Document of bibliographic reference 354834

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

Macroalgae contribution to the diet of two sea urchins in Sargassum beds: Tripneustes depressus (Camarodonta: Toxopneustidae) and Eucidaris thouarsii (Cidaroide: Cidaridae)

Abstract

Macroalgae availability is thought to be a major driver of the diet of marine herbivores. In subtropical regions, macroalgal biomass is highly seasonal and the diet of herbivores usually varies accordingly. In Sargassum beds in the Gulf of California, Tripneustes depressus and Eucidaris thouarsii dominate the invertebrate fauna and feed on macroalgae, though they represent different trophic levels. The objective of this study was to relate the availability of macroalgae with their potential contribution to the diet of both sea urchins. Macroalgae biomass and composition in Sargassum beds were analyzed in contrasting seasons (winter and summer) at four sites. Also, the food sources and the percent contribution of selected sources were determined by a mixing model analysis using stable isotope values (13C and 15N). In winter and summer, brown macroalgae attained the highest biomass, followed by red and green macroalgae. Red macroalgae showed the highest number of taxa and brown macroalgae the highest biomass. In T. depressus, the red (Gracilaria pachydermatica, Laurencia pedrochei) and brown (D. flabellata and Sargassum horridum) macroalgae made the highest contribution to their diet, consistent with the higher availability of these macroalgae in the local flora throughout the year. In E. thouarsii, mixing model indicate that the red algae Polysiphonia pacifica and G. pachydermatica were the macroalgae species with the greatest contribution to its diet.

WebOfScience code

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000810301200002

Bibliographic citation

Hernández-Almaraz, P.; Rivera, M.J.; Mazariegos-Villarreal, A.; Méndez-Rodríguez, L.C.; Serviere-Zaragoza, E. (2022). Macroalgae contribution to the diet of two sea urchins in Sargassum beds: Tripneustes depressus (Camarodonta: Toxopneustidae) and Eucidaris thouarsii (Cidaroide: Cidaridae). Regional Studies in Marine Science 53: 102456. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2022.102456

Topic

Marine

Is peer reviewed

true