Abstract
Traditionally, the internal morphology of crustacean larvae has been studied using destructive techniques such as dissection and microscopy. The present study combines advances in micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histology to study the internal morphology of decapod larvae, using the common spider crab (Maja brachydactyla Balss, 1922) as a model and resolving the individual limitations of these techniques. The synergy of micro-CT and histology allows the organs to be easily identified, revealing simultaneously the gross morphology (shape, size, and location) and histological organization (tissue arrangement and cell identification). Micro-CT shows mainly the exoskeleton, musculature, digestive and nervous systems, and secondarily the circulatory and respiratory systems, while histology distinguishes several cell types and confirms the organ identity. Micro-CT resolves a discrepancy in the literature regarding the nervous system of crab larvae. The major changes occur in the metamorphosis to the megalopa stage, specifically the formation of the gastric mill, the shortening of the abdominal nerve cord, the curving of the abdomen beneath the cephalothorax, and the development of functional pereiopods, pleopods, and lamellate gills. The combination of micro-CT and histology provides better results than either one alone.
Highlights
Decapods are an important economic resource that mobilizes billions of dollars per year in fishery and aquaculture production[1], and decapod larvae play a crucial role in population dynamics, species dispersal, settlement, and recruitment in marine environments[2]
A further advance was achieved with the development of micro-computed tomography, which uses the X-ray absorption properties of tissues to obtain the two-dimensional sections required for the reconstruction of a three-dimensional model and provides higher resolution and deeper penetration than CLSM11,17–20, allowing to look at the internal morphology of the whole animal without the need of dissection or histology[4]
The synergy of micro-CT and histology for studying inner morphology and tissue arrangement is proved in the present study using a decapod species larva as a model
Summary
Decapods are an important economic resource that mobilizes billions of dollars per year in fishery and aquaculture production[1], and decapod larvae play a crucial role in population dynamics, species dispersal, settlement, and recruitment in marine environments[2]. A further advance was achieved with the development of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), which uses the X-ray absorption properties of tissues to obtain the two-dimensional sections required for the reconstruction of a three-dimensional model and provides higher resolution and deeper penetration than CLSM11,17–20, allowing to look at the internal morphology of the whole animal without the need of dissection or histology[4] In adult decapods, this technology has been applied in spiny lobsters to study the ossicles of the stomach[21], in caridean shrimps to study the alimentary tract[22], and in brachyuran crabs to describe their general anatomy[23] and the female reproductive system[24]. The main objective of the present study was to test the combination of micro-CT and histology for studying the general internal morphology of a representative decapod, the common spider crab (Maja brachydactyla Balss, 1922), during its larval stages
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