Abstract
AbstractHermaphroditism is thought to be an advantageous strategy common in marine molluscs that exhibit simultaneous, sequential or alternating hermaphroditism. Several species of patellid limpets have previously been shown to be protandrous hermaphrodites. The present study aimed to confirm whether this phenomenon occurs inPatella piperata. Transitional forms of simultaneous protandrous hermaphroditism were found in intermediate size classes ofP. piperata, in Madeira (North-eastern Atlantic). Sequential hermaphroditism was confirmed after histological analysis. The overall sex-ratio was biased towards females but approached similar proportions in the larger size classes. Analysis of size at sex change showed that at a shell length of 36 mm 50% of the population probably have changed sex. The results reported confirm the occurrence of sequential hermaphroditism. These findings are of utmost importance to the understanding of the reproductive biology of this species with direct effect on management and conservation of this traditionally harvested limpet.
Highlights
Patellid limpets are among the most successful marine gastropods inhabiting rocky shores (Branch, 1981) from the supratidal to the subtidal zones and as such, are subject to the most variable and unpredictable environmental conditions in nature (Harley et al, 2009)
Hermaphroditism is thought to represent an advantageous strategy in increasing the reproductive success of organisms, based on the assumption that an individual changing sex will increase its reproductive efficiency (Charnov, 1979; Munday et al, 2006)
When male and female reproductive values are closely related to size or age, natural selection will favour genes coding for sex change (Warner, 1988)
Summary
Patellid limpets are among the most successful marine gastropods inhabiting rocky shores (Branch, 1981) from the supratidal to the subtidal zones and as such, are subject to the most variable and unpredictable environmental conditions in nature (Harley et al, 2009). Sequential hermaphroditism is designated as protandry when an individual is first a male and changes to female (Branch, 1981). In some limpet species the sex change can be reversed (Le Quesne & Hawkins, 2006; Rivera-Ingraham et al, 2011), whereby males that became females can become males again. This could be linked to their reproductive fitness, since small females produce fewer oocytes and they would have a greater reproductive fitness as males (Guallart et al, 2013). Sex change is triggered by specific environmental cues, in other species, sex change seems to be determined genetically, occurring mainly after the first reproductive season (Wright, 1989; Fretter et al, 1998)
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