Diet and food preference of intertidal Astrostole scabra (Asteroidea: Forcipulata)

Dietary composition in Astrostole scabra was ascertained by regular sampling at four geographically separated locations on the Kaikoura coast between January 1976 and January 1977. A. scabra is a food generalist and scavenger with a diet composed mainly of molluscs and crustaceans belonging to more than 60 genera. The diet was dominated numerically by chitons and trochid molluscs. Several site‐specific differences in dietary composition were apparent. Only Ischnochiton maorianus was a numerically important prey species at all study sites. Dietary diversity and evenness were more or less constant and comparable both seasonally and geographically. The proportion of intertidal seastars feeding fluctuated during the study from a peak of 42% in January to 23.7% in June 1976. Prey species were consumed in proportions independent of their abundance. In the laboratory, A. scabra, free of ingestive conditioning, discriminated between different prey species and preferentially consumed I. maorianus. There were strong prey preferences at the specific, but not at the familial, level.     

7个海星动物线粒体基因组比较及基因变异位点分析

与单基因相比,线粒体基因组是一个完整的体系,具有信息量丰富等优点,在过去的十几年间被广泛地应用于后生动物关键类群的分子系统发育和群体遗传学的研究.本论文综合分析了海星纲7个物种(多棘海盘车、赭色豆海星、多棘槭海星、砂海星、长棘海星、棘冠海星和海燕)线粒体基因组全序列,全面揭示了海星纲线粒体基因组的基本特征.海星线粒体基因组均编码后生动物线粒体基因组标准的37个基因.7个海星线粒体基因组的基因排列完全一致;与海胆纲及海参纲楯手目线粒体基因组的基因排列相比,海星线粒体基因组的基因排列存在4.6 kb长片段的倒位.长棘海星属13个线粒体蛋白质编码基因的非同义替换率(Ka)与同义替换率(Ks)比值都低于1.000 0(为0.006 0～0.221 9),显示出较强的负(纯化)选择.对海星纲线粒体基因组的基因变异位点分析结果表明,nad5、nad4基因可作为备选的分子标记,应用于海星纲群体遗传学的研究中.同时,在长棘海星属线粒体基因组变异位点分析中,nad5、nad4基因仍然可作为备选的分子标记,用于分析长棘海星不同群体及物种之间的生物多样性,为合理利用其生物资源及其生物多样性的保护提供基础资料.     

Growth pattern and changes in abundance of the endangered bat star Asterina stellifera

The sea star Asterina stellifera has declined during the last decade and is currently abundant only in the southern limit of its former range. We surveyed this population over 5 years to model individual growth and explore the relationship of changes in local abundance with variation in environmental factors and the reproductive status of individuals. Our results show that A. stellifera is a species with slow growth and a relatively long lifespan. Contrary to expectations for temperate species, growth rates were fairly constant through the year and therefore models including seasonal oscillations were inappropriate. The abundance of this species increased significantly from early spring to early summer, likely due to augmented activity and small‐scale aggregation during the reproductive season that affected our estimates of abundance. No significant recruitment occurred during the 5 years studied. The lack of recruitment during long periods and the slow individual growth rates make A. stellifera particularly vulnerable to local extinction. This study was performed prior to the arrival in the study area of the invasive kelp Undaria pinnatifida and side‐gilled sea slug Pleurobranchaea maculata, species that threaten the community structure where A. stellifera lives. Therefore, the information reported here will be essential to assessing the impacts of these exotic species on this sea star population.     

Three new records of deep-water goniasterids (Echinodermata: Asteroidea: Goniasteridae) from China seas

In this paper,three deep-water species of the family Goniasteridae,Ceramaster misakiensis(Goto,1914),Nymphaster arthrocnemis Fisher,1913 and Pontioceramus grandis Fisher,1911,are recorded for the first time from Chinese waters based on collections deposited in the Marine Biological Museum,Chinese Academy of Sciences.The specimens examined were collected during the period 1956 to 1978 from the East China and South China Seas at depths of 184 to 472 m.Diagnosis,detailed figures,and the geographic distributions are provided.A revised list of Goniasteridae recorded from Chinese waters is proposed.     

Patterns and drivers of asteroid abundances and assemblages on the continental margin of Atlantic Canada

Although continental shelf and slope environments typically exhibit high epifaunal biomass and have been subjected to increasing fishing pressure, ecological information on assemblages of non‐commercial invertebrate species from subtidal and bathyal areas remains limited. Sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), which are known to influence communities through their feeding habits, have received less attention than structural taxa such as corals and sponges. To better understand the ecological roles of asteroids on continental shelves, we investigated ~30 species and assessed their distributions and co‐occurrence with other benthic invertebrates on the shelf and slope of Eastern Canada. Using fisheries data and in situ video footage, we compiled a large dataset covering ~600,000 km² that included over 350,000 individual asteroid records (37–2243 m depth). Multivariate analyses revealed geographically distinct asteroid assemblages, with a maximal overall density at 400–500 m and the highest diversity at 500–700 m. The most abundant and densely occurring species was Ctenodiscus crispatus. We found that asteroids associate with corals, sponges, bivalves, and other echinoderms, and that depth and substrate influence these assemblages. We identified species likely to affect coexisting organisms by their burrowing behavior that can disrupt epi‐ and infauna (C. crispatus) and through predation on ecologically important corals (Hippasteria phrygiana). In addition to providing baseline distribution and ecological information for many bathyal asteroid species in the Northwest Atlantic, this work highlights the abundance and diversified roles of asteroids within continental shelf and slope ecosystems.     

Comparative study of reproductive synchrony at various scales in deep-sea echinoderms

This study examined the influence of temporal and spatial factors on the determination of reproductive cycles in selected deep-water echinoderms. The prevalence of inter-individual synchrony in the gametogenesis of three ubiquitous species, Phormosoma placenta (Echinoidea), Hippasteria phrygiana (Asteroidea) and Mesothuria lactea (Holothuroidea) collected off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador (eastern Canada), was determined. Analyses revealed diverse degrees of gametogenic asynchrony at the scales examined (within trawls, between trawls over similar or different periods, as well as among depths and locations over the same period). Taken as a whole, samples did not show any annual or seasonal patterns, whereas some sets of samples, taken over a particular time period in the same area and at the same depth, revealed well synchronized maturing and/or spawning periods in P. placenta and H. phrygiana. This study presents evidence that determination of reproductive cycles in many deep-sea species may be affected by low sampling resolution inherent to most deep-sea studies. More accurate assessments of reproductive patterns and periodicities may require much tighter collection designs as several species are likely to rely on long-term or transient pairing and aggregation to synchronize their breeding activities.