Analysis of continuous reproduction in deep-sea seastars
Grant, A. (1985). Analysis of continuous reproduction in deep-sea seastars, in: Gibbs, P.E. (Ed.) Proceedings of the 19th European Marine Biology Symposium, Plymouth, Devon, UK, 16-21 September 1984. pp. 213-222 In: Gibbs, P.E. (Ed.) (1985). Proceedings of the Nineteenth European Marine Biology Symposium, Plymouth, Devon, UK, 16-21 September 1984. European Marine Biology Symposia, 19. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-30294-3. 541 pp., more In: European Marine Biology Symposia., more |
| Abstract | Data on gonad weights and oocyte sizes in several deep-sea asteroids that appear to breed continuously have been examined using analyses of variance and covariance, periodic regression, and by examining residuals in a contingency table. The results confirm conclusions of previous histological studies. Reproduction is continuous within individuals, a pattern unusual in shallow water, and normally associated with small body size. Any differences in reproductive condition between samples are small. Reproduction in Benthopecten armatus, as indicated by oocyte diameters, is remarkably constant throughout the year with no significant difference between samples. Periodic regression revealed an annual cycle of gonad weights in Hymenaster membranaceus, with a peak in spring. However, the magnitude of this is small, and individual mean oocyte sizes show no such annual periodicity. Indications of an annual cycle in Zoroaster fulgens are shown to be due to the presence of a number of immature animals in several samples. |
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