Abstract
Prior understanding of Harpagifer antarcticus reproductive biology was based exclusively on macroscopic observations of its gonadal maturation cycle. Our present study with H. antarcticus specimens collected in summer of 2019 at Paradise Bay (PB), Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), provides a) additional reproductive parameters, and b) for first time, a histological analysis of the gonads, clarifying understanding of the spawning period of the species in the area. In females the gonado-somatic index was 5.3–19.6%, leading clutch oocytes was 0.94–1.95 mm, and total fecundity ranged between 408 and 1723 oocytes/female (X ± SD = 794 ± 328, n = 22). The histology allowed the identification of gravid females with oocytes in late vitellogenesis with evidence of ongoing hydration processes and spent females with post-ovulatory follicles. The presence of spermatozoa in mature testes indicated that the males were in developing and ripe condition. Our reproductive data for H. antarcticus at PB, validated with histology, indicate that the species was in spawning during summer, in agreement with a previous report of a late spring–summer spawning for the species at the same site. Literature data indicate that at the South Orkney Islands, H. antarcticus spawns three months earlier (May–June), probably associated with differential environmental factors between this area and the WAP. Our findings support the hypothesis that the life cycle characteristics of H. antarcticus—e.g., low fecundity and short pelagic phase—promote the isolation of populations as reflected in differences in the reproductive timing.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Carlos Bellisio and Agustin Zarco for their help in field activities and laboratory tasks and to Marta Estrada and Hugo Brachetta for the histological sections preparation. Prof. Joseph Eastman provided useful advice on a previous version of this work. We thank Drs. Vladimir Laptikhovsky, Christopher D. Jones, and one anonymous reviewer whose comments improved the quality of our paper. INIDEP contribution N°2253.
Funding
This work was supported by grants from Dirección Nacional del Antártico, Instituto Antártico Argentino [Grant number PICTA 0100], Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Grant number PIP2017-2019: 11220170100219CO, Resolution 2018–8-APN-DIR#CONICET], and Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica [Grant number PICT 2018:03310, Resolution 401/19].
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MN and EBO planned and designed the research. MN conducted fieldwork and carried out laboratory work. MN and EM performed statistical analyses. GM and MN analyzed the histological slides. MN and EBO led the writing of the manuscript with contributions from GM and EM.
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Novillo, M., Moreira, E., Macchi, G. et al. Histological analysis provides further insights into Harpagifer antarcticus reproductive biology at the western Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biol 44, 2165–2175 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02953-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02953-x