Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Encyclopedia
The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, lives along the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean extending from Ensenada, Mexico
to British Columbia
, Canada
. This sea urchin species is deep purple in color and lives in lower intertidal and nearshore subtidal communities. Along with sea otters and abalones, it is a prominent member of the spectacular kelp forest
community. It normally grows to a diameter of about 4 inches and it may live as long as 70 years.
The purple sea urchin plays many roles. Besides its ecological importance, it is also an important fishery along the west coast of the US and it is one of several biomedical research models in cell and developmental biology.
Because of its importance to biomedical research, the sea urchin genome was completely sequenced and annotated in 2006. The sea urchin genome is estimated to encode about 23,300 genes. Many of these genes were previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or were only known from groups outside the deuterostome
s. Thus the sea urchin genome provides a comparison to our own and those of other deuterostomes, the larger group to which both echinoderm
s and humans belong. Using the strictest measure, the purple sea urchin and humans share 7,700 genes. Many of these genes are involved in sensing the environment, a fact surprising for an animal lacking a head structure.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. This sea urchin species is deep purple in color and lives in lower intertidal and nearshore subtidal communities. Along with sea otters and abalones, it is a prominent member of the spectacular kelp forest
Kelp forest
Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds....
community. It normally grows to a diameter of about 4 inches and it may live as long as 70 years.
The purple sea urchin plays many roles. Besides its ecological importance, it is also an important fishery along the west coast of the US and it is one of several biomedical research models in cell and developmental biology.
Because of its importance to biomedical research, the sea urchin genome was completely sequenced and annotated in 2006. The sea urchin genome is estimated to encode about 23,300 genes. Many of these genes were previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or were only known from groups outside the deuterostome
Deuterostome
Deuterostomes are a superphylum of animals. They are a subtaxon of the Bilateria branch of the subregnum Eumetazoa, and are opposed to the protostomes...
s. Thus the sea urchin genome provides a comparison to our own and those of other deuterostomes, the larger group to which both echinoderm
Echinoderm
Echinoderms are a phylum of marine animals. Echinoderms are found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone....
s and humans belong. Using the strictest measure, the purple sea urchin and humans share 7,700 genes. Many of these genes are involved in sensing the environment, a fact surprising for an animal lacking a head structure.
External links