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Laboratory observations of habitat selection in aestivating and active adult sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

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Abstract

In order to verify which factors affect habitat selection for aestivating and in the active adult Apostichopus japonicus, animals were tested for their selection of attachment site in an experimental device (1-m pipes) in which the perceived environmental stimuli (light intensity, degree of contact with a hard surface, geotaxis) varied depending on the attachment site. During the aestivating season, the animals showed a strong selection for attachment sites during the daytime and nighttime; they also showed positive stereotaxis (thigmotaxis), negative phototaxis, and negative geotaxis. The results suggest that (1) habitats are not suitable for the aestivating adult A. japonicus unless these three environmental requirements are satisfied.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. S. Wada and Dr. K. Nakata of Hokkaido University, Dr. T. Handa, and Dr. A. Araki of National Fisheries University for comments on the study. We are grateful to Mr. K. Miki of Tana Marine Biological Laboratory of National Fisheries University for assistance during this study. This study was partly supported by Research Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for Young Scientists (no. 19-1156).

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  1. Yusuke Yamana

    Present address: Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Natural History, Kainan, Wakayama, 642-0001, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 041-8611, Japan

    Yusuke Yamana

  2. Department of Applied Aquabiology, National Fisheries University, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, 759-6595, Japan

    Tatsuo Hamano

  3. Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 041-8611, Japan

    Seiji Goshima

Authors
  1. Yusuke Yamana
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  2. Tatsuo Hamano
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  3. Seiji Goshima
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Correspondence to Yusuke Yamana.

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Yamana, Y., Hamano, T. & Goshima, S. Laboratory observations of habitat selection in aestivating and active adult sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus . Fish Sci 75, 1097–1102 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-009-0129-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-009-0129-6

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