Biochemical content, energy composition and reproductive effort in the broadcasting sea star Asterias vulgaris over the spawning period

To assess sex differences in reproductive effort, we examined the biochemical composition and energetic content of the principal body components of the broadcast spawning sea star Asterias vulgaris in the Mingan Islands in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, eastern Canada. The body wall was the most stable body component, showing no variations in mass or in lipid and protein content (and total energetic content) between sexes or during spawning. Patterns in the gonads differed between sexes and with spawning. The lipid, protein and carbohydrate content of the ovary dropped during spawning, while only the protein content of the testis decreased significantly. Reproductive effort, expressed as loss of energy in the gonads during spawning for an individual weighing 10 g in underwater mass (8.2 cm in radius), was six times greater in females (49.5 kJ) than males (7.9 kJ). The energetic content of the pyloric caeca also decreased during spawning, by 17.7 kJ in females and 21.5 kJ in males, mainly due to a decrease in lipids. If this decrease is included as reproductive effort, it lessens the gender difference. The caecum decrease possibly represented expenditures due to formation of aggregations or the expulsion of gametes during spawning. Effectively, we observed aggregations during a massive spawning in this population. The sex ratio did not differ from 1:1 in all size classes sampled. This suggests that, unless males suffer higher mortality, females manage to allocate as much energy to somatic growth as males, possibly by feeding at higher rates to compensate for their higher reproductive effort. Stomach protein content tended to be higher in females than males and may indicate greater muscular development to facilitate digestion.