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Bonefish (Albula vulpes) oocyte lipid class and fatty acid composition related to their development

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Abstract

Bonefish (Albula vulpes) are a valuable fishery resource of tropical and subtropical ecosystems worldwide. Despite their importance, there is limited information on bonefish life history and ecology. The present study aims to describe, for the first time, oocytes development and their lipid characteristics in wild bonefish during the reproductive season in different tidal flat locations in Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. Our results have shown that Bonefish follow group-synchronous ovarian development and produce lipid-rich eggs [total lipid (TL) content was >26% of wet mass (WM)]. The major lipid class was a neutral lipid: the wax esters and steryl esters (WE-SE; >48% of TL), suggesting their use to support buoyancy and/or energy storage. Fatty acid (FA) composition of bonefish oocytes was characterized by high levels of monoenes in the neutral lipid fraction (i.e. 16:1 and 18:1n-9) indicating their probable role as energy fuel. However, the most abundant fatty acids in the polar lipids were docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 n-3 > 15% of total polar FA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5 n-3 > 13% of total polar FA) and arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4 n-6 > 4% of total polar FA) which were selectively conserved among the tidal flat locations, suggesting their importance as essential constituents of cell membranes during the development of bonefish oocytes. Our results bring useful information concerning the reproductive physiology of bonefish and not only serve as a benchmark for determining the nutrient requirements to produce high quality eggs from bonefish captive broodstock, but also will help establish meaningful management practices for this species.

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Abbreviations

ALC:

fatty alcohol

ARA:

arachidonic acid

BB:

Barbary beach

CA:

cortical alveolus

CBE:

Crabbing Bay east

DHA:

docosahexaenoic acid

EFA:

essential fatty acids

EPA:

eicosapentaenoic acid

FA:

fatty acid

FFA:

free fatty acids

HC:

hydrocarbon

KET:

ketones

LV:

late vitellogenic

MUFA:

monunsaturated fatty acids

PL:

phospholipids

PG:

primary growth

PUFA:

polyunsaturated fatty acids

SDWC:

South Deep Water Caye

SFA:

saturated fatty acids

ST:

sterols

TAG:

triacylglycerol

TL:

total lipids

WE-SE:

wax ester - steryl ester

WM:

wet mass

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). We are grateful to J. Lewis, W. Halstead, Z. Nilles, and C. Robinson for their extensive help during fieldwork and lab work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US1-N, Fort Pierce, FL, 34946, USA

    Sahar Mejri, Cameron Luck, Marty Riche, Aaron Adams, Matthew J. Ajemian & Paul S. Wills

  2. Institut des Sciences de la Mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski (ISMER, UQAR), 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L 3A1, Canada

    Rejean Tremblay

  3. Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, 135 San Lorenzo Avenue, Suite 860, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA

    Aaron Adams

  4. Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W University Blvd, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA

    Jonathan Shenker

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  1. Sahar Mejri
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  2. Cameron Luck
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  4. Marty Riche
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Correspondence to Sahar Mejri.

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The experimental protocol received approval from the Florida Atlantic University’s Institutional Animal Care and use Committee (IACUC, protocol A16–34).

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Mejri, S., Luck, C., Tremblay, R. et al. Bonefish (Albula vulpes) oocyte lipid class and fatty acid composition related to their development. Environ Biol Fish 102, 221–232 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0825-0

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