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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
Published on: February 16, 2017
Prior residence and body size influence interactions between black sea urchins
Vanessa Rimoli Morishita1, Francisco Sekiguchi de Carvalho Buchmann, Ronaldo Adriano Christofoletti
1Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista, UNESP, Unidade São Vicente, Pça. Infante D. Henrique s/n, São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract:
Body size and prior residence can modulate agonistic interaction in several animal species, but scientists know little about these relationships in echinoderms. In this study, we tested the effects of these traits on interactions in the black sea urchin (Echinometra lucunter). After a sea urchin was isolated for 24-h in a glass tank to establish prior residence, we introduced an intruder animal adjacent to the resident in the tank and observed interactions for 30 min. The intruder animal was larger, smaller, or size-matched to the resident. We found body size and prior residence concomitantly modulated interactions among black sea urchins, with prior residence as the major determinant. Black sea urchins mainly exhibited opponent inspection and fleeing responses during interaction to avoid fights, especially when a fight could be seriously disadvantageous (small intruder vs. large resident).
