Abstract
Populations of Holothuria atra Jaeger occurring at Wanlitung and Nanwan were sampled monthly at spring tide from March 1990 to February 1992 in southern Taiwan. At Wanlitung, small individuals with evidence of fission and regeneration were abundant in shallow tidepools on the wide reef flats (density: 98±40 ( ± SD) 100 m-2, body weight: 6 to 182 g). At Nanwan, large individuals with no evidence of fission were sparse in deep tidepools and narrow flats [density: 0.24±0.07 ( ± SD) 100 m- 2, body weight: 351 to 1400 g]. At Wanlitung, fission occurred throughout the year with an average monthly fission frequency of 4.5%, peaking at 18% in September 1990 and 16% in August 1991. Fission was accomplished by revolving, twisting, and stretching of the body, resulting in two unequal fragments. The minimal weight of 3007 individuals measured during 1 yr at Wanlitung was 6 g. All ten individuals weighing 6 to 9 g ( ± SD = 6.7 ± 1.1) 100 m- 2 showed evidence of regeneration from fission products. Nine large individuals (>500 g) transferred from Nanwan to Wanlitung and 50 small individuals (<100 g) transferred from Wanlitung to Nanwan in February 1991 showed no evidence of fission during the following year. Fission occurs in small individuals living in shallow tidepools, suggesting that fission probably is triggered by a stressful environment resulting from solar radiation at the unusually low water level of spring tide. Fission of H. atra at Wanlitung results in a population consisting of small individuals.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Bakus, G. J. (1973). The biology and ecology of tropical holothurians. In: Jones, O. A., Endean, R. (eds.) Biology and geology of coral reefs, Vol. 2. Academic Press, New York, p. 325–367
Bonham, K., Held, E. E. (1963). Ecological observations on the sea cucumbers Holothuria atra and H. leucospilota at Rongelap Atoll, Marshall Islands. Pacif. Sci. 17: 305–314
Chao, S. M., Chang, K. H. (1989). The shallow-water holothurians (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) of southern Taiwan. Bull. Inst. Zool. Acad. sin. 28: 107–137
Chinese Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Office (1990). Tide Tables 1990: coast of China, Manilar and Singapore. Kaoshiung, Taiwan, p. 240–251
Chinese Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Office (1991). Tide Tables 1991: coast of China, Manilar and Singapore. Kaoshiung, Taiwan, p. 240–251
Clark, A. M., Rowe, F. W. E. (1971). Monograph of shallow-water Indo-West Pacific echinoderms. Br. Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ. 690: 1–238
Conand, C., De Ridder, C. (1990). Reproduction asexuee par scission chez Holothuria atra (Holothuroidea) dans des populations de platiers recifaux. In: De Ridder, C., Dubois, P., Jangoux, M., Lahaye, M. C. (eds.) Echinoderm research. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 71–76
Crozier, W. J. (1917). Multiplication by fission in holothurians. Am. Nat. 51: 560–566
Deichmann, E. (1922). On some cases of multiplication by fission and coalescence by holothurians; with notes on the synonymy of Actinopyga parvula (Sel). Vidensk. Meddr dans. naturh. Foren. 73: 183–191
Doty, J. E. (1977). Fission in Holothuria atra and holothurian population growth. Unpublished M. S. thesis, University of Guam, Hawaii
Ebert, T. A. (1978). Growth and size of the tropical sea cucumber Holothuria atra at Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands. Pacif. Sci. 32: 183–191
Ebert, T. A. (1983). Recruitment in echinoderms. Echinoderm. Stud. 1: 169–203
Emson, R. H. (1978). Some aspects of fission in Allostichaster polyplasx. In: McLusky, D. S., Berry, A. J. (eds.) Physiology and behavior of marine organisms. Pergamon Press, Oxford, p. 321–329
Emson, R. H., Mladenov, P. V. (1987) Studies of the fissiparous holothurian Holothuria parvula (Selenka) (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea). J. exp. mar. Ecol. 111: 195–211
Emson, R. H., Wilkie, I. C. (1980). Fission and autotomy in echinoderms. Oceanogr. mar. Biol. A. Rev. 18: 155–250
Harriott, V. (1982). Sexual and asexual reproduction of Holothuria atra Jaeger at Heron Island Reef, Great Barrier Reef. Aust. Mus. Sydney Mem. 16: 53–66
Harriott, V. J. (1985). Reproductive biology of three congeneric sea cucumbers, Holothuria atra, H. impatiens and H. edulis, at Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 36: 51–57
Lawrence, J. M. (1980) Numbers and biomass of the common Holothuroids on the Windward reef flat at Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands. In: Jangoux, M. (ed.) Proceedings of the European Colloquium on Echinoderms. A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 201–204
Lawrence, J. M. (1987). A functional biology of echinoderms. Croom Helm, London
Mladenov, P. V., Carson, S.F., Walker, C. W. (1986). Reproductive ecology of an obligately fissiparous population of the seastar Stephanasterias albula (Stimpson). J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 96: 155–175
Mladenov, P. V., Emson, R. H., Colpitts, L. V., Wilkie, I. C. (1983). Asexual reproduction in the West Indian brittle star Ophiocomella ophiactoides (H. L. Clark) (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea). J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 72: 1–23
Pearse, J. S. (1968). Patterns of reproductive periodicities of Indo-Pacific echinoderms. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Sec. B) 67: 247–279
Swart, P. K., Coleman, M. L. (1980). Isotopic data for scleractinian corals explain their palaeotemperature uncertainties. Nature, Lond. 283: 557–559
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by T. Ikeda, Niigata
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chao, S.M., Chen, C.P. & Alexander, P.S. Fission and its effect on population structure of Holothuria atra (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) in Taiwan. Marine Biology 116, 109–115 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350738
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350738