Contrasting relationships between pyloric caecum and gonad growth in the starfish Asterias rubens: combined field and experimental approaches

• Published in: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
• Main Authors: Turquin, Guillemette, J., Dubois, Philippe, Leyzour, Sandra, Pernet, Philippe, de Ridder, Fjo, Pintelon, Rik, Guillou, Monique
• Other Authors: Laboratoire de Biologie Marine, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Fundamental Electricity and Instrumentalisation, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2013
• Subjects: reproduction; energy storage; Fourier transform; salinity; emersion; France; Belgium; The Netherlands; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hal.univ-brest.fr/hal-00789331; https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315412000124

International audience The common starfish, Asterias rubens, occurs in fluctuating environments in the North Atlantic. To better understand energy allocation dynamics, we recorded gonad, body wall, and pyloric caeca (storage organ) indices between 2000 and 2004 from three different habitats. We applied a Fourier transform to the data to evaluate and compare the seasonal variation in these indices. Specific effects of emersion and salinity variation were examined in two laboratory studies. Differences in energy allocation were found between sites and temporally within sites. Food availability appeared to be the most important factor controlling allocation dynamics while fluctuating salinity and/or emersion had a significant but smaller impact. Only severe food shortage reduced reproductive investment indicating a preferential energy allocation to gonads. This study is the first to encompass a broad range of populations over several reproduction cycles and emphasizes the ability of A. rubens to adapt to a fluctuating environment.