Allometric relationships to assess ontogenetic adaptative changes in three NE Atlantic commercial sea cucumbers (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea)

F. Azevedo e Silva*, A.C. Brito, T. Simões, A. Pombo, T.A. Marques, C. Rocha, J. Sousa, E. Venâncio, P.M. Félix

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Holothuria arguinensis, Holothuria mammata and Holothuria forskali are three common sea cucumber species found in the NE Atlantic, traded in international markets and susceptible to capture. Allometric relationships reveal if the scaling relationships between biometric characters are proportional with growth, being a useful tool to understand species growth strategies. Allometric relationships of the three species were estimated and compared between them and with populations from different regions. These allometric relationships revealed that the three species have negative allometric growth. However, they have different growth strategies between them and reveal different regional intra-specific growth strategies when compared to other populations, suggesting ontogenetic adaptation as a consequence of external factors. 
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)711-720
JournalAquatic Ecology
Volume55
Issue number2
Early online date29 Mar 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2021

Keywords

  • Fishing pressure
  • Holothuria forskali
  • Holothuria mammata
  • Holothuria arguinesis
  • Length-weight relationship

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