Seasonal and geographic variations of the sterols from the starfish Asterias vulgaris (Verrill).
The levels of the major sterols of the starfish Asterias vulgaris collected at one location in Nova Scotia varied considerably from month to month. After spawning in June the levels of the sterols in the starfish were very low, but a rapid assimilation of dietary sterols allowed the total sterol level to increase approximately two-hundred-fold to the annual maximum in July. The levels of a few minor sterols were unaffected by the spawning process, and during this period they emerged as the major components of the sterol mixture. The sterol mixtures from samples collected at different locations were compared.
D000818:Animals; D009674:Nova Scotia; D012098:Reproduction; D012621:Seasons; D013215:Starfish / Q000378:metabolism*; D013261:Sterols / Q000378:metabolism*
D013261:Sterols