Feeding, and nutritional ecology of the edible sea urchin <i>Loxechinus albus</i> in the northern Chilean coast

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dc.contributor.authorGonzalez, Solange J.
dc.contributor.authorCaceres, Cristian W.
dc.contributor.authorOjeda, F. Patricio
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-21T01:04:57Z
dc.date.available2025-01-21T01:04:57Z
dc.date.issued2008
dc.description.abstractThe red sea urchin Loxechinus albus, in economically important species occurring along the Chilean littoral benthic systems, has been heavily exploited by artisanal fisheries in recent decades. However, basic knowledge of its trophic biology is still scarce. Studies of this kind are critical to the successful development of farming techniques as an alternative to the harvest of natural populations. The aims of this study were to quantify the composition of L. albus' natural diet, to determine the assimilation efficiency of the most important dietary components, and to experimentally examine the species' trophic selectivity. Adult and juvenile specimens were sampled in spring 1993 and summer, fall and winter 1994 from the shallow subtidal zone of Iquique, northern Chile. Neither juveniles nor adults showed significant seasonal differences in dietary composition. The main items in the diet were the green alga Ulva sp. for juveniles and the kelp Lessonia sp. for adults. In adults, assimilation efficiency (as percentage of the total organic matter ingested) was not significantly different among individuals that consumed Lessonia sp. (48.7%), U/va sp. (44.6%) and Macrocystis (38.1%), whereas in juveniles assimilation efficiency was significantly higher for individuals fed on the chlorophyte Ulva sp. (55.4%), followed by Lessonia sp. (35.0%) and Macrocystis (25.5%). These results suggest that L. albus undergoes an ontogenetic shift in the diet, consisting of a differential foraging strategy between juveniles and adults.
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.eissn0717-6317
dc.identifier.issn0716-078X
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/95750
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000263164300010
dc.issue.numero4
dc.language.isoen
dc.pagina.final584
dc.pagina.inicio575
dc.revistaRevista chilena de historia natural
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectassimilation efficiency
dc.subjectLoxechinus
dc.subjectnatural diet
dc.subjecttrophic selectivity
dc.subject.ods13 Climate Action
dc.subject.ods14 Life Below Water
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.odspa13 Acción por el clima
dc.subject.odspa14 Vida submarina
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.titleFeeding, and nutritional ecology of the edible sea urchin <i>Loxechinus albus</i> in the northern Chilean coast
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen81
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
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