ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Anim. Sci.
Sec. Animal Breeding and Genetics
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fanim.2025.1635191
Temperature Modulates Bimodal Reproduction and Energy Allocation in the Sea Urchin Tripneustes gratilla
Provisionally accepted
- 1South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS), Guangzhou, China
- 2Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
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Abstract: Elucidating the gonadal development patterns of organisms holds significant reference value for advancing large-scale breeding and sustainable utilization of species. This study systematically investigated the annual population structure (test diameter-wet weight allometric model), gonadal histology (gametogenesis chronology), and environmental conditions of Tripneustes gratilla. The key findings include the following: 1. Test diameter (60.10–147.89 mm) exhibited a significant positive correlation with wet weight (R² = 73.54%), with both parameters peaking in May–June before declining sharply in September–October, indicating synchronized seasonal morphological changes. 2. Gonadal development displayed a bimodal pattern, with the gonad index (GI) reaching primary (8.26 ± 2.99) and secondary (7.30 ± 3.15) reproductive peaks in September and December, respectively. Compared with males, females presented significantly superior gonadal development during July– August (P < 0.05). 3. Water temperature dynamics were highly synchronized with GI fluctuations, where the July–September warming phase was strongly associated with reproductive peaks, confirming the temperature-driven physiological synchronization of reproductive cycles. These results demonstrate that T. gratilla employs dual survival strategies through seasonal adjustments in morphological-reproductive traits to adapt to environmental fluctuations, providing critical theoretical insights into the reproductive ecology of echinoderms.
Keywords: Tripneustes gratilla, Gonadal development, reproductive cycle, Population Characteristics, temperature regulation
Received: 26 May 2025; Accepted: 28 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qin, Liu, Zhao, Zhang, Guo, Yu and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chuanxin Qin, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS), Guangzhou, China
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