A multidisciplinary approach to study the reproductive biology of wild prawns

L Bolognini,B Randazzo,F Grati,I Olivotto,F Donato,M Antonucci,C Truzzi,A Lucchetti,S Illuminati

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-16894-1

Abstract

This work aims to provide deeper knowledge on reproductive biology of P. kerathurus in a multidisciplinary way. Upon 789 examined females, 285 were found inseminated. The logistic equation enabled to estimate the size at first maturity at 30.7 mm CL for female. The Gono-Somatic Index (GSI) showed a pronounced seasonality, ranged from 0.80 ± 0.34 to 11.24 ± 5.72. Histological analysis highlighted five stages of ovarian development. Gonadal fatty acids analysis performed with gas chromatograph evidenced a pronounced seasonal variation; total lipids varied from 1.7% dry weight (dw) in Winter, to 7.2% dw in Summer. For the first time, a chemometric approach (Principal Component Analysis) was applied to relate GSI with total lipid content and fatty acid composition of gonads. The first two components (PC1 and PC2) showed that seasonality explained about 84% of the variability of all data set. In particular, in the period February-May, lipids were characterized by high PUFAs content, that were probably utilized during embryogenesis as energy source and as constituent of the cell membranes. During the summer season, gonads accumulated saturated FAs, that will be used during embryogenesis and early larval stages, while in the cold season total lipids decreased drastically and the gonad reached a quiescent state.

Highlights

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most important marine regions in the world due to its high biodiversity that supports a locally significant and diversified fishing[1]
The present study focuses on the gametogenic cycle of caramote prawn in the Northern and central Adriatic Sea
The current study aims, for the first time in Mediterranean Sea, to characterize the reproductive event in P. kerathurus using a multidisciplinary approach including biometrics; morphological and biochemical approaches such as lipid composition profile of the ovary during the annual spawning season

Summary

Introduction

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most important marine regions in the world due to its high biodiversity that supports a locally significant and diversified fishing[1]. P. kerathurus is a large Mediterranean autochthonous shrimp that lives on soft bottoms of the continental shelf, usually at less than 60 meters depth; juveniles enter lagoons and are common on coastal grounds in late summer and autumn[6,7,8]. It is mainly caught by bottom trawling and, to a less extent, by gillnetters[9]. The understanding of the dynamics of a stock is crucial to know the relation between size and reproduction event, such as mating and sexual maturity[12]

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