IIMYC   23581
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES MARINAS Y COSTERAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Effect of protein supply on growth of three populations of a crab adapted to low energy diets.
Autor/es:
LUPPI TOMAS; BAS CLAUDIA; SPIVAK EDUARDO
Revista:
HELGOLAND MARINE RESEARCH
Editorial:
SPRINGER
Referencias:
Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2016 vol. 70
ISSN:
1438-387X
Resumen:
Juvenile individuals of the crab Neohelice granulata (Brachyura: Grapsoidea: Varunidae) were grown in laboratory usingfive artificial diets containing 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 % of crude protein and 3 % of lipids during 7 months. Crabs belongedto three different populations. Two of them, San Antonio Oeste (SAO) and Riacho San José (RSJ) are close; they are notgenetically differentiated but vary in morphological traits. The third, Mar Chiquita (MC), is far and genetically differentiatedfrom the other two, but morphological traits of their individuals are intermediate. The growth (absolute and relativesize change, final body mass), molting frequency, hepatosomatic index of individuals, as well as the Carbon andNitrogen content and histological structure of their digestive glands, were analyzed. Mar Chiquita individuals differedfrom one or both of the other two populations. Time to first molt was significantly longer in MC, final size was significantlysmaller in MC than RSJ and hepatosomatic index was significantly lower in MC compared to SAO and RSJ. SanAntonio Oeste and RSJ individuals never differed. Furthermore, in all cases crabs were able to molt and growth with alldiets, although growth in size and mass were higher, and intermolt periods shorter, when diets contained higher percentagesof protein. It is concluded that species is well adapted to low quality food sources and it is suggested thatsize differences previously observed between SAO and RSJ crabs are due to phenotypic plasticity, while differenceswith MC population are governed by evolutionary adaptation to different food availability.