Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 1994. The uptake of dissolved organic matter by the
larval stages of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci. Marine
Biology 120:55-63.

Abstract.

The life-history of the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci)
includes a planktotrophic larva that is capable of feeding on particulate
food.  It has been proposed, however, that particulate food (e.g.
microalgae) is scarce in tropical water columns relative to the
nutritional requirements of the larvae of A. planci, and that periodic
shortages of food play an important role in the biology of this species. 
It has been also proposed that non-particulate sources of nutrition (e.g.
dissolved organic matter, DOM) may fuel part of the nutritional
requirements of the larval development of A. planci as well.  The present
study addresses the ability of A. planci larvae to take up several DOM
species and compares rates of DOM uptake to the energy requirements of the
larvae.  Substrates transported in this study have been previously
reported to be transported by larval asteroids from temperate and
antarctic waters.  Transport rates (per larval A. planci) increased
steadily during larval development and some substrates had among the
highest mass-specific transport rates ever reported for invertebrate
larvae.  Transport rates for alanine increased from 15.5 pmol larva-1h-1
(13.2 pmol mg-1h-1) for gastrulas (Jinmax = 38.7 pmol larva-1h-1 or 47.4
pmol mg-1h-1 ) to 35.0 pmol larva-1h-1 (13.1 pmol mg-1h-1) for early
brachiolaria (Jinmax just prior to settlement = 350.0 pmol larva-1h-1 or
161.1 pmol mg-1h-1) at 1 mM substrate concentrations.  The instantaneous
metabolic demand for substrates by gastrula, bipinnaria and brachiolaria
stage larvae could be completely satisfied by alanine concentrations of 11
mM, 1.6 mM and 0.8 mM respectively.  Similar rates were measured in this
study for the essential amino acid leucine, with rates increasing from
11.0 pmol larva-1h-1 (or 9.4 pmol µg-1h-1) for gastrulas (Jinmax = 110.5
pmol larva-1h-1 or 94.4 pmol µg-1h-1) to 34.0 pmol larva-1h-1 (or 13.0
pmol mg-1h-1) for late brachiolaria (Jinmax = 288.9 pmol larva-1h-1 or
110.3 pmol µg-1h-1) at 1 mM substrate concentrations.  The essential amino
acid histidine was transported at lower rates (1.6 pmol µg-1h-1 at 1 mM
for late brachiolaria).  Calculation of the energy contribution of the
transported species revealed that larvae of A. planci can potentially
satisfy 0.6 %, 18.7%, 29.9% and 3.3% of their total energy requirements
(instantaneous energy demand plus energy added to larvae as biomass)
during embryonic and larval development from external concentrations of 1
mM of glucose, alanine, leucine and histidine respectively.  These data
demonstrate that a relatively minor component of the DOM pool in seawater
(DFAA) can potentially provide significant amounts of energy for the
growth and development of A. planci during larval development.