ILPLA   05424
INSTITUTO DE LIMNOLOGIA "DR. RAUL A. RINGUELET"
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Reproductive patterns and energy management strategies of females of the fiddler crab Leptuca uruguayensis with short reproductive seasons
Autor/es:
LÓPEZ-GRECO, LAURA SUSANA; MARCIANO, AGUSTINA; COLPO, KARINE DELEVATI
Revista:
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Editorial:
NATL RESEARCH COUNCIL CANADA-N R C RESEARCH PRESS
Referencias:
Año: 2020
ISSN:
0008-4301
Resumen:
Reproduction is a costly process that depends on the management of available resources. Here, we aimed to understand the energetic strategies of females of the fiddler crab Leptuca uruguayensis (Nobili 1901), in a population with short reproductive seasons. For this, we developed an integrated approach to recognize the brooding time, spawning pattern modulated by female size, number of spawns per female, and content of reserves in the ovary and hepatopancreas. Based on the condition of the ovary and hepatopancreas, the reproductive season was divided into three periods. In each of these periods, it was possible to record a spawning event, which was mainly represented by large females. Most of the females had one spawn during the breeding season, and only large females had two spawns, with an interval of approximately two months. We propose that L. uruguayensis presents a mixed capital-income breeding strategy associated with the female size and period of the reproductive season. We conclude that large females make the greatest reproductive effort for the population, because they can have two spawns, whereas medium and small females make a low contribution because they are still investing energy in somatic growth to increase fecundity in the next reproductive season.