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Effect of diets on the feeding behavior and physiological properties of suspension-feeding sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa

  • Aquaculture and Fisheries
  • Published:
Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The suspension-feeding sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa has become commercially important in recent years. Finding proper diets is the first important step for intensive aquaculture of this sea cucumber. In this study, adult C. frondosa were exposed to one of the following diet treatments: control (no diet provided), two powdered seaweeds (Ascophyllum nodosum and Saccharina latissima), a commercially available microalgal diet (shellfish diet) and natural seston. The effects of diets on the feeding behavior and physiological properties of sea cucumbers were investigated after a 5-week rearing period. Results show that sea cucumbers fed with shellfish diet exhibited a significantly higher tentacle insertion rate (1.80±0.20 insertion/min) than these fed with seaweed powders, and there was no significant different between the two groups fed by seaweed powders. No significant difference was found on the fecal production rate among the feeding groups. The minimum oxygen consumption rate was observed in the control group (5.76±0.99 μg O 2/(g·h)), which is significantly lower than individuals fed with A. nodosum, shellfish diet, and natural seston; however, no significant difference was shown between those of control and S. latissimi groups. The maximum ammonium excretion rate was found in the A. nodosum group (0.03±0.01 μmol/(g·h)), which is significantly higher than other groups. The minimum O/N ratio was observed in the A. nodosum group (14.57±1.04), which is significantly lower than the S. latissima, shellfish diet, and natural seston groups. Individuals fed with seaweed powders had similar physiological properties with these fed with microalgae diet and natural seston, indicating that A. nodosum and S. latissima can be explored as promising diets for intensive aquaculture of C. frondosa.

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Data Availability Statement

The datasets in the current study are not publicly available due to author request. It can be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Author notes

  1. YU Zonghe and ROBINSON Shawn contributed equally to this work and should be regarded as co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Zonghe Yu

  2. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews Biological Station, St. Andrews, NB, E5B 2L9, Canada

    Shawn Robinson, Terralynn Lander & Craig Smith

  3. Biology Department and Centre for Coastal Studies and Aquaculture, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, NB, E2L 4L5, Canada

    Bruce MacDonald

Authors
  1. Zonghe Yu
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  2. Shawn Robinson
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  3. Bruce MacDonald
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  4. Terralynn Lander
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  5. Craig Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zonghe Yu.

Additional information

Supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Network Program with the Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network (CIMTAN), the Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans St. Andrews Biological Station, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41676162), and the Science and Technology Service Network Initiative of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KFJ-STS-ZDTP-055)

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Yu, Z., Robinson, S., MacDonald, B. et al. Effect of diets on the feeding behavior and physiological properties of suspension-feeding sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa. J. Ocean. Limnol. 38, 883–893 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-9190-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-9190-x

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