Abstract
Abstract The goal of this study was to evaluate the reproductive investment (RI) and the fecundity of the shrimp Nematopalaemon schmitti (Holthuis, 1950), caught by trawling in the southeastern Brazilian coast in 2008, 2009 and 2011. The carapace length (CL) of ovigerous females was measured and the development stage of their ovaries and embryos were analyzed. A significant relationship was observed between the female body and embryo weights (Linear regression: r² = 0.26, F = 20.77, P < 0.0001, Ln BDW = 0.92. Ln FBDW - 2.24) and between number of embryos and CL (Linear regression; stage I: r² = 0.38, F = 36.15, P < 0.0001; stage II: r² = 0.34, F = 14.10, P < 0.001), but not between the RI and CL (ANOVA: F = 0.47, df = 7, P = 0.85). Association of the changes in embryo development and ovarian maturation of ovigerous females was tested. Females with rudimentary ovaries predominantly showed embryos in stage I (early development) and females with developed ovaries only showed embryos in stage II (final development), showing synchrony between the development of both, thus supporting the hypothesis of a continuous reproductive cycle for N. schmitti in the region. Such information is fundamental for understanding the reproductive biology of these crustaceans, as well as other caridean shrimps, in order to promote the maintenance and preservation of natural stocks.
Highlights
Reproductive characteristics of crustaceans may vary according to intrinsic individual aspects such as the size and age of females, as much as environmental conditions (Sastry, 1983)
Changes in volume of crustacean embryos were verified by Sastry (1983) in latitudinal, depth, thermal and salinity gradients, while significant differences in reproductive investment of freshwater and marine caridean shrimps were tested by Anger and Moreira (1998)
Studies on the reproduction of caridean shrimps have pointed to reproductive investment (RI) and fecundity (F) as important and quantifiable measures of the species’ reproductive effort (e.g., Clarke et al, 1991; Clarke, 1993; Anger and Moreira, 1998; Wehrtmann and Lardies, 1999; Kim and Hong, 2004; Oh and Hartnoll, 2004; Chilari et al, 2005; Pavanelli et al, 2008; Echeverría-Sáenz and Wehrtmann, 2011)
Summary
Reproductive characteristics of crustaceans may vary according to intrinsic individual aspects such as the size and age of females, as much as environmental conditions (Sastry, 1983) This can reflect adaptive mechanisms of a species, such as influencing the number and size of embryos and the reproductive investment of individuals. Changes in volume of crustacean embryos were verified by Sastry (1983) in latitudinal, depth, thermal and salinity gradients, while significant differences in reproductive investment of freshwater and marine caridean shrimps were tested by Anger and Moreira (1998). Fecundity is the number of embryos released by a female during a single spawning event or specific period of its life history (Negreiros-Fransozo et al, 1992; Ramírez-Llodra, 2002) Both RI and F show a strong relationship with some body dimensions of the species, and its respective variations in spatial and temporal scales
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