Yu Y et al. (2023), The feces of sea urchins as food improves survi...

ECB-ART-51504

Sci Rep 2023 Apr 01;131:5361. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-32226-y.

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The feces of sea urchins as food improves survival, growth, and resistance of small sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus in summer.

Yu Y , Ding P , Qiao Y , Liu Y , Wang X , Zhang T , Ding J , Chang Y , Zhao C .

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Mass mortality and low growth highly decrease the production efficiency and sustainable aquaculture development of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in summer. Sea urchin feces was proposed to address the summer problems. A laboratory study was conducted for ~ 5 weeks to investigate survival, food consumption, growth and resistance ability of A. japonicus cultured with the feces of sea urchins fed kelp (KF feces, group KF), the feces of sea urchins fed prepared feed (FF feces, group FF), and the prepared sea cucumber feed (group S) at high temperature (25 °C). The sea cucumbers of group KF had better survival (100%) than those of the group FF (~ 84%), higher CTmax (35.9 °C) than those of the group S (34.5 °C), and the lowest skin ulceration proportion (0%) when they were exposed to an infectious solution among the three groups. These results suggest that the feces of sea urchins fed kelp is a promising diet for improving the survival and enhancing the resistance in A. japonicus aquaculture in summer. Sea cucumbers fed significantly less FF feces after 24 h of ageing than the fresh FF feces, suggesting this kind of feces became unsuitable for A. japonicus in a short time (within 48 h). However, the 24 h of ageing at 25 °C for the high fiber feces of sea urchins fed kelp had no significant effects on the fecal consumption of sea cucumbers. In the present study, both fecal diets provide better individual growth to sea cucumbers than the prepared feed. Yet, the feces of sea urchins fed kelp provided the highest weight gain rate (WGR) to sea cucumbers. Therefore, the feces of sea urchins fed kelp is a promising food to reduce the mortality, to address the problems of summer, and to achieve higher efficiency in A. japonicus aquaculture in summer.

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Goff, Plant volatile compounds: sensory cues for health and nutritional value? 2006, Pubmed

	Figure 1. Survival rate of the three group after 5-weeks culture (mean ± SD, N = 8). The asterisk *** means P < 0.001.
	Figure 2. Food consumption of Apostichopus japonicus fed fresh food and food aged for 24 h for the three groups (mean ± SD, N = 8). KF, FF, S refer to group KF (consume the feces of sea urchins fed kelp), group FF (consume the feces of sea urchins fed prepared feed) and group S (consume the sea cucumber feed). The asterisk ***means P < 0.001.
	Figure 3. Individual growth rates of Apostichopus japonicus in the three groups (mean ± SD, N = 8, left). Weight gain rate (WGR) of Apostichopus japonicus in the three groups (mean ± SD, N = 8, right). KF, FF, S refer to group KF, group FF and group S. The asterisks and * mean P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively.
	Figure 4. Skin ulceration proportion of Apostichopus japonicus covered with ulcers after the exposure to infectious solution in the three groups (mean ± SD, N = 20, left). CTmax of A. japonicus in the three groups (mean ± SD, N = 12, right). KF, FF, S refer to group KF, group FF and group S. The asterisk ** means P < 0.01.
	Figure 5. The conceptual diagrams showing the containers for culture (A), feeding consumption experiment (B), disease challenge assay (C), and thermal tolerance (D). KF, FF, S refer to KF feces (the feces of sea urchins consumed kelp), FF feces (the feces of sea urchins consumed feed) and the sea cucumber feed (commercial feed mix with sea mud = 1: 6), respectively.