Insights into Environmental Drivers on the Reproductive Cycle of Diopatra neapolitana (Polychaeta: Onuphidae).

Abstract

Simple SummaryThe environmental variables that drive the reproductive cycle of Diopatra neapolitana were studied in a population of Ría de Vigo (NW Spain). The identity of the species was corroborated using the six diagnostic morphological characters. A discontinuous reproductive cycle was observed, with a period of proliferation and oocyte maturation from January to September, asynchronous spawning events from July to October and a resting period in November and December. The reproductive cycle seems to be conditioned by the photoperiod and the water temperature. In particular, the sudden drop in water temperature, as a result of coastal upwelling processes that typically occur in the summer months of the study area, was found to induce spawning in this species.The reproductive cycle of Diopatra neapolitana was studied over two years in Redondela (NW Spain), considering both the monthly evolution of the percentage of individuals with oocytes and the variation of the mean oocyte size. Moreover, since three other species of Diopatra have recently been documented in regions geographically close to NW Spain, we first confirmed the identity of this species by carrying out a morphological identification of a representative number of the specimens collected. Our data showed a discontinuous reproductive season, with a period of proliferation and maturation of oocytes from January to September and asynchronous spawning events between July and October. Then, a resting period in the months of November and December was observed. We also explored the influence of some relevant environmental factors (namely, water temperature, photoperiod, salinity, primary production and upwelling index) on the observed reproductive cycle. The results suggest that water temperature is one of the most important drivers of the reproductive cycle for this species. Particularly, in Ría de Vigo, the reproductive cycle seems to be influenced by upwelling events of deep cold water that occur frequently between March and September, and that could act as a spawning-inducing switch.