The interactive effects of paternal size and offspring feeding strategy on offspring fitness of an Indian major carp Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822)

Abstract

Parental condition-dependent offspring fitness is a well-discussed issue in animal breeding research, while offspring environment and its interaction with parental condition are currently another very interesting topic to investigate the plasticity of phenotypic traits across an environmental gradient. The present study was, therefore, conducted following a half-sib breeding design to test the effects of (a) paternal body size, (b) offspring feeding strategy (everyday and every other day) and (c) their interactions on fitness-related traits (e.g., survival, total length and body area) of offspring of a commercially important aquaculture species, the Indian major carp (Labeo rohita). The analysis revealed that paternal body size had significant effects on offspring survival rate and total length, while no significant influence was found in body area. The study also showed that the offspring feeding strategy significantly affected all offspring traits. Interestingly, the study unveiled the significant interactive effects of paternal condition and offspring feeding for offspring survival rate and total length. These findings suggest that paternal size, offspring rearing environment and their interactions can influence offspring fitness-related traits which are very essential information for the sustainable production of good quality larvae under variable dietary conditions.