Abstract
SUMMARY: Biochemical composition of ovary and hepatopancreas tissues in wild populations of Uca longisignalis and Uca nr. minax were monitored during the reproductive season. Total lipid (concentration and content), C (carbon), N (nitrogen), and C:N ratios of the ovary and hepatopancreas were quantified over the course of ovarian maturation. Ovary lipid and C concentration varied significantly over the course of ovarian maturation for both species, but there was no relationship between lipid concentration or hepatopancreas content and the stage of ovarian development in females. Hepatopancreatic lipid and C concentration did not differ between sexes of U. nr. minax. Lipid demands of ovarian maturation thus appear to be met in large part by increased dietary intake and not purely by translocating lipid stores from the hepatopancreas. In both Uca longisignalis and U. nr. minax, the color of the hepatopancreas may be used as an indicator of the lipid and C levels of the hepatopancreas. Cadmium-yellow and lemon-yellow hepatopancreas tissues had the highest lipid concentrations. No evidence could be found to demonstrate depletion of lipid or C concentrations in the hepatopancreas concomitant with ovarian maturation.
Highlights
Crustaceans use lipids for numerous biological structures and processes (Allen, 1976)
Female Carapace width (CW), wet weight (WW), and hepatopancreas WW did not differ among animals of different ovary stages for either species (Table 1)
There were no differences in ovary lipid concentration, C, N, C:N ratio, and water concentration between the two species during any of the three ovary stages (Table 2)
Summary
Crustaceans use lipids for numerous biological structures and processes (Allen, 1976). Lipids provide energy for metabolic processes, maintain the structural and physiological integrity of cellular and sub-cellular membranes, and transport substrates via the circulatory system (O’Connor and Gilbert, 1968). During gonadal maturation and vitellogenesis lipids are deposited in the ovaries (Morris, 1973; Gehring, 1974; Mourente et al, 1994; Lubzens et al, 1995; Spaziani and Hinsch, 1997). It appears that these ovarian lipids may be derived from the diet or, in some decapods, lipids may be accumulated and later transported to the ovaries during gonad maturation (Spaargaren and Haefer, 1994). While the hepatopancreas is the universal organic reserve organ, not all decapods shuttle measurable lipid reserves from it to the ovaries (Heath and Barnes, 1970; Pillay and Nair, 1973; Castille and Lawrence, 1989)
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