The effect of suspended sediment on fertilization success in the urchin Evechinus chloroticus: Analysis of experimental data using hierarchical Bayesian methods

•Suspended sediment significantly reduced fertilization success in an urchin.•A method for determining the effect of sediment on urchin fertilization was devised.•The effect of sediment on urchin fertilization success was shown for the first time.•The advantages of hierarchical Bayesian analysis for sparse data were demonstrated.

Terrestrial sediments are a significant stressor on coastal ecosystems, with both suspended and deposited sediment having adverse effects on aquatic organisms. However, information on the effect of suspended sediments on fertilization success for urchin species is lacking. Using sediment levels similar to those encountered in situ, a controlled experiment was conducted to test whether suspended sediment affects fertilization success in the urchin Evechinus chloroticus. Analyses used generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) and hierarchical Bayesian (HB) regression. Both approaches showed a significant decrease in fertilization success with increased suspended sediment levels. Uncertainties in estimates were narrower for HB models, suggesting that this approach has advantages over GLMMs for sparse data problems sometimes encountered in laboratory experiments. Given future global change scenarios, this work is important for predicting the effects of stressors such as sedimentation that may ultimately impact marine populations.