Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T23:11:27.877Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reproduction, recruitment and juvenile ecology of the starfish, Asterias rubens and Marthasterias glacialis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2009

M. F. Barker  and
D. Nichols
M. F. Barker
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4PS
D. Nichols
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4PS
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Reproductive cycles are described for subtidal and intertidal populations of the, starfish Asterias rubens L. and for a subtidal population of the starfish Marthasterias glacialis L. on the south-west coast of Britain. Intertidal A. rubens had a clearly defined reproductive cycle with spring-early summer spawning. Pyloric caecum indices were inversely related to gonad indices. Subtidal A. rubens had lower gonad indices and less seasonal variation in the pyloric caecum indices. Gonad indices of M. glacialis suggest few animals in the population studied were breeding, but it is likely that this species also spawns in summer.

Plankton samples and larval rearing studies suggest a planktotrophic pelagic life of approximately 90 days for A. rubens. Field observations and laboratory experiments show larvae settle on a wide range of substrata. Recruitment to an intertidal population of A. rubens at Hollicombe Reef occurred in July 1980 and September 1981. Growth of juvenile starfish was followed for 17 months. Juvenile starfish feed carnivorously at the completion of metamorphosis. Early growth is rapid; however, there is a reduction in the growth rate during winter months. Feeding and growth of juvenile A. rubens is compared with published data on juvenile starfish of other species.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 63 , Issue 4 , November 1983 , pp. 745 - 765
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anger, K., Rogal, U., Schirever, G. & Valentin, C., 1977. In-situ investigations on the echinoderm Asterias rubens as a predator of soft-bottom communites in the western Baltic Sea. Helgoländer wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen, 29, 439–459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, M. F., 1977. Observations on the settlement of the brachiolaria larvae of Stichaster australias (Verrill) and Coscinasterias calamaria (Gray) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the laboratory and on the shore. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 30, 95–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berker, M. F., 1978 a. Descriptions of the larvae of Stichaster australis (Verrill) and Coscinasterias calamaria (Gray) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from New Zealand, obtained from laboratory culture. Biological Bulletin. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass., 154, 32–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, M. F., 1978 b. Structure of the organs of attachment of brachiolaria larvae of Stichaster australis (Verrill) and Coscinasterias calamaria (Gray) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 33, 1–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, M. F., 1979. Breeding and recruitment in a population of the New Zealand starfish Stichaster australis (Verrill). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 41, 195–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, H. & Powell, H. T., 1951. The growth-rate of juvenile Asterias rubens L. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 30, 381–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boolootian, R. A., 1966. Reproductive physiology. In Physiology of Echinodermata (ed. Boolootian, R. A.), pp. 561–613. John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Brun, E., 1968. Extreme population density of the starfish Asterias rubens L. on a bed of Iceland scallop, Chlamys islandica (O. F. Muller). Astarte, 1(32), 4 pp.Google Scholar
Cason, J. E., 1950. A rapid one-step Mallory-Heidenhain stain for connective tissue. Stain Technology, 25, 225–226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crump, R. G., 1971. Annual reproductive cycles in three geographically separated populations of Patiriella regularis (Verrill), a common New Zealand asteroid. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 7, 137–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cushaing, D. H. & Tungate, D. S., 1963. Studies on a Calanus patch. 1. The identification of a Calanus patch. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 43, 327–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dare, P. J., 1973. The stocks of young mussels in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire. Shellfish Information Leaflet, no. 28, 14 pp.Google Scholar
Delage, Y., 1904. Élevage des larves parthénogénétiques d' Asterias glacialis. Archives de zoologie expérimentale et générale, 4, 27–42.Google Scholar
Farmanfarmaian, A. G., Giese, A. C., Boolootian, R. A. & Bennett, J., 1958. Annual reproductive cycles in four species of west coast starfishes. Journal of Experimental Biology, 138, 355–367Google Scholar
Franz, D. R., Worley, E. K. & Merrill, A. S., 1981. Distribution patterns of common seastars of the Middle Atlantic continental shelf of the Northwest Atlantic (Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras). Biological Bulletin. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass., 160, 394–418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gemmill, J. F., 1914. The development and certain points in the adult structure of the starfish Asterias rubens L. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (B), 205, 213–294.Google Scholar
Gemmill, J. F., 1916. Notes on the development of the starfishes Asterias glacialis (O.F.M); Cribrella oculata (Linck) Forbes; Solaster endeca (Retzius) Forbes; Stichaster roseus (O.F.M.) Sars. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 39, 553–565.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guillou, M., 1979. Données sur la croissance d' Asterias rubens en Bretagne Sud. In Echinoderms: Present and Past (ed. Jangoux, M.), pp. 179–186. Rotterdam: A. A. Balkema.Google Scholar
Hancock, D. A., 1955. The feeding behaviour of starfish on Essex oyster beds. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 34, 313–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hancock, D. A., 1958. Notes on starfish on an Essex oyster bed. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 37, 565–589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jangoux, M. & Van Impe, E., 1977. The annual pyloric caeca cycle of Asterias rubens L. (Echinodermata: Asteroidea). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 30, 165–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jangoux, M. & Vloebergh, M., 1973. Contribution à l'étude du cycle annuel de reproduction d'une population d' Asterias rubens (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) du littoral Belge. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research, 6, 389–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kanatani, H., 1969. Induction of spawning and oocyte maturation by l-methyladenine in starfishes. Experimental Cell Research, 57, 333–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mauzey, K. P., 1966. Feeding behaviour and reproductive cycles in Pisaster ochraceus. Biological Bulletin. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass., 131, 127–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mortensen, T., 1913. On the development of some British echinoderms. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 10, 1–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mortensen, T., 1927. Handbook of the Echinoderms of the British Isles. 471 pp. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nauen, C. E., 1978. The growth of the sea star, Asterias rubens, and its role as benthic predator in Kiel Bay. Kieler Meeresforschungen, 4, 68–81.Google Scholar
Nichols, D., Bishop, G. M. & Sime, A. A. T., 1983. The effect of depth and exposure on gonad production in the sea-urchin Echinus esculentus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) from sites around the British Isles. Progress in Underwater Science, 8, 61–71.Google Scholar
Orton, J. H. & Fraser, J. H., 1930. Rate of growth of the common starfish, Asterias rubens. Nature, London, 126, 567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oudejans, R. C. H. M. & Van Der SLUIS, I. 1979 a. Changes in the biochemical composition of the pyloric caeca of female seastars Asterias rubens, during their annual reproductive cycle. Marine Biology, 53, 231–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oudejans, R. C. H. M. & Van Der Sluis, I., 1979 b. Changes in the biochemical composition of the ovaries of the seastar Asterias rubens during its annual reproductive cycle. Marine Biology, 50, 255–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearse, J. S., 1965. Reproductive periodicities in several contrasting populations of Odontaster validus Koehler, a common Antarctic asteroid. Antartic Research Series, 5, 39–85.Google Scholar
Scheibling, R. E., 1981. The annual reproductive cycle of Oreaster reticulatus (L.) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) and interpopulation differences in reproductive capacity. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 54, 39–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheltama, R. S., 1971. The dispersal of the larvae of shoal-water benthic invertebrate species over long distances by ocean currents. In Proceedings of the Fourth European Marine Biology Symposium, Bangor, 1969 (ed. Crisp, D. J.), pp. 7–28. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sloan, N. A., 1980. Aspects of the feeding biology of asteroids. Oceanography and Marine Biology, an Annual Review, 18, 57–124.Google Scholar
Sloan, N. A., & Aldridge, T. H., 1981. Observations on an aggregation of the starfish Asterias rubens L. in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, England. Journal of Natural History, 15, 407–418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vevers, H. G., 1949. The biology of Asterias rubens L: growth and reproduction. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 28, 165–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, C. W., 1974. Studies on the reproductive systems of seastars. I. The morphology and histology of the gonad of Asterias vulgaris. Biological Bulletin. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass., 147, 661–677.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamaguchi, M., 1974. Growth of juvenile Acanthaster planci (L.) in the laboratory. Pacific Science, 28, 123–138.Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, M., 1977. Population structure, spawning, and growth of the coral reef asteroid Linckia laevigata (Linnaeus). Pacific Science, 31, 13–30.Google Scholar