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Abstract
BackgroundExtreme environmental conditions can give rise to extreme adaptations. We document growth, sexual maturation and fecundity in two species of African annual fish inhabiting temporary savanna pools.ResultsNothobranchius kadleci started to reproduce at the age of 17 days and size of 31 mm and Nothobranchius furzeri at 18 days and 32 mm. All four study populations demonstrated rapid growth rates of up to 2.72 mm/day (23.4% of their total length). Both species may produce diapausing embryos or embryos that are able to hatch in as few as 15 days, resulting in a minimum generation time as short as only one month. Incubation on the surface of damp peat moss results in high embryo survival (73%) and a high proportion of rapidly developing embryos (58%) that skip diapauses and hatch in less than 30 days. We further demonstrated that rapid growth and maturation do not compromise subsequent fecundity.ConclusionsOur data suggest that both species have the most rapid sexual maturation and minimum generation time of any vertebrate species, and that rapid maturity does not involve paedogenesis.
Highlights
Extreme environmental conditions can give rise to extreme adaptations
Life history theory predicts that increased risk of mortality in adults selects for early maturation, high reproductive investment and short lifespan [1,2]
Fish occur only during the rainy season when savanna depressions are filled with water and survive the dry season as diapaused embryos buried in soil
Summary
Sexual maturation and fecundity in two species of African annual fish inhabiting temporary savanna pools. A dry and hot climate selected for short lifespan in a Madagascan chameleon (Furcifer labordi) with a post-hatching lifespan of only four to five months [3], while stable, predator-free and cold conditions experienced by a small cave-dwelling aquatic salamander, olm (Proteus anguinus) resulted in delayed sexual maturity (16 years) with a lifespan of over 100 years and limited reproductive output [4]. Fish occur only during the rainy season when savanna depressions are filled with water and survive the dry season as diapaused embryos buried in soil. Annual desiccation limits their lifespan to several weeks to months [5,6] and their short lifespan is retained in captivity [7].
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