The Effect of Starvation on the Lipid and Carbohydrate Levels of the Gut of the Tropical Sea Urchin Echinometra mathaei (de Blainville)

Abstract

The utilization during starvation of the nutrient reserves in the gut of a temperate water sea urchin , Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, was measured by Lawrence et al. (1966) . There have been no investigations of the utilization of reserves in the gut of tropical urchins, although the level of reserves in the gut of several tropical species has been reported (Giese et al., 1964; Lawrence, 1967). The results presented in this paper concern the levels of total lipid, neutral lipid, and carbohydrate, and the changes that occur with starvation in the gut of the tropical sea urchin Echinometra mathaei (de Blainville).