Growth and reproduction of the mosquitofish,Gambusia affinis, in relation to temperature and ration level: consequences for life history

Vondracek, Bruce; Wurtsbaugh, Wayne A.; Cech, Joseph J.

doi:10.1007/bf02984442

Cited by 80 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Females had a pattern of indeterminate growth with seasonal variation [13]: growth slows during the 'cold months' until the mid-winter and then recover with relatively high rates until the end of the second summer. The growth of adult males did not follow this pattern, because it is associated with the onset of maturation, growth cessation or slow growth, after the gonopodium has been completely formed [26,36]. The estimated growth rates, taking into consideration seasonal variations by using the model proposed by Gaschütz et al [20], were about one order of magnitude smaller than the values described for the Canal Vell [35] and Zoñar lagoons [15].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Since there is genetically-based size polymorphism in Gambusia, the growth process is different for each sex. Female mosquitofish have indeterminant growth and may attain a size greater than 60 mm TL (approximately 50 mm SL), representing, therefore, a continuous range of growth from the first immature stages, whereas males tended to stop growing upon reaching maturity, approximately with 25 mm TL (20.2 mm SL) [36]. Therefore, we considered separately immature and females combined (with continuous growth) and males because population structure analysis becomes difficult if males are considered together with the remainder of the population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This procedure permitted conversion of the maximum possible mosquitofish TL (males and females), described by Vondracek et al [36] for G. affınis (a very similar species), into SL. The following regression equation for TL-SL conversion was determined: SL = -0.02 + 0.81TL (r 2 = 0.98, P < 0.001).…”

Section: Laboratory Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, we used this method only for immature and females (figure 8), the fraction of the population with a continuous growth. The model parameters for this group were estimated as follows: L ∞ = 48.5 mm (SL), converted from the maximum TL value described by Vondracek et al [36], larger than the maximum value we observed (some females with 44 mm SL); t 0 = -0.395; t s = -0.123; k = 0.675; C = 1.061; and D = 1, since Gambusia holbrooki, as a cyprinodont, has an O 2 -consumption proportional to Von Bertalanffy's '2/3 rule of metabolism' [20].…”

Section: Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life history, population dynamics and production of eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki (Pisces, Poeciliidae), in rice fields of the lower Mondego River Valley, western Portugal

Cabral

Marques

1999

Acta Oecologica

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-The introduced population of Gambusia holbrooki from the rice fields of the lower Mondego River Valley, Portugal, was studied for 15 months, relating their life cycle and population dynamics with its production, in order to assess the role of the species in the energy flow and secondary production in this type of agro-ecosystem. Two main annual cohorts (1995 and 1996 cohorts) were identified. The females outnumbered males and the average female/male-ratio was 4.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Laboratory Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Life history, population dynamics and production of eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki (Pisces, Poeciliidae), in rice fields of the lower Mondego River Valley, western Portugal

Cabral

Marques

1999

Acta Oecologica

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“…One important abiotic feature is temperature, which was distinctly lower in CNP (16.9 to 25.1˚ C vs. 23 to 29˚ C in the central Mexico lake) and could have contributed to decreased growth rates (Wurtsbaugh & Cech, 1983;Vondracek et al, 1988). While water temperatures probably are higher in CNP streams during the dry season (during which no measurements were made), the high elevation and heavily-forested riparian corridors likely prevent temperatures as high as those reported by Gómez-Márquez et al (1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive life history of Heterandria bimaculata (Heckel, 1848) (Poeciliinae: Poeciliidae) in the Honduran interior highlands: trait variation along an elevational gradient

2016

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This study examined reproductive traits and growth rates of Heterandria bimaculata (Poeciliidae) in Cusuco National Park (CNP), a cloud forest reserve in northern Honduras, Central America. In CNP, H. bimaculata occurs in the absence of other fish species and major invertebrate predators along an approximately 1000 m elevation gradient. This allowed for the examination of trait variation along the gradient without the confounding effects of interspecific interactions or habitat patchiness. Heterandria bimaculata exhibited traits characteristic of a low-predation environment: balanced sex ratio, slow growth, late maturity and large female size. Females produced more, smaller eggs from upstream to downstream, but overall reproductive allocation remained constant along the gradient. Maximum male length and annual growth rates increased from upstream to downstream, but female growth showed no trend. The patterns of growth and reproductive allocation tradeoff are consistent with predicted response to a longitudinally-increasing productivity gradient in which food resources become more abundant downstream. Macrobrachium and Bellastoma could have caused some predation, but were sparse and patchily distributed. Fish density remained fairly constant among elevations; if food resources were limiting in upstream habitats, per-capita resource availability would be lower and density-dependent competition would drive selection for larger but fewer, more competitive offspring. Future work should quantify longitudinal changes in productivity and conduct experiments to decouple the effects of stream order and fish density dependence.Este estudo analisou características reprodutivas e taxas de crescimento de Heterandria bimaculata (Poeciliidae) no Parque Nacional de Cusuco (CNP), uma reserva florestal nubosa no norte de Honduras, América Central. No CNP, H. bimaculata ocorre na ausência de outras espécies de peixes e grandes predadores invertebrados, ao longo de um gradiente de aproximadamente 1.000 m de altitude. Isto permitiu a análise de variação das características ao longo do gradiente sem a interferência dos efeitos de interações interespecíficas ou desconexão de hábitat. Heterandria bimaculata exibiu traços característicos de um ambiente de baixa predação: proporção sexual equilibrada, de crescimento lento, maturidade tardia e fêmeas de grande porte. As fêmeas produzem mais ovos menores de montante para jusante, mas a alocação reprodutiva global manteve-se constante ao longo do gradiente. O comprimento máximo dos machos e as taxas de crescimento anual aumentaram da montante para jusante, mas o crescimento as fêmeas não mostrou nenhuma tendência. Os padrões de crescimento e alteração de alocação reprodutiva são consistentes com a resposta prevista para um gradiente de produtividade que aumenta longitudinalmente, no qual os recursos alimentares se tornam mais abundantes a jusante. Macrobrachium e Bellastoma poderiam ter causado alguma predação, mas foram escassos e pouco distribuídos. A densidade de peixes manteve-se relativ...

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Reproduction, growth and diet of Gambusia holbrooki (Girard) in a temperate Australian river

Pen

Potter

1991

Aquatic Conservation

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ABSTRACT1 . The biology of Gambusia holbrooki in the Collie River in southwestern Australia is described using data obtained from seine samples collected at 4-6 weekly intervals over two years.2. Females which had overwintered in the river bred between October and February (springbreeding group) and then died. Some of the large representatives of the resultant cohort of males and females bred between January and March (summer-breeding group) and then also died. The offspring of these larger individuals and the smaller fish did not start breeding until the following spring, when they constituted the spring-breeding group of the following breeding season. Breeding occurred when temperatures were above 15-16OC and day length exceeded 750-780 min. The increase in the mean length of the spring group of pregnant females from 33 mm in October to 52 mm in January was accompanied by a rise in mean fecundity from 33 to 131.3. In the Collie River, G. holbrooki is a generalist carnivore, feeding at the water surface and throughout the water column. Gut contents of a wide size range of G. holbrooki from each season contained neither the eggs, larvae, juveniles nor adults of any of the three indigenous fish species found in the system. Moreover, there was no evidence that G. holbrooki exhibited agonistic behaviour, such as fin clipping, towards these native fish.4. Coexistence of the three indigenous species with G. holbrooki, and thereby their conservation, is facilitated by the outcome of different spawning times and localities. Thus, the early life-history stages of the indigenous species, which are most susceptible to predation, are typically produced in tributary creeks or flood waters betweeflate winter and late spring, some time before the breeding of G. holbrooki results in a population explosion of this exotic species in the main channel of the river during summer.

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Growth and reproduction of the mosquitofish,Gambusia affinis, in relation to temperature and ration level: consequences for life history

Cited by 80 publications

References 36 publications

Life history, population dynamics and production of eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki (Pisces, Poeciliidae), in rice fields of the lower Mondego River Valley, western Portugal

Life history, population dynamics and production of eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki (Pisces, Poeciliidae), in rice fields of the lower Mondego River Valley, western Portugal

Reproductive life history of Heterandria bimaculata (Heckel, 1848) (Poeciliinae: Poeciliidae) in the Honduran interior highlands: trait variation along an elevational gradient

Reproduction, growth and diet of Gambusia holbrooki (Girard) in a temperate Australian river

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