Jenynsia Research Articles

Asymmetry in genitalia is in sync with lateralized mating behavior but not with the lateralization of other behaviors.

Asymmetries in bilateral organisms attract a lot of curiosity given that they are conspicuous departures from the norm. They allow the investigation of the integration at different levels of biological organization. Here we study whether and how behavioral and asymmetrical anatomical traits co-evolved and work together. We ask if asymmetry is determined locally for each trait or at a whole individual level in a species bearing conspicuous asymmetrical genitalia. Asymmetric genitalia evolved in many species; however, in most cases the direction of asymmetry is fixed. Therefore, it has been rarely determined if there is an association between the direction of asymmetry in genitalia and other traits. In onesided livebearer fish of the genus Jenynsia (Cyprinodontiformes, Anablepidae), the anal fin of males is modified into a gonopodium, an intromittent organ that serves to inseminate females. The gonopodium shows a conspicuous asymmetry, with its tip bending either to the left or the right. By surveying 13 natural populations of Jenynsia lineata, we found that both genital morphs are equally common in wild populations. In a series of experiments in a laboratory population, we discovered asymmetry and lateralization for multiple other traits; yet, the degree of integration varied highly among them. Lateralization in exploratory behavior in response to different stimuli was not associated with genital morphology. Interestingly, the direction of genital asymmetry was positively correlated with sidedness of mating preference and the number of neuromasts in the lateral line. This suggests integration of functionally linked asymmetric traits; however, there is no evidence that asymmetry is determined at the whole individual level in our study species.

Accumulation of current-use pesticides, cholinesterase inhibition and reduced body condition in juvenile one-sided livebearer fish (Jenynsia multidentata) from the agricultural Pampa region of Argentina

The aim of this study was to characterize the level and nature of the pesticide contamination received by one-sided livebearer fish (Jenynsia multidentata) from a watercourse situated within the main agricultural region of Argentina, and to assess the effects of this contamination on fish health. Juvenile one-sided livebearer fish (Jenynsia multidentata) were collected in December 2011 and March 2012 from three sites along the Pergamino River. Pesticide contamination was characterized by extracting whole fish and analytically determining thirty different pesticide molecules. The biomarkers catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, and cholinesterases were assessed. Body condition was calculated as an estimate of the amount of energy reserves possessed by the fish. Seventeen different pesticides were detected in fish tissues with 81% of captured animals containing at least one pesticide molecule. The pyrethroid insecticides fenvalerate and bifenthrin were most frequently detected, being respectively found in 41.8 and 36.4% of samples tested. Highly toxic dichlorvos and pirimiphos-methyl were detected. Differential levels of contamination could not be established amongst sites but were observed within sites amongst the two sampling dates. The months when pesticide residues were most abundant from in Site A and B corresponded to the months when body condition was at its lowest in the two sites. The inhibition of Che activity in March when body condition was reduced also points to a role of insecticide contamination in the reduction of body condition. These findings provide strong new evidence that current-used agricultural pesticides can accumulate in wild fish and impact their health and energetics.

Influência da salinidade no crescimento de juvenis de Jenynsia multidentata Jenyns (Pisces)

Tendo em vista que as populações de Jenynsia multidentata Jenyns, 1842 aparentemente atingem maiores comprimentos na região estuarina da Lagoa dos Patos quando comparadas com o ambiente límnico adjacente, foi realizado um experimento laboratorial, visando a comparação das taxas de crescimento, do comprimento e peso total dos juvenis da espécie mantidos em duas salinidades (zero e 16). Quatro proles de diferentes fêmeas foram separadas, logo após o parto, em aquários de quatro litros, sendo que metade dos indivíduos de cada prole foi submetida a salinidade zero e a outra metade a salinidade 16. Quatro aquários foram mantidos a temperatura constante de 28°C e, outros quatro aquários sofreram modificação da temperatura no décimo oitavo dia de experimento, passando de 28 para 24°C. Após trinta e oito dias, todos os indivíduos foram medidos e pesados. Os indivíduos mantidos em temperatura constante e salinidade zero, quando comparados com os mantidos em salinidade de 16, apresentaram valores estatisticamente menores de comprimento total (CT16 = 23,5 mm; CT0 = 20,4 mm; p < 0,05) e peso médio (P16 = 0,151 g; P0 = 0,086 g; p < 0,05). Os indivíduos mantidos nos aquários que sofreram variação na temperatura também apresentaram diferenças significativas em ambas as medidas (CT16 = 21,1 mm; CT0 = 18,2 mm; p < 0,05 e P16 = 0,104 g; P0 = 0,058 g; p < 0,05). Ao encerrar os experimentos, foi observada maior taxa de mortalidade na salinidade zero quando comparada com a salinidade 16, em ambos os experimentos. Em um novo experimento, uma quinta prole foi mantida em salinidades de zero e 16 por 70 dias, ocasião em que os indivíduos foram medidos em intervalos regulares de cinco dias. Os indivíduos tiveram maior crescimento em salinidade 16 do que zero. Portanto, em laboratório, o barrigudinho J. multidentata atingi maiores tamanho e peso em água salobra, corroborando as observações obtidas no ambiente natural.

Reproductive cycle and spatiotemporal variation in abundance of the one-sided livebearer Jenynsia multidentata, in Patos Lagoon, Brazil

Jenynsia multidentata is an important component of the fish assemblage of the Patos Lagoon estuary in southern South Brazil. In order to investigate its reproductive cycle and abundance patterns, standardized sampling was conducted over large spatial (marine, estuary and lagoon) and temporal (1996–2003) scales. Both females and males were significantly more abundant during summer (December–March) than winter (June–August). Total abundance was significantly positively correlated with water temperature (R=0.91), but not with salinity and Secchi depth. Females achieved higher average (49.1 mm LT) and maximum size (91 mm) than males (37.7 mm; 66 mm), and average sex ratio was female-biased (3.2:1) across all months. An annual reproductive cycle composed of two cohorts was proposed: individuals born from December to March started reproducing during late winter and spring and individuals born from September to November started reproducing during late summer and fall. A 12-month survey conducted throughout the longitudinal gradient of the lagoon indicated that the species was only present in the estuary, and was absent from marine and upper lagoon areas. The abiotic factors analyzed could not explain this spatial distribution. Inter-annual variation in abundance was great, with higher abundance during drier years. A `dilution effect' was proposed to explain the low abundance of the species in the estuary during high-rainfall trigged by El Nino episodes.

Sexual Competition, Coercive Mating and Mate Assessment in the One‐Sided Livebearer, Jenynsia multidentata: Are They Predictive of Sexual Dimorphism?

AbstractWe investigated the mechanisms of sexual selection operating on body size in the one‐sided livebearer (Jenynsia multidentata), a small fish characterized by male dwarfism. Mating in the one‐sided livebearer is coercive: males approach females from behind and try to thrust their copulatory organ at the female genital pore. Females counter males' mating attempts by either swimming away or attacking them. We tested the hypothesis that the components of sexual selection favouring small size in males (sexual coercion) were more effective than those favouring a large size (male competition and mate choice). When alone, small males had a significantly higher success in their mating attempts than large males. The proportion of successful attempts was also positively correlated with female size. When two males competed for the same female, the large male had a significant mating advantage over the small one. With a 1 : 1 sex ratio, the large‐male mating advantage vanished because each male tended to follow a different female. Large males, however, preferentially defended large females, thus compelling small males to engage with smaller, less fecund females. Males did not discriminate between gravid and non‐gravid females, but preferred mating with larger females. This preference disappeared when males were much smaller than the female, probably in relation to the risk for the male of being eaten or injured by the female. In a choice chamber, male‐deprived females that had their sperm storage depleted remained close to males and showed a preference for large individuals, a behaviour not observed in non‐deprived females. Nonetheless, when placed with males in the same aquarium, all females showed avoidance and aggression. Struggling may represent a way by which the female assesses the skill and endurance of males.

The Breeding Cycle of the South American Fish, Jenynsia lineata, in the Northern Hemisphere

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