Egg size and its relationship with fecundity, newborn length and female size in Cuban poeciliid fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes)

León, José Luis Ponce de; Rodríguez, Rodet; Acosta, Martín; Uribe, Mari Carmen

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0633.2011.00489.x

Cited by 19 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The strong positive relationship between egg size and larval length is consistent with numerous studies across a range of freshwater genera (Marsh 1986;Miller et al 1988;Einum 2003;Ponce de Le on et al 2011) and confirms the ecological relevance of the oocyte differences reported by Jones et al (in press). Differences were greatest between the headwater species (G. eldoni and G. pullus) and the lower catchment species (G. anomalus) with mean interspecific differences in total length at hatch as large as 2.6 mm or 41%.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Differences in early life-history traits can also have unpredictable consequences for how species respond to anthropogenic pressures (e.g. Such substantial differences in maternal investment strategies are likely to have marked consequences for the early ontogeny (Bagenal 1969;Miller et al 1988;Ponce de Le on et al 2011). Thus, the lack of information regarding the morphology and behaviour of stream fish during the larval period represents a major knowledge gap in freshwater fish ecology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interspecific differences in early life‐history traits in a species complex of stream‐resident galaxiids

Jones

Closs

2014

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Fish differentially provision resources to eggs and larvae to optimise survival during the critical early life-history period. Resource allocation is limited by a trade-off between egg size and fecundity, and the optimal strategy varies with habitat type. This study examines the consequences of egg size differences for the early lifehistories of four closely related galaxiid species which occur in contrasting habitat types on the South Island, New Zealand. Headwater species had substantially larger water-hardened eggs, longer incubation times, and newly hatched larvae were on average up to 41% longer than lower catchment species. Significant interspecific differences in gape diameter, eye diameter and myomere depth were also observed. Swimming ability was positively associated with larval length at hatch. Interspecific differences in length and swimming ability were generally maintained throughout the larval period, despite larvae being reared under relatively benign conditions where many other studies suggest initial differences should disappear. These results demonstrate the consequences of differential maternal provisioning to the egg for larval traits. The larger larvae of headwater species are likely to be more resistant to starvation and have improved foraging ability compared to lower catchment species; traits which are likely to confer them survival advantages in the low productivity, food-scarce environments they occupy. The smaller larvae of lower catchment species are likely to be a consequence of females investing in fecundity in these relatively resource-rich streams.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interspecific differences in early life‐history traits in a species complex of stream‐resident galaxiids

Jones

Closs

2014

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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“…Cabrera et al (2008) found that the number of embryos increased with female's size. This pattern coincides with that proposed by other authors for several species within the family Poeciliidae (Downhower et al, 2000;Reznick et al 2007; Ponce de León et al, 2011León et al, , 2013Zuñiga-Vega et al, 2011). On the other hand, Vargas & Sostoa (1996) stated that the fecundity peak of the species G. holbrooki Girard, 1859 occurs in July when females are bigger.…”

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confidence: 90%

Embryonic development stages description in Gambusia puncticulata (Pisces: Poeciliidae) from Almendares River, Cuba

Cabrera-Páez

Aguilar-Betancourt

González-Sansón

et al. 2017

lajar

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ABSTRACT. This research's main goal is the description of the embryonic developmental stages of Gambusia puncticulata. It also provides an analysis of the embryonic mean developmental stage, and mean weight in relation to the mother's carcass weight. The fish were caught monthly from July 2006 to June 2007 throughout Almendares River, North of Havana, Cuba. The embryonic mean stage values (F4,600 = 14.79, P < 0.001), and mean weight values (F4,395 = 7.09, P < 0.001), increased with mother's size increment. This research describes, for the first time, seven embryonic developmental stages in G. puncticulata. The applied macroscopic classification of the embryos showed great consistency, due to the large number of examined specimens. The criteria used to define the stages are accurate, and allow to distinguish the stages easily, quickly and with high reliability. These criteria could be applied to other species of the Gambusia genus.

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“…It needs to be noted, however, that egg size may also play a role since individuals with the same GSI but different egg sizes can produce different numbers of offspring. Such relationships between fecundity, egg size and juvenile performance are well known in many fish species [66], however, there is no clear association between egg size and maximum body length of newborn gobiids [67]. Males had a similar reproductive power along the invasion pathway (constant by time), while fecundity of females increased over time since invasion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bigger Is Better: Characteristics of Round Gobies Forming an Invasion Front in the Danube River

et al. 2013

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Few studies have systematically investigated differences in performance, morphology and parasitic load of invaders at different stages of an invasion. This study analyzed phenotype-environment correlations in a fish invasion from initial absence until establishment in the headwater reach of the second largest European river, the Danube. Here, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) formed 73% of the fish abundance and 58% of the fish biomass in rip-rap bank habitats after establishment. The time from invasion until establishment was only about two years, indicating rapid expansion. Founder populations from the invasion front were different from longer established round goby populations in demography, morphology, feeding behaviour, sex ratio and parasitic load, indicating that plasticity in these traits determines invasion success. Competitive ability was mostly dependent on growth/size-related traits rather than on fecundity. As revealed by stable isotope analyses, specimens at the invasion front had a higher trophic position in the food web and seem to benefit from lower food competition. Somatic performance seems to be more important than investment in reproduction during the early stages of the invasion process and upstream-directed range expansion is not caused by out-migrating weak or juvenile individuals that were forced to leave high density areas due to high competition. This mechanism might be true for downstream introductions via drift. Greater abundance and densities of acanthocephalan endoparasites were observed at the invasion front, which contradicts the expectation that invasion success is determined by lower parasitic pressure in newly invaded areas. Overall, the pronounced changes in fish and invertebrate communities with a dominance of alien species suggest invasional meltdown and a shift of the upper Danube River towards a novel ecosystem with species that have greater resistance to goby predation. This seems to contribute to overcoming biological resistance and improve rapidity of dispersal.

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Egg size and its relationship with fecundity, newborn length and female size in Cuban poeciliid fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes)

Cited by 19 publications

References 41 publications

Interspecific differences in early life‐history traits in a species complex of stream‐resident galaxiids

Interspecific differences in early life‐history traits in a species complex of stream‐resident galaxiids

Embryonic development stages description in Gambusia puncticulata (Pisces: Poeciliidae) from Almendares River, Cuba

Bigger Is Better: Characteristics of Round Gobies Forming an Invasion Front in the Danube River

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