Reproductive Patterns in the Deep-Sea Benthos

SynopsisThe reproductive biology of a wide variety of deep-sea echinoderms from the northeast Atlantic has been examined. Time series samples of asteroids, ophiuroids, echinoids and holothurians are available from Station “M” and the Scottish Marine Biological Association's Permanent Station in the Rockall Trough and from opportunistic sampling in other areas of the northern Rockall Trough. Examination of these time series samples has established three main reproductive patterns in these taxa and one example of protandric hermaphroditism. The dominant reproductive pattern is the aperiodic production of relatively few large eggs usually in excess of 600μm diameter. Although the oogenic pattern is similar in most of these species, the follicle cell distribution and breakdown of relict oocytes vary considerably, particularly at family level. A second reproductive pattern is the production of numerous small eggs c. 100μm diameter, indicative of planktotrophic development. The five species exhibiting this pattern show intra- and interspecific synchrony of egg production with a proliferation of young oocytes in February to April of each year, vitellogenesis during summer and autumn and a synchronous spawnout in January–April of each year. In the apparent constant conditions of the deep sea, this synchrony of reproduction is related to the rapid descent of surface primary production. Two rarer reproductive patterns observed are the production of intermediate sized eggs (c. 300–400μm diameter) suggesting the formation of a lecithotrophic larva, and lastly a single case of protandric hermaphroditism, and the subsequent production of a large egg. In none of the species examined have we found any evidence of brooding. The variation in the reproductive pattern of individual species is discussed in relation to the constancy of the physico-chemical environment of the deep-sea.

Download Full-text

Population structure and reproductive patterns of the NW Mediterranean deep-sea macrourid Trachyrincus scabrus (Rafinesque, 1810)

Marine Biology ◽

10.1007/s00227-012-1976-8 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 159 (9) ◽

pp. 1885-1896 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

U. Fernandez-Arcaya ◽

L. Recasens ◽

H. Murua ◽

E. Ramirez-Llodra ◽

G. Rotllant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Structure ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Reproductive Patterns ◽

Nw Mediterranean

Download Full-text

Reproductive strategies in vent shrimps shaped by feeding ecology with intriguing seasonality unlinked to surface productivity

10.1101/2021.09.10.456763 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pierre Methou ◽

Chong Chen ◽

Hiromi K. Watanabe ◽

Marie-Anne Cambon-Bonavita ◽

Florence Pradillon

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Variations ◽

Food Supply ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Austral Summer ◽

Biological Rhythms ◽

Reproductive Period ◽

Feeding Strategies ◽

Boreal Winter ◽

Reproductive Patterns ◽

Chemosynthetic Ecosystems

AbstractVariations in reproductive patterns according to feeding strategies or food supply have been recognized in many animals from various ecosystems. Despite an unusual trophic structure, these relationships remain largely under-studied in chemosynthetic ecosystems. Here, we use Rimicaris shrimps as a study case to explore relations between reproduction, diets and food supply in these environments. For that, we compiled data on presence of reproductive individuals from the past 35 years and compared reproductive outputs of three shrimps differing by their diets and regions. We report distinct reproductive patterns between Rimicaris species according to their trophic regime regardless of variations related to body size. Besides, we observed a reproductive period mostly between January and early April whatever the region. Intriguingly, this periodicity does not correspond to seasonal variations with presence of ovigerous females during either boreal winter or austral summer. These observations contrast with the long-standing paradigm in deep-sea species for which periodic reproductive patterns have always been attributed to seasonal variations of photosynthetic production sinking from surface. Our results suggest the presence of intrinsic basis for biological rhythms in the deep sea, and bring to light the importance of having year-round observations in order to understand life history of vent animals.

Download Full-text