response to increased seawater temperatures on heron reef in the southern GBR Elizabeth Buccheri Adelphi University Matthias W. Foellmer Adelphi University Beth A. Christensen Rowan University Paul Langi Adelphi University Stefani Ritter Adelphi University See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://rdw.rowan.edu/see_facpub Part of the Oceanography Commons Recommended Citation Buccheri, E., Foellmer, M. W., Christensen, B. A., et al. (2019). Variation in Righting Times of Holothuria atra, Stichopus chloronotus, and Holothuria edulis in Response to Increased Seawater Temperatures on Heron Reef in the Southern GBR. Journal of Marine Biology, Volume 2019, Article ID 6179705. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6179705. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Earth & Environment at Rowan Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Earth & Environment Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Rowan Digital Works. Authors Elizabeth Buccheri, Matthias W. Foellmer, Beth A. Christensen, Paul Langi, Stefani Ritter, Esther Wolf, and Aaren S. Freeman This article is available at Rowan Digital Works: https://rdw.rowan.edu/see_facpub/28 Hindawi Journal of Marine Biology Volume 2019, Article ID 6179705, 6 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6179705 Research Article Variation in Righting Times of Holothuria atra, Stichopus chloronotus, and Holothuria edulis in Response to Increased Seawater Temperatures on Heron Reef in the Southern GBR Elizabeth Buccheri ,1 Matthias W. Foellmer,1,2 Beth A. Christensen ,1,3 Paul Langis,4 Stefani Ritter,1 Esther Wolf,5 and Aaren S. Freeman 1,2 1 Environmental Studies Program, Adelphi University, New York, USA 2Department of Biology, Adelphi University, New York, USA 3Department of Environmental Science, Rowan University, New Jersey, USA 4Department of Exercise Science, Health Studies, Physical Education and Sport Management, Adelphi University, New York, USA 5Department of Art and Art History, Adelphi University, New York, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Aaren S. Freeman; [email protected] Received 13 August 2018; Accepted 6 March 2019; Published 2 April 2019 Academic Editor: Robert A. Patzner Copyright © 2019 Elizabeth Buccheri et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Sea cucumbers can mitigate some impacts of climate change through digestion of benthic sands and production of calcium carbonate. Te projected ecological benefts of sea cucumbers in warmer, more acidic oceans are contingent on the capacities of individuals to acclimate and populations to adapt to climatic changes. Te goal of this experiment was to evaluate the degree to which warming waters would impact three abundant species of sea cucumbers on the Heron Reef in Queensland, Australia. We conducted a behavioral assay using three species of sea cucumbers, Holothuria atra, Stichopus chloronotus,andHolothuria edulis.Individuals from each species were subjected to three conditions mimicking current summer temperatures, current winter temperatures, and an elevated temperature consistent with future ocean warming by the year 2100. Sea cucumber reactions were evaluated using righting time as a proxy for their stress levels and overall tolerance of warming events. Te three sea cucumber species reacted diferently to water temperature changes: H. atra’s righting times declined with temperature, S. chloronotus had greater righting times at high and low temperature extremes, and H. edulis’s righting times remained relatively constant throughout. Our results suggest that each of these species might respond diferently to ocean warming and while some may be able to continue to combat climate change in benthic communities, others may decline in ecological function. 1. Introduction benthic communities, like coral reef ecosystems, are some of the most vulnerable to ocean warming and acidifcation. Warming oceans play a dominant role in the gradual yet dras- tic destruction of coral reef systems on the Great Barrier Reef Sea cucumbers are crucial members of these benthic [1], and on a global scale [2]. Excess anthropogenic carbon communities. Tey play an important ecological role in many dioxide in the atmosphere also leads to ocean acidifcation coral reef ecosystems and may mitigate local climate change and inhibits the ability of corals to produce calcium carbonate impacts. On the Heron reef fat, on the Great Barrier Reef in skeletons [3]. Tus, higher water temperatures and decreased Queensland, Australia, they act as bioeroders and are con- levels of calcium carbonate in the ecosystem have already sidered to be a keystone species [5]. Trough their digestion reduced coral reef resiliency and are predicted to continue to of benthic sands and particulate matter, sea cucumbers can do so in the future [4]. Tere is evidence that ocean acidifca- decrease seawater acidity locally and aid in the production of tion will impact the shallow marine systems more drastically sediment calcium carbonate. Tey also secrete ammonia as a than the deeper ocean environments [5]. Terefore, shallow byproduct of their digestive processes, which enhances coral 2 Journal of Marine Biology reef productivity by increasing the nutrient levels in the water second most abundant, accounting for just over 11% of the [6]. area, and Holothuria edulis represent 7% of the sea cucumber However, the long-term ability for sea cucumbers to mit- species in this area [5]. We chose these three species because igate ocean acidifcation may depend on individual species’ they were not only three of the most abundant on the reef, thermal reaction norms; certain species function optimally but also the most feasible to collect due to their tendencies under diferent thermal conditions [7]. With increased tem- to situate themselves amongst coral beds and out in the open perature and acidity of the oceans, benthic invertebrates’ in the sands of the reef fat during the day. Sea cucumbers ecological processes may be altered. Mating periods, larval exhibit a temperature-dependent diel burying schedule. Tey dispersal, and community structures will be afected and are generally inactive and buried for at least eight hours a these impacts will be species dependent [8]. Previous studies day and are most ideally surveyed during midday hours [21]. have shown that thermal stress experienced by two unrelated Terefore, we surveyed the collection site and gathered our sea cucumber species (Holothuria scabra and Apostichopus test subjects during midday hours. All sea cucumbers used in japonicus) led to immune and antioxidant responses to our assays were larger individuals collected from the shallow attempt to avoid damage and maintain homeostasis [9, 10] subtidal zone and therefore likely sexually reproducing mor- but, overall, high temperature stress will impact immune photypes [22]. function [11]. Four laboratory trials were conducted using two individ- Righting time assays are a proxy for physiological func- uals from each of the three species at a time. Sample sizes were tion and organismal stress in crabs [12], sea urchins [13, 14], limited due to National Park sampling permit restrictions. and sea stars [15, 16]; yet, this method has not been widely Te sea cucumbers were collected from the inner and mid used among sea cucumbers. In our experiments righting reef at a depth of about 1-2 meters MLW on the southwest time was used to determine the infuence of temperature on side of the island. Te temperature of the seawater was taken the sea cucumber’s reaction time and stress. Although not at the time and location of collection. Te average seawater ∘ commonly used on holothuroids, the use of this type of assay temperature was 23 C. Terefore, in our experiments, the ∘ is particularly relevant for sea cucumber species because they 23 C tanks acted as our control and represented the general rely on their podia to secure themselves to substrates and temperature that the sea cucumbers experience during the keep them safe from predation [17, 18]. During a righting time Australian winter. Before each trial, each individual’s body assay, animals are fipped to expose their more vulnerable, length was measured and they were weighed (Table 1) using ventral side and timed to determine their return to a more a calibrated spring scale (accuracy of approximately +/- 1%) natural, ventral-down position. Te amount of time taken with a pan attachment. to reach this recovered state can relate to and ultimately Seven tanks were arranged in fowing seawater systems determine the animals’ physiological capacity and stress level with air stones: fve tanks simulated the ocean temperatures ∘ as a function of the environmental changes occurring around experienced by the sea cucumbers during local winters (23 C, them. comparable to our season of study), one tank contained To compare how holothuroids in the GBR may acclimate submersible heaters to raise the water temperature to sim- ∘ to climate change conditions on a more physical level, we ulate local summer (29 C), and one tank had submersible conducted a behavioral assay evaluating righting timing
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Parameterisation and Application of Dynamic Energy Budget Model to Sea Cucumber Apostichopus Japonicus
    Vol. 9: 1–8, 2017 AQUACULTURE ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS Published January 10 doi: 10.3354/aei00210 Aquacult Environ Interact OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS Parameterisation and application of dynamic energy budget model to sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus Jeffrey S. Ren1, Jeanie Stenton-Dozey1, Jihong Zhang2,3,* 1National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, 10 Kyle Street, PO Box 8602, Christchurch 8440, New Zealand 2Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 106 Nanjing Road, Qingdao 266071, PR China 3Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 1 Wenhai Road, Aoshanwei, Jimo, Qingdao 266200, PR China ABSTRACT: The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is an important aquaculture species in China. As global interest in sustainable aquaculture grows, the species has increasingly been used for co-culture in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA). To provide a basis for opti - mising stocking density in IMTA systems, we parameterised and validated a standard dynamic energy budget (DEB) model for the sea cucumber. The covariation method was used to estimate parameters of the model with the DEBtool package. The method is based on minimisation of the weighted sum of squared deviation for datasets and model predictions in one single-step pro- cedure. Implementation of the package requires meaningful initial values of parameters, which were estimated using non-linear regression. Parameterisation of the model suggested that the accuracy of the lower (TL) and upper (TH) boundaries of tolerance temperatures are particularly important, as these would trigger the unique behaviour of the sea cucumber for hibernation and aestivation. After parameterisation, the model was validated with datasets from a shellfish aqua- culture environment in which sea cucumbers were co-cultured with the scallop Chlamys farreri and Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas at various combinations of density.
    [Show full text]
  • Genomic Insights of Body Plan Transitions from Bilateral to Pentameral Symmetry in Echinoderms
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-1091-1 OPEN Genomic insights of body plan transitions from bilateral to pentameral symmetry in Echinoderms Yongxin Li1, Akihito Omori 2, Rachel L. Flores3, Sheri Satterfield3, Christine Nguyen3, Tatsuya Ota 4, Toko Tsurugaya5, Tetsuro Ikuta6,7, Kazuho Ikeo4, Mani Kikuchi8, Jason C. K. Leong9, Adrian Reich 10, Meng Hao1, Wenting Wan1, Yang Dong 11, Yaondong Ren1, Si Zhang12, Tao Zeng 12, Masahiro Uesaka13, 1234567890():,; Yui Uchida9,14, Xueyan Li 1, Tomoko F. Shibata9, Takahiro Bino15, Kota Ogawa16, Shuji Shigenobu 15, Mariko Kondo 9, Fayou Wang12, Luonan Chen 12,17, Gary Wessel10, Hidetoshi Saiga7,9,18, ✉ ✉ R. Andrew Cameron 19, Brian Livingston3, Cynthia Bradham20, Wen Wang 1,21,22 & Naoki Irie 9,14,22 Echinoderms are an exceptional group of bilaterians that develop pentameral adult symmetry from a bilaterally symmetric larva. However, the genetic basis in evolution and development of this unique transformation remains to be clarified. Here we report newly sequenced genomes, developmental transcriptomes, and proteomes of diverse echinoderms including the green sea urchin (L. variegatus), a sea cucumber (A. japonicus), and with particular emphasis on a sister group of the earliest-diverged echinoderms, the feather star (A. japo- nica). We learned that the last common ancestor of echinoderms retained a well-organized Hox cluster reminiscent of the hemichordate, and had gene sets involved in endoskeleton development. Further, unlike in other animal groups, the most conserved developmental stages were not at the body plan establishing phase, and genes normally involved in bila- terality appear to function in pentameric axis development. These results enhance our understanding of the divergence of protostomes and deuterostomes almost 500 Mya.
    [Show full text]
  • SPC Beche-De-Mer Information Bulletin #39 – March 2019
    ISSN 1025-4943 Issue 39 – March 2019 BECHE-DE-MER information bulletin v Inside this issue Editorial Towards producing a standard grade identification guide for bêche-de-mer in This issue of the Beche-de-mer Information Bulletin is well supplied with Solomon Islands 15 articles that address various aspects of the biology, fisheries and S. Lee et al. p. 3 aquaculture of sea cucumbers from three major oceans. An assessment of commercial sea cu- cumber populations in French Polynesia Lee and colleagues propose a procedure for writing guidelines for just after the 2012 moratorium the standard identification of beche-de-mer in Solomon Islands. S. Andréfouët et al. p. 8 Andréfouët and colleagues assess commercial sea cucumber Size at sexual maturity of the flower populations in French Polynesia and discuss several recommendations teatfish Holothuria (Microthele) sp. in the specific to the different archipelagos and islands, in the view of new Seychelles management decisions. Cahuzac and others studied the reproductive S. Cahuzac et al. p. 19 biology of Holothuria species on the Mahé and Amirantes plateaux Contribution to the knowledge of holo- in the Seychelles during the 2018 northwest monsoon season. thurian biodiversity at Reunion Island: Two previously unrecorded dendrochi- Bourjon and Quod provide a new contribution to the knowledge of rotid sea cucumbers species (Echinoder- holothurian biodiversity on La Réunion, with observations on two mata: Holothuroidea). species that are previously undescribed. Eeckhaut and colleagues P. Bourjon and J.-P. Quod p. 27 show that skin ulcerations of sea cucumbers in Madagascar are one Skin ulcerations in Holothuria scabra can symptom of different diseases induced by various abiotic or biotic be induced by various types of food agents.
    [Show full text]
  • Morphology of an Endosymbiotic Bivalve, Entovalva Nhatrangensis (Bristow, Berland, Schander & Vo, 2010) (Galeommatoidea)
    Molluscan Research 31(2): 114–124 ISSN 1323-5818 http://www.mapress.com/mr/ Magnolia Press Morphology of an endosymbiotic bivalve, Entovalva nhatrangensis (Bristow, Berland, Schander & Vo, 2010) (Galeommatoidea) J. LÜTZEN1, B. BERLAND2, & G.A.BRISTOW2* 1Biological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark 2Department of Biology, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway *Corresponding author, Email: [email protected] Abstract We describe the morphology of Entovalva nhatrangensis Bristow, Berland, Schander & Vo, 2010, an endosymbiontic bivalve living in the oesophagus of Holothuria spinifera and H. leucospilota in Vietnam. The delicate shells are entirely internalized. The body is very small compared to the foot, which is dorso-ventrally flattened and contains the digestive diverticula and the fertile parts of the gonads. Even though the gills are small, they probably serve in collecting suspended matter, and in addition, the species clearly feeds on benthic diatoms, which it probably sorts out from the contents of the host’s gut. The species is a protandric hermaphrodite. Most males have a total length of 1.5–3.0 mm and above that size start changing sex to become females, which may attain a total length of nearly nine mm. Sperm is transferred in spermatophores with a solid wall produced by glands within the male siphon. One to three spermatophores are placed on the gills of females and the ova become fertilized as they pass from the genital pores to the siphon, where they are brooded until released as D-larvae. Key words: functional anatomy, hermaphroditism, protandry, spermatophore, Holothuria spinifera, Holothuria leucospilota, Bivalvia, Heterodonta Introduction following morning.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Reproduction in a Fissiparous Holothurian Species, Holothuria
    SPC Beche-de-mer Information Bulletin #18 – May 2003 33 D’Silva, D. 2001. The Torres Strait beche-de-mer Skewes, T.D. Dennis, D.M. and Burridge, C. 2000. (sea cucumber) fishery. SPC Beche-de-Mer Survey of Holothuria scabra (sandfish) on Information Bulletin 15:2–4. Warrior Reef, Torres Strait, January 2000. CSIRO Division of Marine Research. Jaquemet, S. and Conand, C. 1999. The Beche-de- Mer trade in 1995/1996 and an assessment of TRAFFIC South America. 2000. Evaluation of the exchanges between main world markets. SPC trade of sea cucumber Isostichopus fuscus Beche-de-Mer Information Bulletin 12:11–14. (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) in the Galapagos during 1999. Quito. 19 p. Lokani, P. 1990. Beche-de-mer research and devel- opment in Papua New Guinea. SPC Beche-de- Uthicke, S. and Benzie, J.A.H. 2001. Effect of beche- Mer Information Bulletin 2:1–18. de-mer fishing on densities and size structure of Holothuria nobilis (Echinodermata: Secretariat of the Pacific Community. 1994. Sea cu- Holothuridae) populations on the Great cumbers and beche-de-mer of the tropical Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 19:271–276. Pacific. A handbook for fishers. Handbook no. 18. SPC, Noumea New Caledonia. 51 p. Sexual reproduction in a fissiparous holothurian species, Holothuria leucospilota Clark 1920 (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) Pradina Purwati1,2 and Jim Thinh Luong-van2 Abstract Holothuria leucospilota Clark 1920 inhabiting tropical Darwin waters primarily undergo asexual reproduc- tion by fission throughout the year (Purwati 2001). However, there is also evidence of sexual reproduction. Monthly sampling from August 1998 to January 2000 revealed that the gonadal tubules within each indi- vidual of H.
    [Show full text]
  • Seychelles: a Hotspot of Sea Cucumber Fisheries in Africa and the Indian Ocean Region
    195 Seychelles: a hotspot of sea cucumber fisheries in Africa and the Indian Ocean region Riaz Aumeeruddy Island Conservation Society Victoria, Seychelles E-mail: [email protected] Chantal Conand Université de la Réunion Saint-Denis, France E-mail: [email protected] Aumeeruddy, R.; Conand, C. 2008. Seychelles: a hotspot of sea cucumber fisheries in Africa and the Indian Ocean region. In V. Toral-Granda, A. Lovatelli and M. Vasconcellos (eds). Sea cucumbers. A global review of fisheries and trade. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper. No. 516. Rome, FAO. pp. 195–209. SUMMARY The Seychelles Archipelago, comprising 115 islands, is located in the middle of the Western Indian Ocean and has a large Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ 1.4 millions km2). Sea cucumbers in Seychelles have been fished for more than a hundred years, but the fishery has recently seen a rapid development. Sea cucumbers are mostly collected by divers using SCUBA gear. They are processed for the export market. The population status is presented for the five main species caught (“pentard”, white teatfish, black teatfish, prickly redfish and sandfish) from the estimated stock and the overall density (ind./ha). Catch and effort data have been collected since 1999 by Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA). The data are provided by the fishers as per the requirements of their fishing license conditions. The catch per unit effort (CPUE), expressed in numbers of sea cucumbers collected per diver per day, shows mostly a downward trend. The sea cucumber fishery in Seychelles was open-access until 1999. As part of a recent FAO- funded project, a management plan for the fishery has been prepared, based on the results of the resource assessment.
    [Show full text]
  • Apostichopus Japonicus
    Acta Oceanol. Sin., 2018, Vol. 37, No. 5, P. 54–66 DOI: 10.1007/s13131-017-1101-4 http://www.hyxb.org.cn E-mail: [email protected] Differential gene expression in the body wall of the sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) under strong lighting and dark conditions ZHANG Libin1, 2, FENG Qiming1, 3, SUN Lina1, 2, FANG Yan4, XU Dongxue5, ZHANG Tao1, 2, YANG Hongsheng1, 2* 1 CAS Key laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China 2 Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 4 School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China 5 College of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China Received 25 January 2017; accepted 9 March 2017 © Chinese Society for Oceanography and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract Sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus is very sensitive to light changes. It is important to study the influence of light on the molecular response of A. japonicus. In this study, RNA-seq provided a general overview of the gene expression profiles of the body walls of A. japonicus exposed to strong light (“light”), normal light (“control”) and fully dark (“dark”) environment. In the comparisons of “control” vs. “dark”, ”control” vs. “light” and “dark” vs. “light”, 1 161, 113 and 1 705 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified following the criteria of |log2ratio|≥1 and FDR≤0.001, respectively. Gene ontology analysis showed that “cellular process” and “binding” enriched the most DEGs in the category of “biological process” and “molecular function”, while “cell” and “cell part” enriched the most DEGs in the category of “cellular component”.
    [Show full text]
  • SPC Beche-De-Mer Infomation Bulletin
    SPC Beche-de-mer Information Bulletin #23 – February 2006 39 AbstractsAbstracts && publicationspublications beche-de-merbeche-de-mer SPC translates two chapters of Chantal Conand’s 1989 thesis1:“Aspidochirote holothurians of the New Caledonia lagoon: Biology, ecology and exploitation” SPC's Reef Fisheries Observatory has organised the translation of two chapters of Chantal Conand's semi- nal thesis on the ecology and biology of sea cucumbers. Although this thesis was published in French in 1989, a long time ago, many results were never made available to the wider audience of non-French speak- ers. Since the initial publication of this work, interest on holothurian resources and their management has only increased, and SPC hopes this translation will be of use to fishers, researchers and managers alike. Chantal Conand is now Professor Emeritus at La Reunion University. Her PhD was undertaken at the ORSTOM (now IRD) Center in New Caledonia, and the Laboratory Océanographie Biologique of the University of Bretagne Occidentale in France. She is still involved in sea cucumber research, as the sci- entific editor of this Beche-de-mer Bulletin published by SPC and several programmes of regional and international interest. The translated parts of the PhD thesis are listed below: Part of Chapter two: Ecology of the aspidochirote holothurians 4. Autoecology 4.1 Analytical methods 4.2 General results on distribution, density and biomass 4.3 Ecology of main species 4.4 Discussion of results 5. Taxocoenoses 5.1 Methods 5.2 Richness of the various biotopes 5.3 Main taxocoenosess 5.4 Discussion 5.5 Factors of the distribution 6.
    [Show full text]
  • Stichopodidae 1185
    click for previous page Order Aspidochirotida - Stichopodidae 1185 Order Aspidochirotida - Stichopodidae STICHOPODIDAE iagnostic characters: Body square-shaped or trapezoidal in cross-section. Cuvierian organs absent. DGonads forming 2 tufts appended on each side of the dorsal mesentery. Dominant spicules in form of branched rods and C-and S-shaped rods. Key to the genera of Stichopodidae occurring in the area (after Clark and Rowe, 1971) 1a. Bivium covered with large papillae, leaf-shaped, simple or branched, and without podia regularly arranged longitudinally; spicules never developod as tables, but numerous grains, dichotomously branched rods ............................Thelenota 1b. Bivium covered with tubercules and papillae, at least on sides; trivium more or less covered by podia; spicules developod as tables, branched rods, and C-and S-shaped rods ..............................................Stichopus List of species of interest to fisheries occurring in the area The symbol * is given when species accounts are included. * Stichopus chloronotus Brandt, 1835 * Stichopus horrens Selenka, 1867 * Stichopus variegatus Semper, 1868 * Thelenota ananas (Jaeger, 1833) * Thelenota anax Clark, 1921 1186 Holothurians Stichopus chloronotus Brandt, 1835 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Greenfish; Fr - Trépang vert. row of large papillae anus terminal calcareous ring mouth ventral, with papillae and 20 tentacles spicules of podia spicules of tentacles spicules of tegument (after Féral and Cherbonnier, 1986) Diagnostic characters: Body firm, rigid with quadrangular section, flattened ventrally (trivium); body wall easily disintegrates outside sea water. Radii of bivium with characteristic double row of large papillae, each radius ending in a small red or orange papilla. Trivium delimited by characteristic double row of large papillae; stout podia arranged regularly on 3 radial bands, with 10 rows in the medio-ventral band and 5 in the lateral.
    [Show full text]
  • Predator Defense Mechanisms in Shallow Water Sea Cucumbers (Holothuroidea)
    PREDATOR DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN SHALLOW WATER SEA CUCUMBERS (HOLOTHUROIDEA) JESSICA A. CASTILLO Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 USA Abstract. The various predator defense mechanisms possessed by shallow water sea cucumbers were surveyed in twelve different species and morphs. While many defense mechanisms such as the presence of Cuverian tubules, toxic secretions, and unpalatability have been identified in holothurians, I hypothesized that the possession of these traits as well as the degree to which they are utilized varies from species to species. The observed defense mechanisms were compared against a previously-derived phylogeny of the sea cucumbers of Moorea. Furthermore, I hypothesized that while the presence of such structures is most likely a result of the species’ placement on a phylogenetic tree, the degree to which they utilize such structures and their physical behavior are influenced by their individual ecologies. The presence of a red liquid secretion was restricted to individuals of the genus Holothuria (Linnaeus 1767) however not all members of the genus exhibited this trait. With the exception of H. leucospilota, which possessed both Cuverian tubules and a red secretion, Cuverian tubules were observed in members of the genus Bohadschia (Ostergren 1896). In accordance with the hypothesis, both the phylogenetics and individual ecology appear to influence predator defense mechanisms. However, even closely related species of similar ecology may differ considerably. Key words: holothurians; defense; toxicity; Cuverian tubules; Moorea, French Polynesia INTRODUCTION (Sakthivel et. Al, 1994). Approximately 20 species in two families and five genera, Sea cucumbers belong to the phylum including Holothuria, Bohadschia, and Thenelota, Echinodermata and the class Holothuroidea.
    [Show full text]
  • Population Genetics and Phylogeography of Hawaiian Coral Reef Echinoderms
    ISLANDS, ARCHIPELAGOS, AND BEYOND: POPULATION GENETICS AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF HAWAIIAN CORAL REEF ECHINODERMS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ZOOLOGY AUGUST 2012 By Derek J. Skillings Dissertation Committee: Robert Toonen, Chairperson Brian Bowen Charles Birkeland Andrew Taylor Ronald Bontekoe i DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Melissa Kay Skillings. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my committee members who provided essential guidance and encouragement throughout my graduate career. Foremost, I would like to thank my advisor and committee chair Rob Toonen. He has generously offered me a near endless supply of advice and guidance, as he does for anyone who knocks on his door. He also gave me the flexibility and encouragement needed to make getting two simultaneous graduate degrees possible. My graduate career has been very unconventional, and Rob has supported me every step of the way. I would like to thank Brian Bowen for giving me the structure I needed to succeed. Given my tendency to get lost in an always increasing number of projects, I would have never finished in a reasonable amount of time without his firm hand at setting deadlines and his enthusiastic encouragement to meet those deadlines. Rob and Brian gave me the perfect balance of freedom and focus that I needed to succeed. I would like to thank Chuck Birkeland for helping me to put my work in the larger perspective of coral reef ecosystems. Chuck also encouraged my philosophical and historical investigations into biology through insightful conversation; every time I saw he seemed to have a valuable and important text that he wanted to give me for my collection, many from his personal library.
    [Show full text]
  • Yellow Coloured Mats from Lava Tubes of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Yellow coloured mats from lava tubes of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) are dominated by Received: 27 July 2017 Accepted: 16 January 2018 metabolically active Actinobacteria Published: xx xx xxxx Jose L. Gonzalez-Pimentel1, Ana Z. Miller 1, Valme Jurado1, Leonila Laiz1, Manuel F. C. Pereira2 & Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez1 Microbial diversity in lava tubes from Canary Islands (Spain) has never been explored thus far ofering a unique opportunity to study subsurface microbiology. Abundant yellow coloured mats developing on coralloid speleothems in a lava tube from La Palma Islands were studied by next-generation sequencing and DNA/RNA clone library analyses for investigating both total and metabolically active bacteria. In addition, morphological and mineralogical characterization was performed by feld emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), micro-computed tomography, X-ray difraction and infrared spectroscopy to contextualize sequence data. This approach showed that the coralloid speleothems consist of banded siliceous stalactites composed of opal-A and hydrated halloysite. Analytical pyrolysis was also conducted to infer the possible origin of cave wall pigmentation, revealing that lignin degradation compounds can contribute to speleothem colour. Our RNA-based study showed for the frst time that members of the phylum Actinobacteria, with 55% of the clones belonging to Euzebyales order, were metabolically active components of yellow mats. In contrast, the DNA clone library revealed that around 45% of clones were afliated to Proteobacteria. Composition of microbial phyla obtained by NGS reinforced the DNA clone library data at the phylum level, in which Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum followed by Actinobacteria. Microbial mats frequently coat extensive areas of walls and ceilings of karstic caves and lava tubes, usually devel- oping yellow, tan, orange, grey, pink and white-coloured bioflms1–6.
    [Show full text]