| Abstract: | Correlation, multiple regression, and path analyses were used to investigate the relationships between body weight and three other morphological traits in juvenile Japanese sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus. We measured live body weight(BW), body length(BL), numbers of papillae(NP), and numbers of tube feet(NF) at 60, 80, 100, and 130 days post-hatching(dph). We calculated path correlation coe cients, correlation indices( R~2), and coe cients of determination with BW as the dependent variable and the other morphological traits as independent variables. The coe cient of variation for BW was high across all age groups, and all measured morphological traits were significantly correlated( P 0.01). BL had the greatest direct ef fect on BW across all age groups(60 dph, 0.526; 80 dph, 0.404; 100 dph, 0.620;and 130 dph, 0.681), while NF had the greatest indirect ef fect on BW across all age groups(60 dph, 0.528;80 dph, 0.452; 100 dph, 0.666; and 130 dph, 0.603). Regression analyses between morphological traits and BW indicated that R 2 was greater than 0.85 only in the 100-dph specimens. The indirect ef fects of the other measured morphological traits on BW were age-dependent. The optimal regression equations,as determined with stepwise regression, were, for 60-dph specimens: BW_(60)=10~((-3.04+0.092 BL+0.014 NP+0.014 NF))( R~2 =0.632); for 80-dph specimens: BW _(80)=10~((-3.035+0.056 BL+0.017 NP+0.02 NF))( R~2 =0.686); for 100-dph specimens:BW_(100) =10~((-3.742+0.069 BL+0. 633*l g( NP)+0. 464*l g( NF)))( R~2 =0.893); and for 130-dph specimens: BW_(130)=10~((-2.472+0.065 BL+0.012 NP))( R~2 =0.774). Our work clarified the correlation between various morphological traits and body weight of a commercially-important sea cucumber species( A. japonicus). Our predictive models for body weight might be useful for the aquaculture and selective breeding of A. japonicus. These models might also provide theoretical support for the indirect selection of traits that are di cult to select directly. |
