Feeding and Reproductive Phenotypic Traits of the Sea Urchin Tripneustes gratilla in Seagrass Beds Impacted by Eutrophication

The sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla is a major grazer and is, hence, an excellent key model organism to study gain better understanding of responses changes in its habitat. We investigated whether there are significant variations the feeding reproductive phenotypic traits populations from three seagrass bed sites, with respect their proximity fish farms Bolinao, northwestern Philippines. established stations each sites: far, intermediate, those near farms, compared urchins’ determined these were related productivity water parameters. Regardless sampling period, adult urchins (66.92 ± 0.27 mm test diameter, TD, n = 157) areas intermediate had significantly lower indices Aristotle’s lantern, gut contents, gonads, gonad quality (high percentage unusual black gonads), far stations. Multivariate analysis showed that smaller structures gut, consumption rates positively shoot density, leaf production species diversity, as well movement larger size lantern was not food limitations. More importantly, variability gonads same provides new evidence regarding sensitivity this environmental factors may affect quality.