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      The behavior of sympatric sea urchin species across an ecosystem state gradient

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          Abstract

          Background

          In temperate macroalgal forests, sea urchins are considered as a keystone species due to their grazing ability. Given their potential to shape benthic communities, we monitored the habitat use by three sympatric sea urchin species and compared their behaviors in a vegetated habitat (VH) and an adjacent isoyake habitat (IH).

          Methods

          We monitored the environmental conditions and sea urchin density along deep and shallow transects of the VH and IH for over a year. The benthic rugosity at both sites were also surveyed. A mark-recapture experiment was conducted on the two most abundant sea urchins, Diadema setosum and Heliocidaris crassispina, to elucidate sea urchin movement patterns and group dynamics.

          Results

          We found that exposure to waves was highest at the VH while the IH was sheltered. The deep IH experienced the least amount of light due to high turbidity. Water temperature patterns were similar across sites. The VH benthic topography was more rugose compared to the smoother and silt-covered IH substate. Peak macroalgal bloom occurred three months earlier in IH, but macroalgae persisted longer at the shallow VH. Among the sympatric sea urchins, H. crassispina was most abundant at the shallow VH and was observed in pits and crevices. The most abundant across IH and in the deep VH was D. setosum, preferring either crevices or free-living, depending on hydrodynamic conditions. The least abundant species was D. savignyi, and most often observed in crevices. Small and medium sea urchins were most often observed at the IH site, whereas larger sea urchins were more likely observed at the VH. The mark-recapture study showed that D. setosum was found to displace further at the IH, and H. crassispina was more sedentary. Additionally, D. setosum was always observed in groups, whereas H. crassispina was always solitary.

          Discussion

          The behaviors of sympatric urchins, Diadema savignyi, D. setosum and H. crassispina, differed in response to changes in the benthic environment and physical conditions. Sea urchin displacement increased when rugosity and wave action were low. Habitat preference shifted to crevices in seasons with high wave action. In general, the mark-recapture experiment showed that sea urchins displaced further at night.

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          Most cited references108

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              Alternative equilibria in shallow lakes.

              The turbidity of lakes is generally considered to be a smooth function of their nutrient status. However, recent results suggest that over a range of nutrient concentrations, shallow lakes can have two alternative equilibria: a clear state dominated by aquatic vegetation, and a turbid state characterized by high algal biomass. This bi-stability has important implications for the possibilities of restoring eutrophied shallow lakes. Nutrient reduction alone may have little impact on water clarity, but an ecosystem disturbance like foodweb manipulation can bring the lake back to a stable clear state. We discuss the reasons why alternative equilibria are theoretically expected in shallow lakes, review evidence from the field and evaluate recent applications of this insight in lake management. Copyright © 1993. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                PeerJ
                PeerJ
                PeerJ
                PeerJ
                PeerJ Inc. (San Diego, USA )
                2167-8359
                13 June 2023
                2023
                : 11
                : e15511
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki City, Nagasaki, Japan
                [2 ]Faculty of Fisheries, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki City, Nagasaki, Japan
                [3 ]Organization for Marine Science and Technology, Institute for East China Sea Research, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki City, Nagasaki, Japan
                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0141-7495
                http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2543-1301
                Article
                15511
                10.7717/peerj.15511
                10274604
                1dab5fff-f110-4382-ad85-dfca967178cc
                © 2023 Belleza et al.

                This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.

                History
                : 12 October 2022
                : 15 May 2023
                Funding
                Funded by: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research
                Award ID: 17KT0149, 20H03076, and C-#40508321
                Funded by: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
                Funded by: Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT)
                This study was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research: 17KT0149, 20H03076, and C-#40508321 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
                Categories
                Animal Behavior
                Ecology
                Ecosystem Science
                Marine Biology
                Zoology

                sea urchin behavior,ecosystem state,microhabitat,seaweed ecosystem

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