Abstract
Reproduction ofHeliocidaris erythrogramma (Valenciennes) andH. tuberculata (Lamarck) was compared through examination of oogenesis, spermatogenesis and monthly measurement of the gonad index. These species occur sympatrically in the Sydney region. Their reproduction was examined at two sites near Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia, from February 1989 through January 1990.H. erythrogramma produces buoyant, 450µm-diam eggs and the sperm have a head region 10µm in length. By contrast,H. tuberculata produces negatively-buoyant, 95µm-diam eggs and the sperm have a head region 4µm in length. Histochemical examination of the gonads revealed that periodic acid Schiff-positive (PAS +) material stored in the nutritive phagocytes appears to support vitellogenesis in both species. InH. tuberculata this material is utilized in the formation of PAS + yolk oligolecithal eggs, whereas inH. erythrogramma the PAS + material appears to be converted to lipid yolk in macrolecithal eggs.H. erythrogramma had a seasonal reproductive pattern with a 3 mo summer spawning period, whereas both populations ofH. tuberculata had a 9 mo breeding period characterized by the continual presence of nutrient reserves and vitellogenic oocytes which rapidly replaced spawned ova. Spawning ceased only for 3 mo over the summer. Due to the 9 mo spawning ofH. tuberculata it is not clear what factors serve to cue reproduction in this species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Baker, A. N. (1982). Sea urchins (class Echinoidea). In: Thomas, I. M., Shepherd, S. A. (eds.) Marine invertebrates of southern Australia. Part I. Woolman D. J., South Australia, p. 437–754
Byrne, M. (1990). Annual reproductive cycles of the commercial sea urchinParacentrotus lividus from an exposed intertidal and a sheltered subtidal habitat on the west coast of Ireland. Mar. Biol. 104: 275–289
Chatlynne, L. G. (1969). A histochemical study of oogenesis in the sea urchinStrongylocentrotus purpuratus. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 136: 167–184
Chiu, S. T. (1988). Reproductive biology ofAnthocidaris crassispina (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in Hong Kong. In: Burke, R. D., Lambert, P. V., Parsley, R. L. (eds.) Echinoderm biology. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 193–204
Dix, T. G. (1977). Reproduction in Tasmanian populations ofHeliocidaris erythrogramma (Echinodermata: Echinometridae). Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 28: 509–520
Eckelbarger, K. J., Young, C. M., Cameron, J. L. (1989). Modified sperm in echinoderms from the bathyal and abyssal zones of the deep sea. In: Ryland, J. S., Tyler, P. A. (eds.) Reproduction, genetics and distributions of marine organisms. Olsen & Olsen, Denmark, p. 67–74
Emlet, R. B., McEdward, L. R., Strathmann, R. (1987). Echinoderm larval ecology viewed from the egg. In: Jangoux, M., Lawrence, J. M. (eds.) Echinoderm studies. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 55–136
Falk-Petersen, I. (1982). Breeding season and egg morphology in echinoderms in Balsfjorden, Northern Norway. Sarsia. 67: 215–221
Fenaux, L. (1968). Maturation des gonades et cycle saisonnier des larves chezA. lixula, P. lividus etP. microtuberculatus (echinides) à Villefranche-sur-mer. Vie Milieu 13: 1–52
Gonor, J. J. (1972). Gonad growth in the sea urchinStrongylocentrotus purpuratus (Stimpson) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) and the assumptions of the gonad index methods. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 10: 89–103
Holland, N. D. (1967). Gametogenesis during annual reproductive cycle in a cidaroid sea urchin (Stylocidaris affinis). Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 133: 578–590
Laegdsgaard, P. (1989). The reproduction of two co-occurring species of the sea urchinHeliocidaris in the Sydney region. Honours thesis. University of Sydney.
Mortensen, T. H. (1921). Studies of the development and larval forms of echinoderms. G. E. C. Grad, Copenhagen
Mortensen, T. H. (1938). Contributions to the study of the development and larval forms of echinoderms. IV. K. danske Vidensk. Selsk. (Naturvid. Math. Afd. Ser. 9) 7(3): 1–59
O'Connor, C. (1975). A study of the reproductive periodicities and population dynamics of some New South Wales sea urchins with a view to open-sea cultures. Proc. 10th Eur. mar. Biol. Symp. 1: 285–301. [Persoone, G., Jaspers, E. (eds.) Universa Press, Wetteren, Belgium]
O'Connor, G. R., Lefebre, S., Bloom, D. (1978). Environmental influences on histological changes in the reproductive cycle of four New South Wales sea urchins. Aquaculture, Amsterdam 15: 1–17
Ozaki, H., Moriya, O., Harrington, F. E. (1986). A glycoprotein in the accessory cell of the echinoid ovary and its role in vitellogenesis Roux's Archs devl Biol. 195: 74–79
Pearse, A. G. E. (1968). Histochemistry, theoretical and applied. Vol. 1. J. A. Churchill Ltd., London
Pearse, J. S. (1969a). Reproductive periodicities of Indo-Pacific invertebrates in the Gulf of Suez. I. The echinoidsPrioncidaris baculosa (Lamark) andLovenia elongata (Gray). Bull. mar. Sci. 19: 323–350
Pearse, J. S. (1969b) Reproductive periodicities of Indo-Pacific invertebrates in the Gulf of Suez. II. The echinoidEchinometra mathaei (de Blainville). Bull. mar. Sci. 19: 580–613
Pearse, J. S. (1990). Synchronization of gametogenesis in the sea urchinsStrongylocentrotus purpuratus andS. franciscanus. In: Clark, W. H. Jr., Adams, T. S. (eds.) Advances in invertebrate reproduction. Elsevier North Holland, Amsterdam, p. 53–68
Pearse, J. S., Cameron, R. A. (1991). Echinoidea. In: Giese, A. C., Pearse, J. S. (eds.) Reproduction of marine invertebrates. Vol. X. Echinodermata. Blackwell Scientific, Palo Alto, Calif. (in press)
Pearse, J. S., Phillips, B. (1968). Continuous reproduction in the Indo-Pacific sea urchinEchinometra matdaei at Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 19: 161–172
Raff, R. A. (1987). Constraint, flexibility, and phylogenetic history in the evolution of direct development in sea urchins. Devl Biol. 119: 6–19
Raff, R. A., Herdlands, L., Morris, V. B., Healy, J. (1990). Evolutionary modification of echinoid sperm correlates with developmental mode. Devl Growth. Differentiation 32: 283–291
Scott, L. B., Lennarz, W. J., Raff, B. A., Wray, G. A. (1990). The “lecithitrophic” sea urchinHeliocidaris erythrogramma lacks typical yolk platelets and yolk glycoproteins. Devl Biol. 138: 188–193
Shyu, A. B., Raff, R. A. Blumenthal, T. (1986). Expression of the vitellogenin gene in female and male sea urchins. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83: 3865–3869
Sloan, N. A. (1984). Echinoderm fisheries of the world: a review. In: Keegan, B. F., O'Connor, B. D. S. (eds.) Echinodermata. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 109–124
Walker, C. W. (1982). Nutrition of gametes. In: Jangoux, M., Lawrence, J. M. (eds.) Echinoderm nutrition. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 449–468
Williams, D. H. C., Anderson, D. T. (1975). The reproductive system, embryonic development, larval development and metamorphosis of the sea urchinHeliocidaris erythrogramma (Val) (Echinoidea: Echinometridae). Aust. J. Zool. 23: 371–403
Wray, G. A., Raff, R. A. (1989). Evolutionary modification of cell lineage in the direct-developing sea urchinHeliocidaris erythrogramma. Devl Biol. 132: 458–470
Young, C. M., Cameron, J. L. (1987). Laboratory andin situ flotation rates of lecithitrophic eggs from the bathyal echinoidPhormosoma placenta. Deep-Sea Res. 34: 1629–1639
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by G. F. Humphrey, Sydney
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Laegdsgaard, P., Byrne, M. & Anderson, D.T. Reproduction of sympatric populations ofHeliocidaris erythrogramma andH. tuberculata (Echinoidea) in New South Wales. Mar. Biol. 110, 359–374 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344355
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344355