You are here

The effect of salinity on larval survival and development in thesea urchin Echinometra lucunter

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
1998
Title: The effect of salinity on larval survival and development in thesea urchin Echinometra lucunter.
152 views
53 downloads
Name(s): Metaxas, Anna
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Article
Date Issued: 1998
Publisher: Balaban
Place of Publication: Rehovot, Israel
Physical Form: pdf
Extent: 9 p.
Language(s): English
Identifier: FA00007270 (IID)
Note(s): Reductions in salinity can have adverse effects on larval development and larval survival in some invertebrate taxa but not others. Salinity tolerance of larvae may be particularly important in echinoderms because they are both poor ion regulators and stenohaline. I examined the effect of six levels of salinity (15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 33 PSU) on survival and rate of development of larvae in the subtropical sea urchin Echinometra lucunter. In the short-term, mortality rate was significantly lower in 33 PSU than in all other salinities except 27 PSU, and it was significantly greater in 15 and 18 PSU than in all higher salinities. In the long-term, daily and cumulative mortality were significantly greater in 15 PSU than in most other salinities over 11 days of development (except for cumulative mortality in 18 PSU). They were significantly greater in 18 PSU than in 21 PSU or 33 PSU over a period of 13 days. Furthermore, daily mortality was significantly greater in 18 PSU than in 24 PSU or 27 PSU at 13 d after fertilization. Daily and cumulative mortality were significantly lower in 33 PSU than in 21, 24 or 27 PSU over a period of 17 days. Although in the control (33 PSU) 75% of larvae completed development to the 8-arm stage at 35 d, no larvae developed further than the 4-arm stage in 18, 21, 24 or 27 PSU; in 15 PSU, similar to 60% of larvae did not develop further than swimming blastulae. Since prolonged exposure to salinities as high as 27 PSU (frequently recorded in the adult habitat) can result in great larval losses, adaptive behaviours that prevent larvae from entering water layers of low salinity will enhance their chance for survival.
Florida Atlantic University. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute contribution 1229
This manuscript is an author version with the final publication available and may be cited as: Metaxas, A. (1998). The effect of salinity on larval survival and development in the sea urchin Echinometra lucunter. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, 34(2-3), 323-330.
Subject(s): Echinometra lucunter
Sea urchins--Development
Sea urchins--Larvae
Salinity
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007270
Host Institution: FAU