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Juvenile–adult associations in sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and S. droebachiensis): protection from predation and hydrodynamics in S. franciscanus

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Abstract

Juvenile red sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, aggregate under adult conspecifics, whereas sympatric juvenile green sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, are typically more solitary and dispersed. Neither the potential advantage of juvenile sheltering nor the differences in post-settlement behavior between the two species has been demonstrated experimentally, but may be related to protection from predators and/or hydrodynamics. In predation experiments, juvenile vulnerability differed in the two species as the seastar Pycnopodia helianthoides consistently chose juvenile S. franciscanus over S. droebachiensis (100% vs. 0%). When associated with adults, juvenile mortality decreased dramatically in S. franciscanus (90% alone vs. 5% with adults), but very little in S. droebachiensis (85% vs. 75%). Not surprisingly, juvenile behavioral responses in the two species reflect this difference in vulnerability. Juvenile S. franciscanus sheltered under adults when predation risk was high, but not when risk was low (44% vs. 13%), whereas sheltering in S. droebachiensis was infrequent and not related to predation risk (7% for high risk versus 5% for low risk). From a hydrodynamic perspective, the presence of an adult led to the creation of a hydrodynamic refuge for juveniles, where average water velocities were reduced by > 60% around the adult urchin. Again, striking differences in sheltering rate were apparent in S. franciscanus (52% vs. 13% for high flow and low flow, respectively), but not S. droebachiensis (5% for high flow versus 4% for low flow). Sheltering behavior was also species-specific as juveniles did not shelter at high rates under adults of the opposite species (≤ 16%). A field survey confirmed these finding in that juvenile S. franciscanus abundance was associated with both adults and water motion (R 2 = 0.80, P = 0.008, best-subsets regression). These results suggest that sheltering confers juvenile S. franciscanus with a degree of protection from predators and water motion, and that species-specific differences in this post-settlement behavior may be related to the differences in the protection afforded by adults.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge J. Grayson, J. Mortimor, and D. Johnson for their diving assistance in field study, BMSC Director, A. Spencer for providing facilities, Island Scallops for providing juvenile urchins, and several anonymous reviewers for commenting on the manuscript. Financial support was provided by the Pacific Urchin Harvester’s Association, West Coast Green Urchin Harvester’s Association, a WCUMBS graduate award to MTN and Fisheries Renewal BC and NSERC grants to JDA.

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Author notes

  1. Michael T. Nishizaki

    Present address: Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-1800, USA

  2. Josef Daniel Ackerman

    Present address: Department of Integrative Biology and Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Ecology Laboratory, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada, V2N 4Z9

    Michael T. Nishizaki & Josef Daniel Ackerman

  2. Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Bamfield, BC, Canada, V0R 1B0

    Michael T. Nishizaki & Josef Daniel Ackerman

Authors
  1. Michael T. Nishizaki
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  2. Josef Daniel Ackerman
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Correspondence to Josef Daniel Ackerman.

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Communicated by R.J. Thompson, St. John´s.

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Nishizaki, M.T., Ackerman, J.D. Juvenile–adult associations in sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and S. droebachiensis): protection from predation and hydrodynamics in S. franciscanus . Mar Biol 151, 135–145 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-006-0462-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-006-0462-6

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