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Reproductive cycle of Ophiopholis mirabilis (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in Zhangzi Island area, northern Yellow Sea

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Abstract

Ophiopholis mirabilis is a common species with a high population density on the western coasts of the northern Pacific Ocean. The number of O. mirabilis has been increasing recently in the scallop aquaculture zone (the Zhangzi Island area, northern Yellow Sea) in China. To explore the mechanism of its population variation, the reproductive cycle of O. mirabilis was investigated in this area (39°04’N; 122°51’E) from February 2017 through January 2018 and determined by the monthly gonad index (GI), histological examinations of the gonads and the oocyte size-frequency distribution. O. mirabilis had a clear annual reproductive cycle that was synchronous between males and females. Sea temperature and food availability played important roles in O. mirabilis reproduction. The GI value was less reliable for determining reproductive activity in O. mirabilis because the nutritive tissues within the gonads may be utilized to synthesize gametes, leading to a decrease in GI during maturation. The histological results also show that abundant nutritive phagocytes were present in the gonads of O. mirabilis, which, together with the germ cells, affected the weight of the gonads. In addition, the mature oocytes of O. mirabilis were relatively small (75–150 µm), indicating that the larval development was planktotrophic. This study provided insights into the reproductive patterns and biology of O. mirabilis and is an essential basis for the quantity control of this species in aquaculture areas.

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Acknowledgment

We would like to thank the captain and the crew of R/V Liaochangyu No. 19 for their help during the expedition to the Zhangzi Island area. Many thanks to those who helped with collections including ZHANG Yongshan, ZHAO Zengxia, WANG Shiwei, WAN Aiyong, XU Zhiqiang, LIU Mengtan, LIANG Yi, and WANG Jun from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS). Thanks also to LIU Hourong from IOCAS for assistance with the histology and anonymous reviewers for comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Nan Yu, Song Sun & Fang Zhang

  2. Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China

    Nan Yu, Song Sun, Guangtao Zhang & Fang Zhang

  3. Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Nan Yu, Song Sun, Guangtao Zhang & Fang Zhang

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Nan Yu & Song Sun

  5. Jiaozhou Bay Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Song Sun & Guangtao Zhang

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  1. Nan Yu
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Correspondence to Song Sun.

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Data Availability Statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nos. XDA23050501, XDA19060201), the Key Program for International S&T Cooperation Projects: Sino-Australian Center for Healthy Coasts (No. 2016YFE0101500), the Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences (No. U1606404), and the Taishan Scholars Project to SUN Song

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Yu, N., Sun, S., Zhang, G. et al. Reproductive cycle of Ophiopholis mirabilis (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in Zhangzi Island area, northern Yellow Sea. J. Ocean. Limnol. 39, 173–184 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-020-9317-0

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