Novel shaker bottle cultivation method for the long spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum; Philippi, 1845) results in high larval survival and settlement rates

Wijers, Tom; Hylkema, Alwin; Pilnick, Aaron R.; Murk, Albertinka J.; Patterson, Joshua T.

doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2022.738855

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…This contrasting response to EDTA exposure durations was likely due to a difference in larval density and resource allocation, i.e., at lower survival more space and food resources were available per larvae, which might have contributed to higher growth. Contrasting growth of long-spined sea urchin larvae has also been observed due to differences in larval survival in other studies (Pilnick et al 2022;Wijers et al 2023). Heavy metals induce oxidative stress during embryogenesis via production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that lead to DNA damage and abnormal development (Rainbow 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bottles were placed on orbital shakers (Heathrow Scientific; 120460 Digital Orbital Shaker) at 130 rpm to suspend embryos and larvae in the water column. This culture system is described in detail by Wijers et al (2023). An experimental design with five treatments (three replicates in each; each glass bottle was considered an experimental unit) was employed to test the effects of EDTA on larvae (Table 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Developing a reliable large-scale larviculture technique for the long-spined sea urchin has been a longstanding challenge due to a lengthy larval duration, negative buoyancy in the culture vessel, and unique larval biology (Leber et al 2009). Novel systems for long-spined sea urchin culture have recently been developed and the nutritional requirements have been explored by our lab and collaborators (Pilnick et al 2021(Pilnick et al , 2022Hassan et al 2022;Wijers et al 2023). Several challenges remain, however, to improve larval survival to competency and metamorphosis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid on growth and survival of long‐spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum larvae

Hassan,

Pilnick,

Patterson

2023

N American J Aquac

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ObjectiveThe presence of heavy metals in seawater is a major challenge for hatchery culture of sea urchin larvae due to their sensitivity to metal pollution. The impact of heavy metals in seawater for sensitive marine larviculture could be minimized via chelation of metals using chemical compounds such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).MethodsIn this study the effects of EDTA were tested for the long‐spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum during larviculture at two concentrations (10 μM and 50 μM) and two exposure durations (6 and 24 days postfertilization). Growth and survival of larvae were evaluated as response variables.ResultSignificant differences in growth and survival of larvae were found among the treatments at different EDTA concentrations and exposure durations. The 10‐μM EDTA treatment enhanced growth and survival of larvae relative to control for both exposure durations. The 50‐μM EDTA treatment was unsuitable for long‐spined sea urchin larviculture due to reductions in growth and survival.ConclusionThe use of 10 μM EDTA during embryo incubation and larviculture is expected to improve long‐spined sea urchin larval fitness, leading to improved hatchery production.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid on growth and survival of long‐spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum larvae

Hassan,

Pilnick,

Patterson

2023

N American J Aquac

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“…-Efforts to restore wild populations have advanced significantly since the 1983 die-off. New and developing technologies and techniques for D. antillarum rehabilitation include in-situ collection of settlers followed by head starting the settlers in the lab and restocking them on the reef as juveniles (Williams et al, 2017;Williams, 2022), new or improved culture methods (Pilnick et al, 2021;Pilnick et al, 2022;Wijers et al, 2023) and assisting natural recovery by providing suitable settlement substrate (Hylkema et al, 2022a). Except for culture, all approaches rely on natural larval supply, which may be severely reduced if upstream populations were eradicated by the 2022 die-off.…”

Section: Conclusion and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The 2022 Diadema antillarum die-off event: Comparisons with the 1983-1984 mass mortality

Hylkema

Kitson-Walters

Kramer³

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The 1983-1984 die-off of the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum stands out as a catastrophic marine event because of its detrimental effects on Caribbean coral reefs. Without the grazing activities of this key herbivore, turf and macroalgae became the dominant benthic group, inhibiting coral recruitment and compromising coral reef recovery from other disturbances. In the decades that followed, recovery of D. antillarum populations was slow to non-existent. In late January 2022, a new mass mortality of D. antillarum was first observed in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We documented the spread and extent of this new die-off using an online survey. Infected individuals were closely monitored in the lab to record signs of illness, while a large population on Saba, Dutch Caribbean, was surveyed weekly before and during mortality to determine the lethality of this event. Within four months the die-off was distributed over 1,300 km from north to south and 2,500 km east to west. Whereas the 1983-1984 die-off advanced mostly with the currents, the 2022 event has appeared far more quickly in geographically distant areas. First die-off observations in each jurisdiction were often close to harbor areas, which, together with their rapid appearance, suggests that anthropogenic factors may have contributed to the spread of the causative agent. The signs of illness in sick D. antillarum were very similar to those recorded during the 1983-1984 die-off: lack of tube feet control, slow spine reaction followed by their loss, and necrosis of the epidermis were observed in both lab and wild urchins. Affected populations succumbed fast; within a month of the first signs of illness, a closely monitored population at Saba, Dutch Caribbean, had decreased from 4.05 individuals per m2 to 0.05 individuals per m2. Lethality can therefore be as high as 99%. The full extent of the 2022 D. antillarum die-off event is not currently known. The slower spread in the summer of 2022 might indicate that the die-off is coming to a (temporary) standstill. If this is the case, some populations will remain unaffected and potentially supply larvae to downstream areas and augment natural recovery processes. In addition, several D. antillarum rehabilitation approaches have been developed in the past decade and some are ready for large scale implementation. However, active conservation and restoration should not distract from the primary goal of identifying a cause and, if possible, implementing actions to decrease the likelihood of future D. antillarum die-off events.

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“…Approaches to restore Diadema include restocking individuals ( Chiappone, Swanson & Miller, 2006 ; Nedimyer & Moe, 2006 ; Dame, 2008 ) or ‘assisted natural recovery’ in which suitable settlement substrate for Diadema larvae is supplied on the reef ( Hylkema et al, 2022 ). Individuals for restocking can be acquired through culture from gametes ( Pilnick et al, 2021 ; Wijers et al, 2023 ) and in-situ collection of settlers ( Williams, 2018 ; Williams, 2022 ), but most restocking attempts have been performed by translocating individuals from naturally recovered areas to experimental plots ( Chiappone, Swanson & Miller, 2006 ; Nedimyer & Moe, 2006 ; Maciá, Robinson & Nalevanko, 2007 ; Burdick, 2008 ; Dame, 2008 ; Pilnick et al, 2023 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal predators of restocked lab-reared and wild Diadema antillarum near artificial reefs in Saba

de Breuyn,

van der Last,

Klokman

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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The long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum controls reef dynamics by grazing on algae and increasing coral recruitment. Populations of Diadema never recovered after a mass-die off in 1983 and 1984, and numbers were further reduced by a more recent die-off in 2022. To restore grazing pressure and thereby the resilience of Caribbean coral reefs, multiple Diadema restocking efforts have been performed. Although results vary, relatively low retention is one of the reasons restocking is not considered more often. If causes for the low retention can be identified, suitable measures may be able to increase restocking success. In this study, we monitored restocked lab-reared and wild juvenile Diadema on artificial reefs around Saba, Caribbean Netherlands. To assess the retention of Diadema over time, we conducted diver surveys and used underwater photo time lapse during daylight. Retention of uncaged lab-reared and wild Diadema decreased steadily with less than 30% surviving after 10 days. In total, 138 predator-prey interactions were recorded, of which 99% involved the queen triggerfish Balistes vetula, although other potential predators were present in the area. None of the recorded predator-prey interactions was successful, which suggests that artificial reefs with incorporated shelters may be suitable for juveniles as daytime refuge. However, Diadema that were more often attacked during the day were more likely to be absent the next morning. Because queen triggerfish often visited the experimental site in the first or last hour of daylight, it could be that they were more successful in their attacks when it was too dark to see anything on the photos and when Diadema came out to feed or to look for better shelter opportunities. If Diadema migrated off the artificial reef, they were probably predated during the process, because no Diadema were found on surrounding reefs. Wild Diadema were attacked significantly more often than lab-reared Diadema, possibly because the wild urchins were larger, but this did not significantly affect retention. Future restocking should be performed on natural or artificial reefs with deeper shelters, so Diadema can retract farther into their crevice, and should include night-time monitoring to identify the remaining unknown factors that cause low retention, including migration and nocturnal predation. This knowledge is urgently needed to coral reef managers so they can increase Diadema restocking success by selecting reefs with a lower predator density, protect urchins during an acclimatization period and/or conduct temporary predator control measures.

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Novel shaker bottle cultivation method for the long spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum; Philippi, 1845) results in high larval survival and settlement rates

Cited by 11 publications

References 27 publications

Effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid on growth and survival of long‐spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum larvae

Effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid on growth and survival of long‐spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum larvae

The 2022 Diadema antillarum die-off event: Comparisons with the 1983-1984 mass mortality

Diurnal predators of restocked lab-reared and wild Diadema antillarum near artificial reefs in Saba

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