SUBJECT: Sea urchin fertilization labs/ sources of urchins
DATE: 10/95
>Has anyone found a supplier of ripe sea urchins during both fall and
>spring semesters that would permit doing a sea urchin fertilization/early
>development lab year 'round? I'm putting one together but need to be
able
>to do it both semesters or neither. I've heard that some suppliers --
>either by virtue of their subtropical location (Rudloe in Florida?)
or
>by virtue of maintaining brood stocks -- do this. Thanks! Chuck
>
>
>| Charles Galt, Professor Tel: 310-985-4808 |
>| Department of Biological Sciences Fax: 310-985-8878 |
>| California State University Internet: galt@csulb.edu |
>| 1250 Bellflower Boulevard Finger: galt@vanilla.csulb.edu |
>| Long Beach, CA 90840-3702, USA |
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pacific Bio-Marine Laboratories, Inc.
p.O. Box 1348
Venice, CA 90294-1348
(310)-677-1056
fax (310)-677-1027
We have used this company for a number of years. They sometimes send sand
dollars instead of urchins, but we have always had good luck. They also
seem to be very good about sending replacements. --cmw
From: cwaggon@bgnet.bgsu.edu (Waggoner, Charlene)
GULF SPECIMEN CORP. in Florida sells two different species of urchins,
and between the two they manage to have fertile urchuns about 9 months
out of the year. I've had excellent luck with urchins from them.
GULF SPECIMEN CORP
904-984-5297
Price:
$48/dozen, PLUS $56 FED EX SHIPPING PER ORDER!
-Bob Moss
Wofford College
MOSSRE@WOFFORD.EDU
To Chris Mahaffey Minor:
I'm no expert in urchins, but have been using them for fertilizations
for years. My understanding is that once they've shed, they cannot again
for at least weeks.
Did you follow the instructions to introduce them to the tank? You need
to float the bag in the tank for 20' to equilize temp; then poke small
hole and leave it for another 20' to allow the differences in ion concentrations
to equilibrate slowly. Shocking them may induce shedding.
Hope that helps; I'm sure there are others on the 'net who can be of much
more help!
-Bob Moss
Wofford College
MOSSRE@WOFFORD.EDU
Hello Chris -
We here at UNC at Chapel Hill used Lytechinus Variegatus urchins in our
development lab too. When they shed gametes (which was usually after I
placed them into holding tanks) they were great to study but the timing
was terrible. We couldn't get any more gametes for weeks even months out
of them. One reason why we don't run this lab anymore is because of the
risk of all the urchins shedding their gametes and then none are left for
the students. Size of the tank and temperature and salinity of the water
are big factors that play a role in whether they shed or not. Also, I
had the vendor ship the urchins in oxygenated water (he filled the bags
with oxygen after placing them in the bags - two per bag). That seemed
to cut down on shedding of gametes.
Good luck!
Barbara
***********************************
Barbara D. Stegenga
208A Coker Hall
Biology Department
UNC-Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Davidsoh.Coker@mhs.unc.edu
(919)966-3180
FAX:(919)962-1625
***********************************
I have no problem with urchins shedding in the tank; perhaps 10% will.
The majority shed only when injected with 1 ml of 0.5M KCl. If it makes
a difference, we use "Instant Ocean", we check the density daily
with a
float, and we have a 40 gallon tank, for up to 36 urchins.
-Bob Moss
Wofford College
MOSSRE@WOFFORD.EDU
PS: Again, we get our urchins from GULF SPECIMEN CORP, in Florida. I
run the lab in early October, June, and early March with no problems.
Sea urchins can be best transported from their tidepool to the lab while
kept "dry" in an ice chest. They must, of course, be kept isolated
from the
actual ice itself (I use a *heavy* sheet of plastic over a layer of crushed
ice). Urchins will keep this way in the lab for several days without the
need for holding tanks which often triggers premature spawning.
Gary Meeker
Dept. of Biological Sciences
California State University
Sacramento, CA 95819-6077
gmeeker@csus.edu
The recent discussions about sea urchin development raise the
basic questions everyone has to deal with in planning a lab. I
tried to deal with most of those questions in my October 1987
Labs column for The American BIOLOGY TEACHER, pages 446 to 450.
The only addition I would make is about Eucidaris tribuloides,
the urchin Carolina Biological usually supplies. The
fertilization envelope (membrane) in this urchin is almost
impossible to see. Consequently, it isn't very useful for
teaching development. As I recall, this is also true with the
southern form of Arbacia.
The problem of gamete release during transfer to the aquarium can
be solved by placing urchins that do this in a separate container
of sea water as soon as gametes are seen. This isolates the
animal, so it does not cause other sea urchins to spawn. If
water is gradually added to the shipping bag of urchins with a
piece of air line tubing - siphoning aquarium water into the bag
until the volume is tripled - the gradual change may prevent
gamete release.
When the Conway's and I did the first ABLE sea urchin workshop in
1981, I made arrangements to get Lytechinus variegatus from Laura
Causey in Big Pine Key in Florida. When she left her business to
become a teacher she referred the University of Calgary to Henry
Feddern. I spoke with Henry this morning, to see if he was
interested in shipping to others. He can supply Lytechinus
variegatus for $2 each. His address is 156 Dove Avenue,
Taverier, Florida 33070. Phone (305) 852-5459, Fax (305)
852-4335. Dale Cooper at the U. of Calgary discovered that sea
urchins enjoy carrots more than the artificial food we used to
make. I could say much more, but it's probably best to refer
people to the ABT column and volume 3, pages 53 to 89 of the
ABLE proceedings.
Don Igelsrud
p.s. Charlene Waggoner's comment about PBM sometimes sending sand
dollars is interesting. Bob Allen's film loop of echinoderm
development used the sand dollar.
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