Reproductive biology of Cosmasterias lurida (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) an anthropogenically influenced substratum from Golfo Nuevo, Northern Patagonia (Argentina)

The starfish Cosmasterias lurida was sampled from the pier piles of Almirante Storni in the Golfo Nuevo, northern Patagonia, from November 2001 to November 2003. In this anthropogenically modified site there is an unusually abundant food supply of mussels and large aggregations of starfishes. The re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2007-03, Vol.151 (1), p.205-217
Main Authors: PASTOR-DE-WARD, Catalina T, RUBILAR, Tamara, DIAZ-DE-VIVAR, Maria E, GONZALEZ-PISANI, Ximena, ZARATE, Erica, KROECK, Marina, MORSAN, Enrique
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal reproduction
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Anthropogenic factors
Asteroidea
Biochemistry
Biological and medical sciences
Carbohydrates
Cosmasterias lurida
Echinodermata
Fish
Food supply
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gonads
Invertebrates
Marine
Marine biology
Nutrients
Reproductive cycle
Sea water ecosystems
Seasons
Sexual maturity
Spawning
Synecology
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Summary:The starfish Cosmasterias lurida was sampled from the pier piles of Almirante Storni in the Golfo Nuevo, northern Patagonia, from November 2001 to November 2003. In this anthropogenically modified site there is an unusually abundant food supply of mussels and large aggregations of starfishes. The reproductive cycle was studied by organ indices and histological examination of gonads. The highest gonad index (GI) values were found in the summer (February-March), followed by a drop in GI values, indicating spawning. Histological analyses indicated that gametogenesis takes place from June to January, sexual maturity occurred during the summer and spawning occurred in April. The GI and pyloric caeca index (PCI) tended to have an inverse relationship, but this was only statistically significant in males. However, biochemical analyses of the starfish indicated no transfer of nutrients between pyloric caeca and gonads in either sex. In fact, simultaneous accumulation of carbohydrates was found in the pyloric caeca and gonads of both sexes. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s00227-006-0479-x