Aquac Nutr 2026 Jul 27;2026:6467396. doi: 10.1155/anu/6467396.

Excess Food Availability Can Have Detrimental Effects on Planktotrophic Larvae: Evaluation of the Quantitative Feeding on Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus Larval Rearing.

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Larval rearing in echinoculture still has room for optimization in order to reach economical soundness and commercial-scale production. One of the key factors in larval feeding is to provide larvae the necessary energy for metamorphosis into juveniles. Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) is a meroplanktonic species with a planktotrophic larval stage, relying entirely on phytoplankton as a food source due to its limited maternal yolk reserves. While the importance of optimal microalgal diets in maximizing larval yields is well established, there is a lack of comprehensive studies on the ideal feed ratio for P. lividus larval rearing. The present study aimed to fill this knowledge gap in this Atlanto-Mediterranean sea urchin, assessing the effects of different food ratios on its planktonic development, to shed light on the existence of optimal food quantity to adopt. We tested three different concentrations (low, medium, and high ratios) of a mixed microalgal diet (Isochrysis galbana, Chaetoceros calcitrans, and Rhodomonas lens) which were doubled on each transition to the subsequent larval development stage. The results showed that the food quantity significantly affected the survival rate, development, lifespan, and metamorphosis success of pluteus, indicating the range from 1500 to 12000 cells·mL-1 as optimal, with lower yields occurring both at higher and lower feeding ratios.

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