Purple sea urchin morphometrics from Marna Laboratory Experiments at the Quadra Island Ecological Observatory (2021)

Website: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/963419
Version: 1
Version Date: 2025-06-02

Project
» Collaborative Research: The effects of marine heatwaves on reproduction, larval transport and recruitment in sea urchin metapopulations (Urchin metapopulations)
ContributorsAffiliationRole
Okamoto, Daniel K.Florida State University (FSU)Principal Investigator
Gimenez, IriaHakai InstituteScientist
Karelitz, Sam E.Florida State University (FSU)Scientist
Swezey, DanielUniversity of California-Davis (UC Davis)Scientist
Munstermann, Maya J.Florida State University (FSU)Student
Spindel, NathanFlorida State University (FSU)Student
Collicutt, BrennaHakai InstituteTechnician
Cronmiller, EvanHakai InstituteTechnician
Foss, MeganHakai InstituteTechnician
Mahara, NatalieDepartment of Fisheries and Oceans CanadaTechnician
Rolheiser, KateHakai InstituteTechnician
Ward-Diorio, RebeccaUniversity of California-Berkeley (UC Berkeley)Data Manager
Mickle, AudreyWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO)BCO-DMO Data Manager

Abstract
These data include morphometrics of individual purple sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, involved in a multifactorial laboratory experiment at the Hakai Institute Quadra Island Ecological Observatory between 2021-09-20 and 2021-12-06. The experiment investigated impacts of contemporary high pCO2 and imposed dynamic historical temperature trends on multiple aspects of individual thermal performance. Morphometrics included test diameter and height, overall wet mass, gonad wet mass, overall dry mass, gonad dry mass, overall ash mass, and gonad ash mass. Test dimensions were measured using digital calipers (Mitutoyo America Corporation®, Aurora IL, USA). Mass measurements were made using a calibrated digital scale (Mettler-Toledo, LLC., Columbus, OH, USA).  Ocean warming and acidification threaten the stability of foundation species not just through direct physiological stress, but also indirectly via impacts on primary consumption. However, the effects of these drivers on this critical ecological interaction may not be generalizable due to complex energetic impacts on both consumers and their resource(s). Therefore, understanding consumer responses to multiple drivers and dynamic conditions are especially important for key taxa, such as S. purpuratus, which exert strong grazing impacts on kelp forests. All animals were simultaneously collected from Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada (48° 56.604N, 125° 34.699W) from a depth of 7-8 m relative to mean low tide on 3 September 2021 using SCUBA and immediately transported to the Marna Laboratory flow through seawater system.    Animals were haphazardly selected and assigned to the "Wild" group or "Experimental" group (and thereafter treatments) from this pool. 


Coverage

Location: Hakai Institute Quadra Island Ecological Observatory, Quadra Island, British Columbia, Canada with animals collected from Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada (48° 56.604N, 125° 34.699W)
Spatial Extent: Lat:50.108305 Lon:-125.219087
Temporal Extent: 2021-08-01 - 2021-12-20

Methods & Sampling

For a focal sea urchin, morphometrics included measurements of test dimensions, wet mass, dry mass, and ash mass as well as visual determinations of the sex and whether gametes were actively extruded immediately following dissection. Test dimensions were measured using digital calipers (Mitutoyo America Corporation®, Aurora IL, USA). Wet weight was measured using a calibrated digital scale (Mettler-Toledo, LLC., Columbus, OH, USA) following a 30 s drying period in a dry dissection tray (United States Plastic Corporation®, Lima, OH, USA). We estimated the amount of metabolically active biomass for an individual by calculating ash-free dry mass (AFDM) for each subject. AFDM quantifies soft tissue biomass while excluding skeletal biomass that does not contribute meaningfully to changes in DO. We calculated AFDM as the difference between dry mass and post-combustion ash mass (i.e., skeletal mass). We measured all mass metrics by weighing samples on a calibrated digital scale (Mettler-Toledo, LLC). To measure dry mass, we first cracked the test of the urchins and discarded the coelomic fluid, then dried the carcasses for 24 hours at 60  in a drying oven then weighed the dried carcasses. To measure post-combustion ash mass, we combusted these dried carcasses for six hours at 450  in a muffle furnace, then weighed the resulting ashes of each carcass.


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Parameters

Parameters for this dataset have not yet been identified

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Project Information

Collaborative Research: The effects of marine heatwaves on reproduction, larval transport and recruitment in sea urchin metapopulations (Urchin metapopulations)

Coverage: Coastal California Waters from San Diego through Mendocino Counties


NSF Award Abstract:
Rapid and extreme warming events such as El Niño and marine heatwaves have had ecological and economic impacts on nearshore marine ecosystems. These impacts include reductions in biomass and collapses in commercial fisheries. For many species, population booms and busts are controlled by shifts in reproduction and juvenile dispersal related to warmer temperatures and ocean circulation. However, how population fluctuations are shaped by interacting processes that control adult reproduction and larval survival remains unclear. Marine heatwaves often accompany major disruptions in ocean circulation, which can affect survival and the distribution of species that produce free-floating, planktonic larvae. As a result, species can be impacted directly by temperature effects on organismal reproduction and survival, and indirectly by shifts in ocean circulation that affect larval success. This project is examining how the joint effects of temperature and ocean circulation are controlling populations of purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus). To address project objectives, the team is developing oceanographic models to predict dispersal of planktonic larvae in combination with controlled experiments on adult reproductive success. This project is advancing the understanding of how ecologically important species respond to ocean temperature and circulation, which are forecast to shift under future climate change scenarios. Broader impacts of the project include training of students and post-docs in STEM and educational outreach. Curriculum development and implementation is occurring in collaboration with existing K-12 outreach programs that focus on underserved communities and under-represented groups. The goal is to empower the next generation of scientists to use integrative approaches to predict ecological consequences of climate change.

Purple sea urchins are an ideal species for studying the coupled impacts of warming and ocean circulation on recruitment and survival given a wealth of ecological and organismal data. The species has a mapped genome, can be transported large distances as larvae by ocean currents, and larval abundances in California exhibit orders of magnitude variation with heatwaves and El Niño fluctuations. To quantify the processes that shape spatial and temporal variability in larval supply, researchers are applying a novel combination of biophysical modeling, experiments and statistical modeling of long-term, high-resolution data on larval settlement across the Southern California Bight (SCB). Research module 1 is quantifying spatial and temporal patterns of larval transport using a 3D-biophysical model of the SCB. The model is testing how interactions among historical changes in ocean circulation and temperature, larval life history, and larval behavioral traits affect variation in larval supply in space and time. Research module 2 is focused on how temperature could affect spatial and temporal variation in egg production. Experiments are characterizing reproductive thermal performance curves and quantifying how these vary among populations and organismal history. A novel assay is assessing epigenetic regulation of gene expression associated with performance curves. Finally, Module 3 will integrate mechanistic models from Modules 1 and 2 to statistically assess their ability to explain spatial and temporal trends in a nearly three-decade dataset of larval settlement from six sites in the SCB. This is one of the first studies that integrates models of larval transport, reproductive performance and settlement data to empirically test how physical and biological processes affect local recruitment patterns in complex marine meta-populations.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.



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Funding

Funding SourceAward
NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE)

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