Study on the Gut content and feeding apparatus of Diadema setosum

Arinah, Binti Masli (2012) Study on the Gut content and feeding apparatus of Diadema setosum. [Final Year Project Report] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Diadema setosum is a species of sea urchin that can be found extensively in Malaysia coastal water. The harvesting of sea urchins for their gonads is an economically important activity and has local value in food industry especially in Sabah. Besides that, D. setosum plays an important role in the grazing of algae. Therefore, the biology and dynamics of sea urchin populations have received considerable attention in recent years but the basic knowledge of sea urchin is still poor in Malaysia in order to manage the sea urchin resources sustainably. Hence, this study was designed (1) to document the gut content of sea urchin, (2) to determine the correlation between dry weight of gut content and (3) correlation between length of demipyramid (feeding apparatus) and test diameter. Results showed that the most abundant material in gut content of sea urchin was plant materials (52%) and the lowest was animal materials (spines; test urchins) (3 %). The abundant of plant materials in gut content indicates the availability of food resource in their natural habitat as observed in the field and photos captured as qualitative data. In addition, the length of demipyramid (mm) was positively correlated with the test diameter (Spearman Rank Correlation test, α= 0.05, n=30, rs (calculation)= 0.682, rs > 0.362). It shows that the test diameter increase with the length of demipyramid. Therefore, this research indicates that food limitation does not occur in Satang Island. Moreover, the length of demipyramid (mm) was positively correlated with dry weight of all the materials in gut content (mg) (plant materials; sediments and rock fragments) except animal materials (rs (0.05, 30) > 0.3257, Spearman Rank Correlation test). The animal materials are suspected as “technical error” and accidently ingested since the D. setosum is a grazer. From this research, the data will provide knowledge for aquaculture of sea urchin in Malaysia that able to fill high demand in food industry in order to prevent depletion in sea urchin stock as well as to manage the resource sustainably.

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