Morphological and Mechanical Tube Feet Plasticity among Populations of Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus).

ABSTRACT: Sea urchins rely on an adhesive secreted by their tube feet to cope with the hydrodynamic forces of dislodgement common in nearshore, high wave-energy environments. Tube feet adhere strongly to the substrate and detach voluntarily for locomotion. In the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, adhesive performance depends on both the type of substrate and the population of origin, where some substrates and populations are more adhesive than others. To explore the source of this variation, we evaluated tube foot morphology (disc surface area) and mechanical properties (maximum disc tenacity and stem breaking force) of populations native to substrates with different lithologies: sandstone, mudstone, and granite. We found differences among populations, where sea urchins native

SUBMITTER: Narvaez CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11234643 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature