ABSTRACT
The effect of food ration on growth and development of larvae of the seastar Luidia foliolata was examined in the laboratory. Different food rations led to different larval shapes. Larvae at the high food ration (10000 cells/ml) had arms with pointed ends and those at the low food ration (1000 cells/ml) had arms with rounded ends. Advanced bipinnaria at the low food ration were larger and had longer larval arms than those at the high food ration. Juveniles started appearing 85 days after fertilization at the high food ration and 167 days after fertilization for those at the low food ration. The diameters of juveniles produced did not differ significantly between food rations. The changes in shape associated with the low food ration should lead to greater clearance rates which would enhance growth rate of larvae, although still at a slower rate than for those at the high food ration. Developmental plasticity that allows changes in form in response to different food concentrations or food quality may be a mechanism of acclimation to different food supplies.
