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Fate or independency: is batch-specific larval performance determined by egg traits? A case study in farmed pikeperch (Sander lucioperca)

  • European Percid Fish Culture
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Abstract

Fish embryos and larvae undoubtedly depend on maternal provisioning of essential egg components, such as fatty acids (FA), during early ontogeny. But which aspects and stages of batch-specific larval development are modulated by these inherent oocyte traits? This question is of major importance from an ecological, as well as from an aquacultural perspective. We examined the effects of batch-specific non-nuclear-genetic egg traits (fatty acid (FA) profiles, egg size, mtDNA fragmentation, cortisol content) already in unfertilized oocytes of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) and studied their influence on survival (15 dph) and larval performance (length at hatch, stress resistance, first feeding, swim bladder inflation rate, yolk sac and lipid droplet size, growth in weight and length) after hatching under stable laboratory conditions (n = 12 batches). While larval survival and performance were independent of mtDNA fragmentation and cortisol levels, FA profiles affected specific larval traits. Especially, FA of the neutral fraction were positively correlated with larval size and growth (16:0, 18:0, 22:1n-9, total saturated FA), swim bladder inflation (arachidonic acid 20:4n-6, total FA), and early first feeding (16:0, 18:0, total saturated FA). Important FA of the polar fraction included 15:0 and 16:1n-7, which showed alternate effects on larval survival, first feeding, and growth (length). Furthermore, larval length at hatch was positively correlated with egg diameter. Other larval parameters (yolk sac and lipid droplet size and stress response) were not or only marginally affected by egg traits. Consequently, high oocyte FA deposition fuels fast rates of growth and development during early ontogeny. On the other hand, larvae develop independently of assumed disadvantageous properties (cortisol content, mtDNA damage). Knowledge of this relation allows for the improvement of aquaculture practice, as well as predicting recruitment success in the wild.

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Abbreviations

ARA:

Arachidonic acid

BW:

Body weight

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

dph:

Day post hatch

EPA:

Eicosapentenoic acid

FA:

Fatty acid

FAME:

Fatty acid methyl esters

HUFA:

Highly unsaturated fatty acid

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acid

SBI:

Swim bladder inflation

SD:

Standard deviation

SFA:

Saturated fatty acid

SL:

Standard length

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our cooperation partner AquaPri and the members of the IGB and GMA, who have supported this study.

Funding

This study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG KL 745/6-1 and SCHU 2308/3-2).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecophysiology and Aquaculture, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany

    Fabian J. Schaefer, Sven Wuertz & Werner Kloas

  2. Gesellschaft für Marine Aquakultur, Hafentörn 3, 25761, Büsum, Germany

    Moritz Tielmann, Carsten Schulz & Stefan Meyer

  3. Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Marine Aquaculture, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany

    Moritz Tielmann & Carsten Schulz

  4. AquaPri Denmark A/S, Egtved, Denmark

    Julia L. Overton

  5. Department of Chemical Analytics and Biogeochemistry, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany

    Angela Krüger

  6. Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Sven Wuertz & Werner Kloas

  7. Institute of Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Werner Kloas

Authors
  1. Fabian J. Schaefer
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  2. Moritz Tielmann
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  3. Julia L. Overton
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  4. Angela Krüger
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  5. Sven Wuertz
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  8. Stefan Meyer
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Correspondence to Fabian J. Schaefer.

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Fish rearing and reproduction were performed in accordance with EU and national legislation for animal welfare in fish production.

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Schaefer, F.J., Tielmann, M., Overton, J.L. et al. Fate or independency: is batch-specific larval performance determined by egg traits? A case study in farmed pikeperch (Sander lucioperca). Aquacult Int 27, 957–969 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-019-00356-8

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