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Reproductive dynamics of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus on the Galicia coast (NW Spain): effects of habitat and population density

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Abstract

We studied the spatial variability in the size at first maturity and the reproductive cycle of Paracentrotus lividus in Galicia, contributing key information for the exploitation and management of this resource. The size at maturity varied between 20.4 (±1.2 SE) mm and 27.9 ± 1.2 mm and was smaller in areas of low population density where sea urchins do not form patches. Using a nonlinear model, we analysed the effect of depth, body size, sex and population density on the temporal pattern of the gonad index. The maximum and minimum indices were obtained at 4 m depth in the months before and after the spring spawning, respectively. The depth also affected the cycle phase, and the sea urchins at 4 m depth spawned 9.4 ± 3.0 days later than the sea urchins at 8 m depth and 20.5 ± 3.0 days later than those at 12 m depth. Moreover, the sea urchins living in patches showed a slight increase in gonad size as a consequence of the better-quality habitat. This shows that there is no intraspecific competition in this area despite the high population densities reached (18.5 kg m−2).

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The authors wish to thank the other members of the research team, especially G. Casal, N. Sánchez and M. J. Juan Jordá, for their collaboration in processing the samples, estimating SST data, and statistical advice.

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  1. Juan Freire

    Present address: Barrabés Next, C. Serrano 16-1, 28001, Madrid, Spain

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  1. Grupo de Recursos Marinos y Pesquerías, Universidad de A Coruña, Rúa da Fraga 10, 15008, A Coruña, Spain

    Rosana Ouréns, Luis Fernández, María Fernández-Boán, Inés Naya & Juan Freire

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  1. Rosana Ouréns
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  2. Luis Fernández
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Correspondence to Rosana Ouréns.

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Communicated by M. Byrne.

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Ouréns, R., Fernández, L., Fernández-Boán, M. et al. Reproductive dynamics of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus on the Galicia coast (NW Spain): effects of habitat and population density. Mar Biol 160, 2413–2423 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2236-2

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