Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis acquire their common name, "green sea urchin" from the green outer shell. All sea urchins have an exoskeleton made of calcitic plates rooted into their skin. The solid exoskeleton, or the test, is composed of several plates that are tightly bound together. The mouth is located in the center of the peristomial membrane. This membrane is composed of a flexible collogenous skin that is tough and serves as a type of lip-like structure. Teeth are found in the mouth to help tear off food to eat. Another structure that is commonly found with almost all sea urchins is the pedicellaria, tiny stalked valves used to keep the surface of the sea urchin clean by removing small particles it encounters. Sea urchins have spines and tubes that serve roles in acquiring food, protection and respiration. The tube-feet on the sea urchins are a type of suction discs that allow them to adhere onto other organisms or substances. They have also have an internal skeleton called the stereom.
Green sea urchins are very small, compact animals that usually do not exceed a length of 8 cm. The average size for a green sea urchin is about 7.8 cm. The larval forms are bilaterally symmetric. After metamorphosis they measure about 0.5 mm and are radially symmetric. The sexes are monomorphic.
Range length: 0.5 to 80 mm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry ; radial symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Green sea urchins live primarily in areas with cold waters mainly in the northern hemisphere. Green sea urchins prefer living in rocky, or gravel areas, but they are mostly found in sandy, sea floor bottoms. Adults live in cold climates in water temperatures from 0 to 15 degrees Celsius. Green sea urchins are found between intertidal zones to about 1200 meters. The rate at which urchins take in or remove oxygen does not depend on water temperature.
The green sea urchin is one of the only urchins that has expanded into an environment of brackish water such as the Baltic Sea.
Average depth: 1200 m.
Habitat Regions: saltwater or marine
Aquatic Biomes: benthic ; coastal
Other Habitat Features: intertidal or littoral
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis inhabits colder temperatures of mostly northern oceans. Green sea urchins are found in coastal areas of Alaska to Washington, the western part of the Baltic Sea, on the coast of Korea, as well as in almost every other type of major marine habitats.
Biogeographic Regions: arctic ocean (Native ); atlantic ocean (Native ); pacific ocean (Native )
Green sea urchins feed on a wide variety of organisms, ranging from marine worms to sponges. However, this specific urchin particularly feed on a type of kelp known as Laminaria. Green sea urchins also eat bull kelp and green algae. Often, green sea urchins scrape the surface of rocks using their "Aristotle's lantern," or masticatory apparatus, in search of diatoms as well as algae. Whenever an urchin is injured, the other urchins immediately move away, but they return within a short time span to eat it.
Plant Foods: algae; macroalgae
Primary Diet: omnivore
This species is harvested for its roe, which is considered a delicacy in Japan.
Positive Impacts: food
There are no known adverse effects of green sea urchins on humans.
At this point, the green sea urchins and its habitat are not in any way threatened by the environment.
However, if green sea urchins were to be reduced in population, there would be mass amounts of kelp that would cause the water to be congested. This congestion does not allow boats to pass through the water. Therefore, it is important to preserve populations of this species.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
Sexes of S. droebachiensis are separate, but monomorphic (similar in appearance). Green sea urchins, take several years to reach a point where they are sexually mature and capable of reproducing. For reproduction to occur there must be a large number of individuals. Reproduction occurs when both sperm and eggs are released simultaneously into the water column by both male and female urchins. There are about 100,000 to about 200,000 eggs released by female urchins. When these eggs are fertilized, they quickly form swimming larva known as echinopluteus, which feed off plankton. Then, slowly they mature into adult sea urchins. Urchins are about 0.5 mm after metamorphosis.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); fertilization (External ); oviparous
Yaşıl dəniz kirpisi (lat. Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) - strongylocentrotus cinsinə aid heyvan növü.
Yaşıl dəniz kirpisi (lat. Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) - strongylocentrotus cinsinə aid heyvan növü.
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis is commonly known as the green sea urchin because of its characteristic green color. It is commonly found in northern waters all around the world including both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to a northerly latitude of 81 degrees and as far south as Maine[1] (in the U.S.) and England. The average adult size is around 50 mm (2 in), but it has been recorded at a diameter of 87 mm (3.4 in). The green sea urchin prefers to eat seaweeds but will eat other organisms. They are eaten by a variety of predators, including sea stars, crabs, large fish, mammals, birds, and humans. The species name "droebachiensis" is derived from the name of the town Drøbak in Norway.[2]
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis is found on rocky substratum in the intertidal and up to depths of 1,150 meters (3,770 ft). It uses its strong Aristotle's lantern to burrow into rock, and then can widen its home with the spines. Usually, this sea urchin can leave its hole to find food and then return, but sometimes it creates a hole that gets bigger as it gets deeper, so that the opening is too small for S. droebachiensis to get out. S. droebachiensis is a euryhaline species, and can survive in waters of low salinity. This allows it to flourish in southern Puget Sound. Acclimation and size are important factors as larger individuals have a lower surface area to volume ratio and can handle the increased osmotic tension.[3]
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis is in the shape of a slightly flattened globe (dorsoventrally). The oral side rests against the substratum and the aboral side (the side with the anus) is in the opposite direction. It has pentameric symmetry, which is visible in the five paired rows of podia (tube feet) that run from the anus to the mouth. The size is calculated as the diameter of the test (the body not including the spines). This is a relatively fast growing sea urchin, and its age is generally calculable based on its size: one year for every 10 mm.[4]
The spines of Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis are used for defense and locomotion and are not considered poisonous. The spines attach to small tubercles on the test where they are held in place by muscles creating a ball and socket joint. They are round, tapering to a point, with ridges around the outside in a fan-like design made of calcium carbonate. Usually, the longest spines are around the peripheral edge of the animal. If broken, the spines will regenerate, and if completely torn off, the tubercle will be reabsorbed to fit the slowly growing spine.
Tube feet are a structure that help Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis attach to the substratum for stabilization or locomotion, or to move loose food particles to the mouth. The tube feet are quite flexible and can extend beyond the length of the spikes to reach the substratum or attach onto particles floating in the water. They come out of five pairs of rows through the test structure.
The tube feet of S. droebachiensis are actually composed of two parts: the ampulla and the podium. The ampulla is a hollow bulbous structure that raises the tube foot above the skeletal plates that surround the lateral canal. The podia extend off the ampulla and contain the muscular suckered structure used for attachment. The movement of the tube foot depends on the hydraulic pressure of the water vascular system, and individual muscle action. When the ampulla contracts, it forces the liquid into the podia which elongates. Once the podia has attached itself to the substrate, the longitudinal muscles of the podia constrict forcing that liquid back into the ampulla causing the podia to shrink and pulling the body in that direction, or food closer to the mouth. Tube feet that have been pulled off as the sea urchin is thrown around by the sea will quickly regenerate.
Echinoderms of the classes Asteroidea (sea stars) and Echinoidea (sea urchins/sand dollars) have three small pincher-like jaws held up by a calcareous stalk, called pedicellariae, at the base of the spines on the body. These have the ability to respond to outside stimuli separately from the main nervous system. Historically thought of as parasites or larvae of the sea urchin, it is now commonly believed that the pedicellariae are actually part of the living creature. The muscles that control them are outside of the test, and therefore must get nutrients from a different source: they have possibly developed the ability to absorb nutrients directly from the surrounding water.
Pedicellariae are used by the sea urchin by keeping detritus from collecting on the body, or collecting kelp to use as a defense from the drying abilities of the sunlight. Their pinching jaws can even be used to defend against possible predators, and some are even poisonous on S. droebachiensis. If the spikes are lightly touched, they converge toward the pressure, but if they are strongly pushed, then they spread apart so that the pedicellariae can pinch the intruder. One of the four main types of pedicellariae on S. droebachiensis is actually poisonous and can be used for defense, or to paralyze small fish (although this species prefers algae, it will catch and eat fish for supplemental food).
Twenty curved plates, or ossicles, are fused together to form a rigid test or exoskeleton. They are made of calcium carbonate, and have two rows of holes for the tube feet to pass through. If the test is cracked or chunks are removed, calcium carbonate will slowly fill in the gaps left behind until a complete and rigid test is regained.
The water vascular system is a series of canals through which fluid moves to help propel the podia of the sea urchin. The fluid that fills the water vascular system is similar to marine water, but also has free wandering cells and organic compounds such as proteins and a high concentration of potassium ions when compared to the surrounding sea water. This liquid is moved through the system by cilia that line the inside of the canal and help keep the fluid moving in the desired direction.
The structure of the water vascular system contains several calcareous parts before moving to the podia. The first is called the madreporite. This is a skeletal plate, or sieve, opening to the water vascular system, located on the aboral surface. Just underneath the madreporite, is a cup-like depression called the ampulla. Next the stone canal carries the liquid into the central disc of the urchin. Finally, five lateral canals run along the inside of the test and converge at the aboral pole. Along this entire distance, tube feet emerge from the lateral canal through the test to outside the epidermis of the sea urchin.
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis eats by using a special appendage called an Aristotle’s lantern to scrape or tear their food into digestible bits. This structure is made of five calcareous, protractible teeth that are maneuvered by a complex muscular structure. The sea urchin crawls on top of its food and uses the Aristotle's lantern to tear up and masticate chunks of it. If food lands on the aboral surface or is caught by pedicellariae, then it is carried via podia to the mouth and devoured in the same manner.
The digestive system begins with the Aristotle’s lantern, where the food enters the body of the sea urchin. An esophagus extends from the mouth through the center of the Aristotle’s lantern, where it joins up with an intestine. The intestine is arranged in little bundles that adhere to the inside of the test in a counter-clockwise circuit around the Aristotle’s lantern. Once the intestine gets back to itself, it doubles over itself and reverses directions in a second clockwise direction. Digestive enzymes are produced by the intestinal walls and breakdown of food is almost completely extracellular. From the intestine, what is left of the food moves out of the intestine into the short rectum, and out the anus. S. droebachiensis gets its green color from the pigments of its plant food.
In the nervous system of sea urchins the spines, podia, and pedicellariae all act as sensors. A circular nerve ring encircles the esophagus, and radial nerves extend inside of the test parallel to the lateral canals of the water vascular system. Sensory neurons in the epidermis can detect touch, chemicals, and light, and are usually associated with pedicellariae or spines.
Sea urchins are dioecious, meaning they either contain male or female reproductive organs. They contain five gonads tucked under the test. These are located close to the anus and are protected by genital plates. One of these plates is perforated, and also acts as the madreporite. Sea urchins all release their eggs or sperm directly into the water column at the same time to ensure fertilization. It is not understood what causes S. droebachiensis to release their sperm or eggs, but it may have to do with temperature, because they usually reproduce in early spring.
Once fertilized, the gamete grows via mitosis and eventually becomes a larva capable of simple swimming called an echinoplutes. The metamorphosis from larva to a radially symmetrical adult is hugely complex, and only some of the more basic details are included here. The larva swims to the appropriate substratum where it attaches, usually with the “left and right” sides of the larva, becoming the “mouth and anus” sides.[5] The embryonic openings for the mouth and the anus disappear completely, and new openings are created in the proper position. The ring canal grows radial extensions becoming the lateral canals. At this point in development, the sea urchin settles down to a benthic life.
Snails of the families Melanellidae and Stiliferidae live on the surface of the test and adhere their own eggs to the base of the spines as protection.
S. droebachiensis feeds on algae, preferring species like Sargassum muticum and Mazzaella japonica over Saccharina latissima, Ulva, and Chondracanthus exasperatus.[6]
In coastal Nova Scotia, a disease known as paramoebiasis can cause mass mortality events in S. droebachiensis, and exert a major control on abundance.[7] Paramoebiasis is caused by a protist, Paramoeba invadens, which is a member of the taxon Amoebozoa.[8] Mass mortality events are strongly associated with water temperature (threshold ~12°C), but it is thought that storms may play a role in introducing the amoeba to susceptible populations.[9]
The green urchin is edible, and is known to have been eaten by the Native peoples of New Brunswick from archaeological remains.[10] It is harvested and eaten year round by the Inuit of the Belcher Islands.[11]
It is also harvested for export in, among other places, Newfoundland and Labrador, Iceland and Norway. In France, the urchin is often found as a part of the Plateau de fruits de mer.
It has been used in fine dining by chefs such as René Redzepi in raw and cured forms. [12]
The green urchin is fished using different techniques.
In Iceland, Breiðafjörður, it is trawled at from 8 to 30 meters depth. The fishery is regulated. [13]
In Norway, small quantities are fished by hand by freedivers and SCUBA-divers. The fishery is not regulated, and the green sea urchin is considered a pest in the Norwegian waters, eating up the kelp forest.[14] It is not common to find the green sea urchin south of Hitra, and the urchin population is moving northward as water temperatures increase.[15]
In Canada (Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia), fishing is by SCUBA-divers in a regulated fishery. [16]
In the USA, regulations vary depending on state. In Maine, it is both trawled and fished by SCUBA depending on the specific location. The peak season in Maine is September-March. The fishery is regulated. [17] In Washington State, it is fished by divers in a regulated fishery. [18]
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis is commonly known as the green sea urchin because of its characteristic green color. It is commonly found in northern waters all around the world including both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to a northerly latitude of 81 degrees and as far south as Maine (in the U.S.) and England. The average adult size is around 50 mm (2 in), but it has been recorded at a diameter of 87 mm (3.4 in). The green sea urchin prefers to eat seaweeds but will eat other organisms. They are eaten by a variety of predators, including sea stars, crabs, large fish, mammals, birds, and humans. The species name "droebachiensis" is derived from the name of the town Drøbak in Norway.
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis on Diadematoidea-lahkoon kuuluva pieni, vihreä merisiili, joka elää maapallon pohjoisilla merialueilla.[1]
S. droebachiensiksella on matala, kaareva ruumis, jonka läpimitta on enintään 8 senttimetriä. Se muistuttaa rantamerisiiltä (Psammechinus miliaris) mutta on sitä tukevampi. Ruumis on tavallisesti vihreänruskea ja sileä ja siinä on runsaasti samanpituisia pieniä kalkkipiikkejä. Suurimmat piikit muodostavat pystysuuntaisia jonoja, joiden lomassa voi olla suurilla yksilöillä myös hennompia piikkijonoja. Suuta ympäröivistä kalkkilevyistä piikit puuttuvat kokonaan. Piikit ovat vihertävät tai punertavat, harvemmin violetit, ja yleensä valkokärkiset. Piikkien lisäksi merisiilin pinnalla on kahdenlaisia pihtipiikkejä eli pedikellaarioita: suuria, pyöreäpäisiä sekä kolmileukaisia pihtipiikkejä.[1]
S. droebachiensista tavataan maapallon kaikilla pohjoisilla merialueilla. Pohjoisella jäämerellä se elää Itä-Siperian mereltä Länsimaan rannikolle ulottuvalla alueella. Atlantin valtamerellä levinneisyysalue kattaa Juutinrauman ja koko Pohjanmeren ja jatkuu Islannin ja Grönlannin kautta aina New Jerseyn rannikolle asti. Tyynellämerellä sitä esiintyy eteläisimmillään Vancouverin ja Korean korkeudella.[1]
S. droebachiensis elää yleensä rantavyöhykkeellä, mutta yksittäisiä havaintoja on tehty aina 1,2 kilometrin syvyydestä. Se kovertaa usein koloja kiviin.[1]
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis on Diadematoidea-lahkoon kuuluva pieni, vihreä merisiili, joka elää maapallon pohjoisilla merialueilla.
Oursin vert, Oursin commun
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, communément appelé Oursin vert ou Oursin commun, est une espèce d'oursins de la famille des Strongylocentrotidae.
C'est un oursin régulier presque hémisphérique de couleur vert pâle à vert foncé, souvent teinté de rouge sur la face orale (inférieure). Les aires ambulacraires forment souvent une étoile rose à cinq branches doubles sur la face aborale (supérieure), et de longs podia pourpres s'en élancent. Il mesure jusqu'à 10 cm de diamètre pour 4 cm de hauteur, avec des piquants (« radioles ») de 1 cm maximum[3].
Un oursin vert au Canada (en compagnie d'un oursin rouge géant).
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis tenu en main.
Face aborale d'un oursin vert.
Face orale.
Oursin vert sur le dos se redressant grâce à ses podia.
Cet oursin habite les océans froids de l'hémisphère nord : nord de l'Atlantique et du Pacifique, Océan Arctique, avec une bonne pénétration dans les fjords et autres golfes, comme le Golfe du Saint-Laurent. En France, il se rencontre à partir de la Bretagne[3].
Cet oursin se rencontre principalement entre la surface et 10 m de profondeur, sur fonds rocheux et généralement à proximité des herbiers d'algues (laminaires...), où il peut former des agrégations très denses. Il peut cependant se trouver sur d'autres types de fonds (graveleux, sableux) et jusqu'à 300 m de fond[3].
C'est un oursin assez commun et facilement observable, et qui se nourrit principalement d'algues (notamment des laminaires), qu'il racle de la roche au moyen de sa mâchoire pourvue de dents puissantes (appelée « lanterne d'Aristote »). Là où ses prédateurs (comme le homard) sont surpêchés, cet oursin peut être en surpopulation et entraîner un surpâturage des algues, mettant en péril l'équilibre de l'écosystème[3].
Les déjections d'oursins verts se présentent sous la forme de chapelets de petites perles grisâtres : dans les écosystèmes où ces animaux sont très abondants, ces déjections peuvent jouer un rôle primordial dans les cycles biologiques, à des échelles géographiques parfois beaucoup plus vastes que l'aire de répartition des oursins eux-mêmes[4].
Cet oursin compte parmi ses prédateurs les grands arthropodes comme le homard (Hommarus americanus), le crabe commun (Cancer irroratus), les astérides (Leptasterias polaris, Solaster endeca, Crossaster papposus). Il est aussi consommé plus occasionnellement par les poissons-loups (espèces du genre Anarhichas), l’anémone rouge du nord (Urticina felina) et certains oiseaux marins[3].
Ces oursins font partie des oursins dits « collecteurs » : ils ont pour habitude de se camoufler en portant des objets (coquilles, algues, roches, débris...) au-dessus d'eux au moyen de leurs podia et pédicellaires. L'utilité de ce comportement est encore relativement obscure : selon une étude de 2007[5], le stimulus principal pour ce comportement serait l'intensité des vagues, donc peut-être une manière de se protéger des éventuels chocs. La même étude montre que cette habitude décroît avec la taille de l'animal[5].
Comme tous les oursins vivant à proximité de la surface, l'oursin vert est souvent responsables de vives douleurs quand un baigneur marche dessus par inadvertance : ses épines ont tendance à se casser dans la plaie, ce qui les rend presque impossibles à enlever entièrement. Heureusement, il n'est pas venimeux, et ne présente pas de grand danger si la plaie est correctement désinfectée : le corps dissoudra les morceaux de calcite en quelques semaines.
L'oursin vert est comestible, et consommé notamment au Canada et au Japon[3]. Sa pêche est réglementée, et il peut également être élevé en cages.
La taxinomie des Strongylocentrotidae n'est pas encore très bien établie : des études génétiques récentes suggèrent que les espèces Allocentrotus fragilis, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, Strongylocentrotus intermedius, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, Strongylocentrotus pallidus et Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis feraient toutes partie d'un même clade monophylétique, redistribuant ainsi les cartes de ces espèces dans de nouveaux genres[6].
Oursin vert, Oursin commun
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, communément appelé Oursin vert ou Oursin commun, est une espèce d'oursins de la famille des Strongylocentrotidae.
Skollakoppur eða grænígull (fræðiheiti: Stronglylocentrotus droebachiensis) er yfirleitt grænn á litinn en hann getur líka verið brúnletur. Skollakoppur finnst allt í kringum Ísland og er algengastur á 5-30 metra dýpi en hefur alveg fundist á 1500 metra dýpi, þó það sé sjaldgæft. Hann finst í Norður Atlantshafi, í Norður íshafinu og Norður Kyrrhafi og mjög algengur í öllu Atlandshafi. Við réttar aðstæður þ.e. þegar nóg er af fæðuframboði, getur hann stækkað hratt. Meðalstærð hjá fullorðins ígulkers er 50 mm en stærsta sem fundist hefur var mælt 87 mm. Skollakoppur er algengasta tegund ígulkera sem finnst við strendur Íslands. hann hefur harða skel sem er öll út í broddum til að verja sig fyrir óvinum en broddarnir geta verið 1,5 cm á lengd. Hann getur hreyft broddana og neðri hluta sinn til gangs um botninn og til að afla sér fæðu. Hann étur með munni sem finnst undir honum, en endaþarmsopið er ofan á dýrinu og í kjafti hans eru fimm harðar tennur sem geta brotið harða fæðu eins og skeljar. Hann borðar allt sem að kjafti kemur og getur verið skæður skemmdarvargur í humar- og krabbagildrum. En helsta fæða hans er þó þari og ef mikið er af skollakopp étur hann upp þaraskóga svo þeir vaxa ekki aftur upp fyrr en öll Ígulkerin séu dauð eða farinn.
Flest skrápdýr eru með aðskild kyn og skollakoppur er engin undantekning. Skollakoppar stunda ytri frjóvgun en nokkur skrápdýr fjölga sér án þess að stunda æxlun og gera það með að skipta líkamanum. Þeir hafa fimm kynkirtla og eru þeir staðsettir nálægt endaþarmi. Karlinn dælir út kynfrumum og utan líkama konunar og þá á frjóvgun sér stað. Ef einn karl losar kynfrumur þá losar næsti skollakoppur líka kynfrumur og þetta leiðir til að þessa að flestir kynþroska skollakollar sem búa á sama svæði losa kynfrumur í sjóinn á sama tíma. Þegar eggin eru búinn að klekjast út í sjónum berast lirfurnar með straumum sjósins og í nokkur ár. Lifurnar lifa á allskonar örverum. Þegar lirfurnar eru tilbúnar að breytast í ígulker setjast þær á botninn. Frjóvgun ígulkera á sér stað á vorin en nákvæmlega tímasetning fer eftir hitastigi sjávar.
Gaddarnir á ígulkerum eru aðallega til þess að verjast afræningjum sem vilja borða þá. Ígulker er fæða allskonar krabba, stórra fiska, fugla og krossfiska en þó aðallega þegar þau eru enn ekki búinn að ná fullri stærð. Skollakoppar notar gaddana og sogfætur til að hreyfa sig eftir botninum. Gaddarnir eru ekki taldir eitraðir. Lengstu gaddarnir eru undir dýrinu en ef þeir brotna endurnýja þeir sig sjálfir en tekur lengri tíma að endunýja sig ef það brotnar algjörlega af. Á enda hvers gadda er lítil svipa sem hjálpar þeim að koma matnum upp í kjaftinn á sér. Svipurnar eru sveigjanlegar og teygja sig í agnir sem fljóta í sjónum.
Árið 1992 hófust fyrst veiðar á Ígulkerum við Ísland. Árið 1994 voru var náð hámarki í veiðum en veidd voru 1500 tonn og veiddust þau aðallega í Húnaflóa og Breiðafirði. Markaður fyrir ígulkerahrogn hrundi árið 1997 en hafa verið nánast engar síðan þá. Ástæðan fyrir að markaðurinn hafi hrunið er talin vera sú að þau eru mjög viðkvæm og vandmeðfarinn vara.
Skollakoppur eða grænígull (fræðiheiti: Stronglylocentrotus droebachiensis) er yfirleitt grænn á litinn en hann getur líka verið brúnletur. Skollakoppur finnst allt í kringum Ísland og er algengastur á 5-30 metra dýpi en hefur alveg fundist á 1500 metra dýpi, þó það sé sjaldgæft. Hann finst í Norður Atlantshafi, í Norður íshafinu og Norður Kyrrhafi og mjög algengur í öllu Atlandshafi. Við réttar aðstæður þ.e. þegar nóg er af fæðuframboði, getur hann stækkað hratt. Meðalstærð hjá fullorðins ígulkers er 50 mm en stærsta sem fundist hefur var mælt 87 mm. Skollakoppur er algengasta tegund ígulkera sem finnst við strendur Íslands. hann hefur harða skel sem er öll út í broddum til að verja sig fyrir óvinum en broddarnir geta verið 1,5 cm á lengd. Hann getur hreyft broddana og neðri hluta sinn til gangs um botninn og til að afla sér fæðu. Hann étur með munni sem finnst undir honum, en endaþarmsopið er ofan á dýrinu og í kjafti hans eru fimm harðar tennur sem geta brotið harða fæðu eins og skeljar. Hann borðar allt sem að kjafti kemur og getur verið skæður skemmdarvargur í humar- og krabbagildrum. En helsta fæða hans er þó þari og ef mikið er af skollakopp étur hann upp þaraskóga svo þeir vaxa ekki aftur upp fyrr en öll Ígulkerin séu dauð eða farinn.
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis is een zee-egel uit de familie Strongylocentrotidae.
De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort werd in 1776 gepubliceerd door Otto Frederik Müller.
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis is een zee-egel uit de familie Strongylocentrotidae.
De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort werd in 1776 gepubliceerd door Otto Frederik Müller.
Зелёный морской ёж[1], или обыкновенный морской ёж[2], или обыкновенный стронгилоцентротус[2], или зелёный стронгилоцентротус (лат. Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) — широко распространённый вид морских ежей, обитающий в северных и бореальных морях Атлантического и Тихого океанов. Название получил за зеленоватый оттенок в окраске тела, которая, впрочем, может варьировать от светлой белёсой до тёмно-фиолетовой и почти чёрной. Средний диаметр панциря взрослого ежа составляет 50 мм, размер особенно крупных особей достигает 90 мм. Зелёные морские ежи всеядны.
Зелёный морской ёж имеет шаровидное тело с уплощённой нижней оральной стороной, на которой располагается рот. Во рту находится сложно устроенный пищедобывательный аппарат — «аристотелев фонарь»[3]. На противоположной (аборальной) стороне открывается анальным отверстием задняя кишка. Скелетные пластинки, залегающие в коже, срастаются, образуя цельный панцирь. Поверхность панциря покрыта многочисленными подвижными иглами и педицелляриями.
Стронгилоцентротусы малоподвижны. Они медленно перемещаются по дну в поисках пищи. Передвижение осуществляется с помощью подвижных игл, работающих как ходули, и амбулакральных ножек, которые могут сильно вытягиваться. На конце каждой амбулакральной ножки имеется присоска, благодаря чему ежи способны передвигаться даже по вертикальным поверхностям.
Морские ежи раздельнополы, половой диморфизм отсутствует. Половые продукты развиваются в мешковидных гонадах, созревают к середине лета, а затем вымётываются в воду, где происходит наружное оплодотворение. Из зиготы развивается планктонная личинка — эхиноплутеус. Особые образования (длинные выросты — руки, скелет в виде известковых игл, ресничный шнур) способствуют парению и перемещению личинки в толще воды. Плутеус питается микропланктоном, растёт, со временем на его левой стороне появляется зачаток будущего морского ежа — так называемый зародышевый диск. Во время метаморфоза из зародышевого диска формируется тело морского ежа, а личиночные ткани дегенерируют. Молодой стронгилоцентротус опускается на дно и приступает к самостоятельной жизни.
Зелёный морской ёж, или обыкновенный морской ёж, или обыкновенный стронгилоцентротус, или зелёный стронгилоцентротус (лат. Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) — широко распространённый вид морских ежей, обитающий в северных и бореальных морях Атлантического и Тихого океанов. Название получил за зеленоватый оттенок в окраске тела, которая, впрочем, может варьировать от светлой белёсой до тёмно-фиолетовой и почти чёрной. Средний диаметр панциря взрослого ежа составляет 50 мм, размер особенно крупных особей достигает 90 мм. Зелёные морские ежи всеядны.
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