Variation in purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) morphological traits in relation to resource availability.

ABSTRACT: Flexible resource investment is a risk sensitive reproductive strategy where individuals trade resources spent on reproduction for basic metabolic maintenance and survival. This study examined morphological variation in herbivorous sea urchin grazers across a mosaic landscape of macroalgae dominated habitats interspersed with patches of sea urchin barrens to determine whether sea urchins shift energy allocation in response to food limitation. Extensive underwater surveys of habitat attributes (e.g., sea urchin density, algae cover) were paired with detailed laboratory assays (e.g., sea urchin dissections) to determine how resource abundance affects energy allocation between reproductive capacity and body structure in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. We found tha

SUBMITTER: Smith JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8086578 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature