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Variations in Fecundity and Egg Size of Female Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, from Man-made Lakes of Côte D'Ivoire

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Abstract

Fecundity and oocyte size of Oreochromis niloticus females were studied over a period of two annual cycles in six small agropastoral and three large hydroelectric reservoirs of Côte d'Ivoire. Important differences in fecundity and oocyte size were observed among populations and within the same population between successive years. An inverse correlation was found between size and number of oocytes produced by females. This inverse relationship occurred for a constant spawn weight during the first year of study, but not during the second year. Monthly mean residuals of regressions between fecundity and female body weight have shown a seasonal variation in fecundity. The peak of fecundity corresponded with the maximum resource availability and the flooding eminence, which may have a great impact on parents and offspring fitness.

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  1. Fabrice Duponchelle

    Present address: Biodiversity Conservation Project, SADC/GEF Lake Malawi, P.O. Box 311, Salima, Republic of Malawi

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ORSTOM, GAMET, B.P. 5095, 34033, Montpellier Cedex 1, France

    Fabrice Duponchelle, Jesus Nuñez & Marc Legendre

  2. Programme Petits Barrages, ORSTOM, BP 1434, Bouaké 01, Côte d'Ivoire

    Philippe Cecchi & Daniel Corbin

  3. ORSTOM, Instalasi Penelitian Perikanan Air Tawar, Jl. Ragunan, Pasar Minggu, P.O. Box 7220/Jkspm, Jakarta, 12540, Indonesia

    Marc Legendre

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Duponchelle, F., Cecchi, P., Corbin, D. et al. Variations in Fecundity and Egg Size of Female Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, from Man-made Lakes of Côte D'Ivoire. Environmental Biology of Fishes 57, 155–170 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007575624937

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