Tácticas reproductivas para optimizan la supervivencia de la descendencia de Cichlasoma orientale (Perciformes: Cichlidae)

Abstract

High mortality rates have been observed in Teleost during early developmental stages, as well as great variations in reproductive tactics, which are related to adaptations towards environmental conditions and ecological niches for which different species have a specific response. The objective of this study was to describe reproductive tactics related to the survival of Cichlasoma orientale offspring, including aspects of body size, parental care, fecundity, oocyte size and spawning patterns. Samples were performed monthly from August 2011 to July 2013, in lentic and lotic environments at Curu river basin, Brazilian Northeastern semiarid region. Individual behavior (n=113) was observed underwater for over 50 hours by ad libitum sampling and focal-animal sampling. Collected individuals (males n=185, females n=95) were evaluated regarding the standard length, batch fecundity, oocyte size and spawning pattern. In females with mature ovaries, oocyte groups at different developmental stages were observed, these cells were counted and measured, and fecundity was estimated by the gravimetric method. Our results showed that the species displayed biparental care behavior and, on average, males were larger than females. Based on 46 ovaries, the average batch fecundity was 2 052±849 (range: 254-3 389). Standard length and batch fecundity were positively correlated, but no correlation was found between oocyte size and standard length. The maximum diameter observed in the most developed oocytes was 1.8mm. The observed distribution of oocyte size classes indicated synchronous oocyte development in three groups: previtellogenic, vitellogenic and mature, showing that C. orientale is a multiple spawner. Differences in the amount of oocytes among the three groups were observed, with the most developed group showing the smallest number of oocytes. The combination of low fecundity and large egg size is characteristic of demersal spawners due to a greater environmental stability. Multiple spawning increases chances of survival mainly because of increased fecundity per reproductive season, and the reduced competition among the offspring. We concluded that C. orientale makes a heavy investment in larval survival in detriment of the offspring number. Survival is favored by the large size of oocytes, large yolk reserve, biparental care and multiple spawning pattern. Rev Teleosts make large investments in reproduction (Duarte, & Alcaraz, 1989) due to high mortality rates in early stages of life (McGurk, 1986). Offspring survival is safeguarded thanks to a range of reproductive tactics involving fecundity, egg size, spawning patterns and parental care, depending on environmental conditions and ecological niche (Winemiller, 1989;Murua, & Saborido-Rey, 2003).Fecundity plays an important role in recruitment (Rickman, Dulvy, Jennings & Reynolds, 2000) and is regulated by environmental conditions, food availability, predation and genetic factors (Kjesbu, Hunter, Witthames, 2003;Ganias, 2013). Teleosts fecundity may be determinate o...

Physiological adjustments to high foraging effort negatively affect fecundity but not final reproductive output in captive zebra finches

“…However, contrary to findings from the present study, Briga (2016) found that high workload during reproduction reduced brood sizes, fledgling numbers and post fledging survival. The disparity in findings could be explained by individual parents optimizing reproductive investment by investing fewer resources in egg production and more resources for chick rearing (Linhares et al, 2014;Schwarzkopf and Andrews, 2012;Williams, 2012). However, we did have some evidence that offspring produced by HF parents in the second breeding attempt were of lower quality, as indicated by the higher oxidative stress observed when they were 90 days old, although other indicators of quality including multiple morphological traits and haematology were not significantly different between offspring of HF parents and control parents.…”

Has a non‐native cichlid of the genus Amatitlania (Actinopterygii, Cichlidae) adapted to the headwaters in Brazilian semi‐arid?

“…As expected, growth was isometric (Froese & Pauly, 2019), except for females. The length-weight relationship of adult females may have been influenced by reproductive processes, considering the weight of the gonads (Froese, 2006) and the species' multiple spawning pattern (Linhares, Manna, Mazzoni, Rezende, & Silva, 2014).…”

“…Amatitlania nigrofasciata was introduced into "Riacho Guarani" by a local resident (personal communication), possibly due to its ornamental value (Magalhães & Jacobi, 2010 invasion shows that A. nigrofasciata is likely to invade local ecosystems, considering its thermal tolerance, life history traits, territoriality, opportunistic feeding habits and propagule pressure (Magalhães & Jacobi, 2013;Mendoza et al, 2015). If propagated, its main local competitor would be the native cichlid species Cichlasoma orientale Kullander, 1983 (voucher number UFRN4836), with which it has the greatest phylogenetic relatedness and similar life history traits, including a small number of large oocytes, multiple spawning, parental care (Ishikawa & Tachihara, 2010;Linhares et al, 2014) and K-selection-a common strategy in density-dependent species (Zeug & Winemiller, 2007). Interestingly, an experimental study showed that Cichlasoma istlanum (Jordan & Snyder, 1899) spent more time in shelters, and fed and moved less when in the presence of A. nigrofasciata.…”

Fish community, seasonal movement and habitat use in a subtropical coastal lagoon

“…Thus, the high density of organisms in these early stages regularly coincides with high food availability in the ecosystem (Gallego-Zerrato & Giraldo 2018, Farach-Espinoza et al 2021, promoting the growth and increasing successful fish recruitment in early stages (Gallego Zerrato & Giraldo 2018, Payan-Alejo et al 2020. On the other hand, to maximize reproduction, it is synchronized with environmental signals, and for species survival to increase, a common tactic in tropical and subtropical species is multiple spawning (Spíndola-Linhares et al 2014). Reproduction occurs in WS, coinciding with the low Chl-a concentration period in the study area, representing low food availability and fish species' energy allocation toward gonad maturation (Payan-Alejo et al 2020).…”