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Research Project
TAXAS VITAIS DE LARVAS DE PEIXES NECESSÁRIAS À MODELAÇÃO DA DINÂMICA LARVAR NO ECOSSISTEMA DE AFLORAMENTO COSTEIRO IBÉRICO
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Ontogeny of swimming capacity in plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) larvae
Publication . Silva, Luis; Moyano, Marta; Illing, Björn; Faria, Ana Margarida; Garrido, Susana; Peck, Myron A.
Little is known regarding the swimming ability
of the larvae of European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) in
relation to changes in total length (TL), dry weight (DW)
and developmental stage, which is surprising given the
importance of transport processes to the recruitment dynamics
of this species in the North Sea and elsewhere. We investigated
ontogenetic changes in the critical swimming speed
(Ucrit) of plaice from hatching to the onset of metamorphosis
(50 days post-hatch, dph) at 8 °C. The mean (±SD) TL and
DW growth rates were 1.59 ± 0.81 and 7.7 ± 0.35 % d−1,
respectively. Larvae were unable to swim at against a minimum
current speed of <0.5 cm s−1 until 10 dph (7 mm TL),
after which Ucrit significantly increased with increasing TL
until the onset of metamorphosis and subsequent settlement.
Mean (±SD) Ucrit was 0.38(0.35), 1.59(0.54), 2.27(0.49) and
2.99(0.37) cm s−1 for stage I (6.61 ± 2.64 mm TL), stage II
(7.75 ± 0.60 mm TL), stage III (9.10 ± 1.00 mm TL) and
stage IV (11.59 ± 0.85 mm TL) larvae, respectively. Larval TL, DW, DNA content, RNA content and Ucrit significantly
increased, whereas sRD significantly declined as larvae
developed from stage I to V. Although inter-individual differences
in Ucrit (coefficient of variation, CV = 33 %) were as
large as those in biochemical and morphological condition
(CV’s of 21–42 %), differences in Ucrit were not significantly
related to those in nutritional condition and larvae with lower
DNA/DW had also better swimming abilities. These estimates
should be useful to ongoing efforts to create individual-
based models of the transport, foraging and growth of
plaice larvae in the North Sea.
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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Funding Award Number
SFRH/BPD/38332/2007