Can artificial diets be a feasible alternative for the gonadal growth and maturation of the sea urchin <i>Paracentrotus lividus</i> (Lamarck, 1816)?

Santos, Pedro; Ferreira, Susana M. F.; Albano, Pedro; Raposo, Andreia; Costa, José Lino; Pombo, Ana

doi:10.1111/jwas.12656

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…These results were also confirmed by comparison with the current literature. In fact, previous studies that administrated entirely vegetable diets to similar sea urchin size class (Vizzini et al, 2015;Santos et al, 2020b), obtained comparable GI values to those obtained in this study with D-0, but lower GI compared to D-20 and D-40. Furthermore, among the animal enriched diets tested in the present study, D-20 yielded the highest value of gonad index, as well as the lowest value of FCRg.…”

Section: Growth Performancessupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Vegetable and animal ingredients mixed in a formulated diet can, in fact, maximize sea urchin growth performance, reducing time for the production of high-quality marketable gonads (Vizzini et al, 2019). To date, several attempts have been made to obtain a good market product using a balanced mix of vegetable and animal sources, as alternative diets to traditional ones (Vizzini et al, 2015;Sartori and Gaion, 2016;Cirino et al, 2017;Fabbrocini et al, 2019;Raposo et al, 2019;Zupo et al, 2019;Ciriminna et al, 2020;Santos et al, 2020b;Ciriminna et al, 2021;Lourenco et al, 2021). However, as far as we know, only Fernandez and Boudouresque (2000) focused on a comparative investigation of the dietary requirements of the sea urchin during different life stages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic Requirements of the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus Varies at Different Life Stages: Comprehension of Species Ecology and Implications for Effective Feeding Formulations

et al. 2022

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Investigations on trophic requirements of different life cycle stages of Paracentrotus lividus are crucial for the comprehension of species ecology and for its artificial rearing. The future success of echinoculture depends heavily on the development of suitable and cost-effective diets that are specifically designed to maximize somatic growth during the early life stages and gonadal production in the later stages. In this context, a considerable number of studies have recommended animal sources as supplements in sea urchin diets. However, with the exception of Fernandez and Boudouresque (2000), no studies have investigated the dietary requirements over the different life stages of the sea urchin. In the present study, the growth and nutrition of three life stages of P. lividus (juveniles: 15-25 mm; subadults: 25-35 mm; adults: 45-55 mm) were analyzed over a 4-month rearing experiment. Three experimental diets, with 0%, 20% and 40% of animal sourced enrichments, were tested in parallel in sea urchin three size classes. The food conversion ratio, somatic and gonadal growth were assessed in each condition in order to evaluate the optimal level of animal-sourced supplements for each life stage. A general growth model covering the full post-metamorphic P. lividus life cycle was defined for each condition. During the juvenile stage P. lividus requires higher animal supply (40%), while a feeding requirement shift takes place toward lower animal supply (20%) in sub-adult and adult stages. Our results evidenced that the progressive increase in size after the metamorphosis led to a consequent variation of trophic requirements and food energy allocation in the sea urchin P. lividus. Macronutrient requirements varied widely during the different life stages, in response to changes in the energy allocation from somatic growth to reproductive investment. This study sheds light on P. lividus trophic ecology, broadening our basic knowledge of the dietary requirements of juveniles, sub-adults and adults as a function of their behavior also in the natural environment.

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Section: Growth Performancessupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic Requirements of the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus Varies at Different Life Stages: Comprehension of Species Ecology and Implications for Effective Feeding Formulations

et al. 2022

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“…4 As demand continued to increase and the capture of wild sea urchins was no longer ecologically sustainable, interest in echinoculture emerged. [5][6][7][8][9] In fact, echinoculture, in addition to responding to the demand increase, has helped to relieve pressure from fishing in wild populations. 10 One of the main obstacles encountered in the production of sea urchins are related to feed: difficulty in finding the balance between cost and quality of feed, limited growth due to inadequate diets and poorly optimized and efficient feeding regimes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7,[10][11][12][13] The negative aspects in the use of macroalgae in the feeding of sea urchins in aquaculture led to an increase in scientific research focused on their feeding, whose work found a common solution: the development of formulated diets. 2,9 In other hand, inert diets are easier to store, can be kept at room temperature and allow greater feed control because the nutritional characteristics of the feed are known and invariable throughout the year. 13 Several studies have also shown a greater somatic and gonadal growth in sea urchins when fed with inert diets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of a formulated feed on the body growth and gonads quality of purple sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) aquaculture produced

Araújo¹,

Loureiro²,

Candeias‐Mendes³

et al. 2023

JAMB

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Sea urchin gonads are a prized gourmet product in many areas of the globe, and wild populations are threatened by increasing demand, making this species a very desirable product in aquaculture. Due to the unique needs of each stage of the life cycle, a viable food protocol that seeks to satisfy each stage while optimizing production profitability is required. The objective of this work was to test a formulated feed for sea urchins, through the analysis of somatic growth, gonad development and their fatty acid profile. These results were compared with sea urchins fed natural food (Ulva spp.) At the end of the trial Paracentrotus lividus juveniles fed inert diet had higher total wet weight gain, total specific growth rate, and gonadosomatic index than those fed with macroalgae. However, histological observations did not reveal differences in the maturation state of the gonads. In comparison to sea urchins fed fresh Ulva spp., inert diet showed higher total wet weight gain and higher total specific growth rate. Fatty acid contents of the gonads of each treatment were found to be similar. The DHA levels in the gonads of sea-urchins fed the formulated feed were significantly higher. It was possible to record the biosynthesis activity of some fatty acids such as 20:4 ω 6, 16:4 ω 3, and 20:3 ω 3. It was found that the presence of some essential fatty acids, such as DHA and EPA, in the gonads is only dependent on the food profile. The addition of a DHA-rich ingredient in the formulated feed may have been preponderant in the constitution and development of the sea-urchins’ gonads.

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“…Although it is impractical and detrimental to the organism to have all its surface water removed, the more standardised the quantity of surface water on each urchin, the more precise the measurement will be. Certain papers mention specific units of time they allow urchins to drip‐dry before being weighed (Ellers & Johnson, 2009; Russell, 1998; Santos et al., 2020; Selden et al., 2009), but these papers do not all use the same units of time, and many other papers do not mention how long the urchins had been emersed before being weighed. Furthermore, the urchin mass measurements are likely influenced by the release of fluid when emersed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining computer vision and standardised protocols for improved measurement of live sea urchins for research and industry

De Vos,

Cyrus,

Macey

et al. 2023

Aquaculture Fish & Fisheries

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To allow sea urchin aquaculture to achieve its intended scale, efficient and precise methods for measuring large numbers of urchins in commercial‐scale operations are needed. Current protocols for measuring urchin test (shell) dimensions and mass are time‐consuming and prone to high measurement error, thus inconvenient in research and impractical in a commercial context. This study investigates and compares various measurement methods with a newly developed computer vision approach developed in this study, to establish a single protocol using precise, efficient and accessible methodology for measuring live urchins. We show that urchin wet mass can vary up to 8.73% depending on time out of water; this is significantly reduced to an average of 0.1% change by allowing urchins to drip‐dry for at least 90 s prior to weighing. We found the conventional vernier calliper method used to measure urchin dimensions to be both time‐consuming and imprecise (mean coefficient of variation (CV) of 2.41% for Tripneustes gratilla). Conversely, the computer vision programme we developed measures with higher precision (mean CV of 1.55% for T. gratilla) and is considerably faster. The software uses a series of hue saturation value filters, edge detection algorithms and distortions to measure the diameter of the test (excluding spines) of multiple urchins at once. The software is open‐source, and the protocol does not require specialised equipment (can be performed with a mobile phone camera). When the computer vision application is combined with the simple procedures described in this paper, to reduce measurement inaccuracies, urchin wet mass and diameter can be more efficiently and precisely determined. For a larger scale context, this software could easily be incorporated into various tools, such as a grading machine, to completely automate various farm processes. As such, this study has potential to assist urchin data collection in both research and commercial contexts.

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Can artificial diets be a feasible alternative for the gonadal growth and maturation of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816)?

Abstract: Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck 1816) has high-value reddishorange gonads that are regarded as a delicacy. In this study, three jellified diets have been tested for 90 days to assess the effect of different diets on P. lividus somatic and gonadal

Cited by 13 publications

References 111 publications

Trophic Requirements of the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus Varies at Different Life Stages: Comprehension of Species Ecology and Implications for Effective Feeding Formulations

Trophic Requirements of the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus Varies at Different Life Stages: Comprehension of Species Ecology and Implications for Effective Feeding Formulations

The effect of a formulated feed on the body growth and gonads quality of purple sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) aquaculture produced

Combining computer vision and standardised protocols for improved measurement of live sea urchins for research and industry

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