CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Effects of temperature on morphology and reproduction of sea urchin,Arbacia dufresnii (Echinodermata: Echinoidea). Introduction: Effect of temperature onmorphology and reproduction in the sea urchin Arbacia dufresnii (Echinodermata: Echinoidea).The increase in atmospheric CO2 values and the consequent warming of seawater constitutestressors for marine ecosystems. During the last decades, interest in echinoid physiology has beenrenewed, and particularly in studies of climate change. The echinoid Arbacia dufresnii is awidely studied species with a wide distribution in the North Patagonian gulfs. Objetive: Thepresent work evaluates the effect of seawater temperature on its morphology and reproduction.Methods: Individuals were exposed for 10 weeks (April-June 2016) to three temperaturetreatments (13 °C control, 15 °C and 17 °C) according to the current conditions of seawater andthe expected values for the next century according to different scenarios of the IPCC. At the endof the experiment, measurements of diameter and weight of the individual were recorded as wellas the weights of the internal organs, which were statistically analyzed using GLM, as well ashistological analysis of the stages. Results: Throughout the experiment, higher mortality wasobserved in individuals exposed to higher temperatures, which could be due to stress in theindividual. For the control and the 17 °C treatment, no changes were observed in the dry gonadand intestine weights. However, an increase in the diameter of the shell and in the dry weight of gonads and intestine were found for individuals exposed to 15 °C. The gonadal stages at thistemperature for males were similar to the environment, unlike the females that had moreadvanced stages. Conclusions: This would indicate that the temperature could be optimal forassimilating food and obtaining energy. In turn, they would be showing changes in the short term,unlike the calcified organs (Aristotle´s shell and lantern).

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