Feeding and movement patterns of the sea cucumber Holothuria sanctori

Navarro, Pablo González; García-Sanz, Sara; Barrio, José Manuel; Tuya, Fernando

doi:10.1007/s00227-013-2286-5

Cited by 74 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…As also recorded in other tropical and temperate species of deposit-feeding sea cucumbers, H. platei could be effectively feeding on sediments enriched with biodeposits from the fur seal colonies, which would support the higher biomass observed in those sites compared with lower abundances in sites farther away from such naturallyenriched habitats (i.e., El Palillo; for examples see: Slater & Jeffs, 2010;Zamora & Jeffs, 2012;Navarro et al, 2013). Additionally, given the high dynamic of soft sediments observed in El Arenal, it is also plausible that biodeposit deposition in this site is not constant or spatially uniform and depends on several factors such as the size and density of fur seals and their diet, as well as the erosion of biodeposits, which can vary seasonally depending on the hydrodynamic regime to which the fur seal colony is exposed.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Initial assessment of coastal benthic communities in the Marine Parks at Robinson Crusoe Island

Rodríguez-Ruiz

Andreu-Cazenave

Ruz

et al. 2014

lajar

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ABSTRACT. The National Biodiversity Strategy developed in Chile aims to protect 10% of the surface area of the most relevant marine ecosystems. The waters around the Juan Fernández Archipelago were not protected until 2014, when a Multiple Use Marine Protected Area was created in the 12 nautical miles around the archipelago, which includes five marine parks in sites of high conservation value. Three of these parks are located around Robinson Crusoe Island. This study aims to define a baseline for monitoring the impact of the marine protected area and provides ecological information to improve the understanding of coastal marine ecosystems around Robinson Crusoe Island. In addition to a characterization of bathymetry and habitats, intertidal and subtidal communities were sampled using transects and quadrats within the marine parks. We quantified species richness and abundances, which were later organized into functional groups for algae and trophic groups for mobile organisms. Although species richness did not vary between sites nor among the habitats sampled, we observed important differences in species abundance and composition as well as in functional and trophic groups both between sites and habitats. Among our results, we highlight: a) the dominance of endemic algae in intertidal and subtidal (mainly corticated and corticated foliose) habitats, b) high abundances of macroinvertebrate herbivores in intertidal habitats and detrivores in subtidal habitats, c) dominance of invertivorous fish in the subtidal, which are the primary predators of mobile benthic organisms. This characterization includes both the inter and subtidal coastal communities of the Juan Fernández Archipelago.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Initial assessment of coastal benthic communities in the Marine Parks at Robinson Crusoe Island

Rodríguez-Ruiz

Andreu-Cazenave

Ruz

et al. 2014

lajar

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“…This behaviour results in patch selectivity, where more animals are found feeding on sediments with higher levels of organic matter than the surrounding area, as has been seen with Stichopus chloronotus, S. variegatus, Australo stichopus mollis and Holothuria scabra (Mercier et al 1999, Uthicke & Karez 1999, Slater et al 2011. The sea cucumber H. sanctori and other echinoderms, such as sea stars, have also shown similar foraging behaviour, moving more randomly in areas with high food availability (McClintock & Lawrence 1985, Beddingfield & McClintock 1993, Navarro et al 2013. Sea cucumbers in the low-nutrient environments moved slower along shorter, more direct paths.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…The Low treatment was simply masonry sand alone with no fish food added. In similar experiments on Holothuria sanctori, Navarro et al (2013) also manipulated organic matter levels by the addition of fish feed. Experimental tanks (diameter × height: 3 × 1.5 m) were divided in half and the sediment was placed on either side, similar to experimental trials done by Slater et al (2011) examining the feeding selectivity of juvenile Australostichopus mollis.…”

Section: Foraging Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many species display random foraging behaviour, but change their search strategy in response to food availability or preference to best exploit the resources that are available (Zimmerman 1979, McClintock & Law rence 1985, Wolf & Hainsworth 1991, Beddingfield & McClintock 1993. Some deposit-feeding sea cucumbers, such as Stichopus spp., Australostichopus mollis and H. sanctori, show a high degree of patch selectivity based on total organic matter (TOM) in the sediments, whereas others, such as some Holothuria species, appear to show no preference (Uthicke & Karez 1999, Slater et al 2011, Navarro et al 2013. Although movement has been observed to be non-directional in P. californicus (Da Silva et al 1986, Cieciel 2004, it is unknown whether they exhibit patch selectivity along a heterogeneous substrate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing movement of the California sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus in response to organically enriched areas typical of aquaculture sites

Dam‐Bates¹,

Curtis²,

Cowen³

et al. 2016

Aquacult. Environ. Interact.

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An increasing global demand for sea cucumbers has led to interest in benthic ranching of the California sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus beneath existing aquaculture sites in British Columbia, Canada, where high levels of total organic matter (TOM) are typical. The objective of the present study was to investigate movement of P. californicus in relation to areas of increased organic content to assess the feasibility of sea cucumber ranching beneath existing aquaculture sites. A laboratory experiment using adult sea cucumbers showed that P. californicus changed their foraging behaviour based on available amounts of TOM, moving more randomly in high-TOM (~8.0%) areas and more directly in low-TOM (~1.4%) ones. They also moved more rapidly in areas with high TOM than in those with low TOM. As long as animals were exposed to high TOM, they did not abandon random movement. Because of this behaviour, aquaculture tenures may retain a population of cultured individuals, but could also attract wild individuals from the surrounding area.

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“…As primarily sediment feeders they effectively provide, through bioturbation and remineralization, significant amounts of otherwise inaccessible nutrients to other organisms in the benthic environment [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. In addition, many species of this group have commercial value and are exploited in fisheries, often in an unregulated manner with severe ecological consequences [8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and Diversity of Holothuroids in Shallow Habitats of the Northern Red Sea

Yuval

Sudai

Ziv

2014

Journal of Marine Biology

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Holothuroid sea cucumbers are vital members of Coral Reefs and associated marine habitats and provide vital ecological services. In the southern regions of the Red Sea their populations have been decimated by overfishing. The main objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the northern part of the Red Sea serves as an ecological refuge for the species threatened farther to the south. Accordingly, populations of sea cucumbers in 4 shallow sites south of Eilat, Israel (29 ∘ 33 00N 34 ∘ 57 14E), were repeatedly surveyed from November 2013 to April 2014. Overall 11 species were observed in these shallow sites. Their abundance and diversity differed significantly between sites, but not temporally. In sites in marine protected areas, with an intact fringing reef, diversity was high, with Holothuria edulis and Bohadschia sp. being the most common species. In areas with higher human use and characterized by rubble and scattered corals, diversity was low, and Actinopyga bannwarthi was the most common species. The observed abundance and diversity did not support the refuge hypothesis. These findings are discussed in relation to other surveys of abundance and diversity in similar habitats.

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Feeding and movement patterns of the sea cucumber Holothuria sanctori

Cited by 74 publications

References 40 publications

Initial assessment of coastal benthic communities in the Marine Parks at Robinson Crusoe Island

Initial assessment of coastal benthic communities in the Marine Parks at Robinson Crusoe Island

Assessing movement of the California sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus in response to organically enriched areas typical of aquaculture sites

Abundance and Diversity of Holothuroids in Shallow Habitats of the Northern Red Sea

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