Abstract
Postmetamorphic growth and metabolism measurements were obtained on two cohorts of laboratory-reared Diadema antillarum. The cohorts grew linearly from less than 1 mm to over 43 mm. Daily growth averaged 0.097 and 0.11 mm d-1, respectively, for the two cohorts, and was found to differ significantly. Urchin metabolism was examined by a series of simultaneous measurements of oxygen consumption and ammonium excretion over 16 days on starved juveniles ranging 16.5 to 18.3 mm. Metabolic activity under conditions of starvation was used as a test of the viability of urchins reared in the laboratory with cultured food resources. Catabolic activity differed from the first week of starvation compared to the second. Metabolic response included: (1) a 2.2-fold increase in oxygen consumption rate; (2) 50% decline in ammonium excretion rate; and (3) a 5.1-fold increase in oxygen to nitrogen ratio. These measurements are consistent with a shift from almost pure protein catabolism during the first seven days of starvation to a lipid:protein catabolic ratio of 1:1 after the first week. Growth and metabolism experiments of this type are seen as a first step towards optimizing laboratory culture techniques of this species.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 87-95 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2003 |
Keywords
- Aquaculture
- Diadema antillarum
- Metabolism
- Postmetamorphic growth
- Sea urchin
- Starvation test
- Threatened species
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aquatic Science
- Oceanography