Effect of Several Seaweeds on Gut Regeneration of the Sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus

Abstract

In the present study we examined the importance of Seaweed in alteration of Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) body parts. Sea cucumber of Size 29.0±11.0gm and 10.0±3.0cm were fed powder of 14 different Seaweed species in 14days after 7days of recovery from evisceration which was induced by injecting 0.7M of KCl which is 4% of their body weight. After total 21days of culturing, body weight, body length, gut weight growth rate and gut length growth rate were evaluated in each group. The results showed that Laminaria japonica, Ulva pertusa, Lomentaria catenata and Gelidium amansii have higher effect in weight gain ranged between 33±4.2gm and 25.75±2.05gm while Sargassum honoreri and Enteromorpha linza showed the least weight gain of 20.3±3.76gm and 11.0±0.0gm respectively. Laminaria japonica, Lomentaria catenata, Ulva pertusa and Scytosiphon lomentaria showed increased body length effect ranged between 14.1±1.3cm and 11.0±0.5cm while Carpopeltis comea, Hypnea pannosa and Sargassum hemiphyllum showed the least effects ranged between 9.4±0.85 and 9.0±1.0cm. The gut weight to body weight ratio was significantly higher in Ecklonia cava, Undaria pinnatifida and Gelidium amansii, which ranged between 0.1085±0.01mg/gm and 0.0512±0.01mg/gm while significantly lower ratio was observed in Ulva pertusa, Hypnea pannosa and Lomentaria catenata which ranged between 0.0165±0.004mg/gm and 0.0121±0.0034mg/gm. In the contrary, gut length to body length ratio was significantly higher in Undaria pinnatifida, Sargassum thunbergii and Ulva pertusa, which ranged between 1.0513±0.16mm/cm and 1.022±0.265mm/cm but Ecklonia cava, Sargassum hemiphyllum, Chondrus ocellatus and Gelidium amansii showed little effects ranged between 0.9005±0.16mm/cm and 0.813±0.05mm/cm. Scytosiphon lomentaria, Laminaria japonica, Sargassum honoreri, Carpopeltis comea, Lomentaria catenata, Ecklonia cava and Hypnea pannosa showed least effects ranged between 0.5859±0.04 and 0.3651±0.03mm/cm. These suggest that Seaweeds can play important role in improving the quality and quantity of Sea cucumber body parts including guts which can be utilized as nutritional source.