Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

RNA-DNA ratio: an index of larval fish growth in the sea

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Data on water temperature, RNA-DNA ratio, and growth of eight species of temperate marine fish larvae reared in the laboratory were fit to the equation:

$$G_{pi} = 0.93{\text{ }}\operatorname{T} + 4.75{\text{ RNA - DNA}} - 18.18$$

where Gpi is the protein growth rate in % d-1 and T is the water temperature. Water temperature and larval RNA-DNA ratio explained 92% of the variability in growth rate of laboratory-reared larvae. The model is useful over the entire range of feeding levels (starvation to excess), temperatures (2° to 20°C) and fish species studied. Estimates of recent growth of larval cod, haddock, and sand lance caught at sea based on water temperature and RNA-DNA ratio ranged from negative to 26% d-1. These data demonstrate the importance of food availability in larval fish mortality and suggest that short-term growth under favorable conditions may be considerably higher than expected from long-term indicators. RNA-DNA ratio analysis offers new possibilities for understanding larval growth and mortality, and their relation to environmental variability.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Bailey, K. M. and J. Yen: Predation by a carnivorous marine copepod Euchaeta elongata Easterly, on eggs and larvae of the Pacific hake, Merluccius productus. J. Plankton Res. 5, 71–82 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Beyer, J. E. and G. C. Laurence: A stochastic model of larval fish growth. Ecol. Modelling 8, 109–132 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Beyer, J. E. and G. C. Laurence: Aspects of stochasticity in modelling growth and survival of clupeoid fish larvae. Rapp. P.-v. Reun. Cons. int. Explor. Mer 178, 17–13 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Blobel, G. and V. R. Potter: Studies on free and membrane bound ribosomes in rat liver. I. Distribution as related to total cellular RNA. J. Mol. Biol. 26, 279–292 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolz, G. R. and R. G. Lough: Growth of larval Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, and haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, on Georges Bank, spring 1981. Fish. Bull. U.S. 81, 827–836 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, L. J.: Relationships between RNA-DNA ratio, prey density and growth rate in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 36, 1497–1502 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, L. J.: Changes in ribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, and protein content during ontogenesis in winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, and the effect of starvation. Fish. Bull., U.S. 77, 703–708 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, L. J.: Biochemical changes during ontogenesis of cod (Gadus morhua L.) and winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus) larvae. Rapp. P.-v. Reun Cons. int. Explor. Mer 178, 547–552 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, L. J.: Effects of temperature on growth and biochemical composition of larval winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 8, 181–186 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, L. J. and D. W. Dillmann: Nitrogen utilized by larval summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus (Linnaeus). J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 59, 243–256 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, L. J., S. I. Turner, T. A. Halavik, A. S. Smigielski, S. M. Drew and G. C. Laurence: Effects of temperature and food availability on growth, survival and RNA-DNA ratio of larval sand lance (Ammodytes americanus). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 15, 91–97 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulow, F. J.: RNA-DNA ratios as indicators of recent growth rates of a fish. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 27, 2343–2349 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fry, J. E. J.: The effects of environmental factors on the physiology of fish. In: Fish physiology, Vol. 6. pp 1–98. Ed. by W. S. Hoar, and D. J. Randall. New York: Academic Press 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, H. H. and P. M. Christensen: Experimental determination of size specific growth rate of larval turbot. ICES C.M. 1980/L:29 (1980)

  • Harrison, M. F.: Effect of starvation on the composition of the liver cell. Biochem. J. 55, 204–210 (1953)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartree, E. F.: Determination of protein: a modification of the Lowry method that gives a linear photometric response. Analyt. Biochem. 48, 422–427 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayashi, T. T. and D. Kazmierowski: Changes in the free and membrane bound ribosomes in the rat liver with starvation. Biochemistry 11, 2371–2378 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Holm-Hansen, O.: Algae: amounts of DNA and organic carbon in single cells. Science, N.Y. 163, 87–88 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Houde, E. D. and R. C. Schekter: Oxygen uptake and the comparative energetics among eggs and larvae of three subtropical marine fishes. Mar. Biol. 72, 283–293 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R.: Density dependent regulation of the numbers of cod and haddock. Rapp. P.-v. Reun. Cons. perm. int. Explor. Mer 164, 156–173 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennell, D. and B. Magasanik: The relation of ribosome content to the rate of enzyme synthesis in Aerobacter aerogenes. Biochem. biophys. Acta 55, 139–151 (1962)

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurence, G. C.: Laboratory growth and metabolism of winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, from hatching through metamorphosis at three temperatures. Mar. Biol. 32, 223–229 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurence, G. C.: A bioenergetic model for the analysis of feeding and survival potential of winter flounder larvae during the period from hatching to metamorphosis. Fish. Bull., U.S. 75, 529–546 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurence, G. C.: Comparative growth, respiration and delayed feeding abilities of larval cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) as influenced by temperature during laboratory studies. Mar. Biol. 50, 1–7 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lough, R. G. and G. C. Laurence: Larval haddock and cod survival studies on Georges Bank. ICES C.M.1982/L:3 (1982)

  • Methot, R. D.: Spatial covariation of daily growth rates of larval northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax, and northern lampfish, Stenobrachius leucopsarus. Rapp. P.-v. Reun. Cons. int. Explor. Mer 178, 424–431 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Munro, H. N. and A. Fleck: The detection of nucleic acids. In: Methods of biochemical analysis, Vol. 17, pp 113–176. Ed. by D. Glick. New York: Interscience Publishers 1966

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Connell, C. P.: Percentage of starving northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax, larvae in the sea as estimated by histological methods. Fish. Bull., U.S. 78, 475–489 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pitcher, T. J. and P. J. Hart: Fisheries ecology, 160 pp. London: Croom Helm Ltd. 1982

    Google Scholar 

  • Prasad, A. S., E. DuMouchelle, D. Koniuch and D. Oberleas: A simple fluorometric method for the determination of RNA and DNA in tissues. J. Lab. clin. Med. 80, 598–602 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Regnault, M. and P. Luquet: Study by evolution of nucleic acid content of prepuberal growth in the shrimp Crangon vulgaris. Mar. Biol. 25, 291–298 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, A. A. and A. S. Haugen: Individual growth and size selective mortality of larval turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) reared in enclosures. Mar. Biol. 72, 73–77 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothschild, B.: Report of Fisheries Ecology Meeting. Woods Hole Oceanogr. Inst. Tech. Rep. WHOI-82-28, 30 pp. Woods Hole, MA, USA 1982

  • Satomi, T.: Change of chemical composition (nucleic acid, phospholipid, kjeldahl nitrogen and water content) of blue skin carp in early development. (In Japanese). Bull. freshwat. Fish. Res. Lab., Tokyo 20, 27–38 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smigielski, A. S.: Hormonal induced ovulation of the winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus. Fish. Bull., U.S. 73, 431–438 (1975a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smigielski, A. S.: Hormone-induced spawning of the summer flounder and rearing of the larvae in the laboratory. Prog. Fish-Cult. 37, 3–8 (1975b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smigielski, A. S., T. A. Halavik, L. J. Buckley, S. M. Drew and G. C. Laurence: Spawning, embryo development, and growth of the American sand lance (Ammodytes americanus) in the laboratory. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 14, 287–292 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stocco, D. M., J. Coscarano and M. A. Wilson: Quantitation of mitochondrial DNA, RNA and protein in starved and starvedrefed rat liver. J. Cell. Physiol. 90, 295–306 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutcliffe, W. H. Jr.: Relationship between growth rate and ribonucleic acid concentration in some invertebrates. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 27, 606–609 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Theilacker, G. and K. Dorsey: Workshop on the efffects of environmental variation on the survival of larval pelagic fishes. In: IOC Workshop Report 28, 107 pp. Ed. by G. Sharp. Rome: FAO 1980

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiebe, P. H., K. H. Burt, S. H. Boyd and A. W. Morton: A multiple opening/closing net and environmental sensing system for sampling zooplankton. J. mar. Res. 34, 313–326 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northeast Fisheries Center, Narragansett Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, 02882-1199, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA

    L. J. Buckley

Authors
  1. L. J. Buckley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by S.K. Pierce, College Park

This is MARMAP Contribution MED/NEFC 82-54

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Buckley, L.J. RNA-DNA ratio: an index of larval fish growth in the sea. Mar. Biol. 80, 291–298 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392824

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392824

Keywords

Search

Navigation