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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Marco FusiORCiD
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Environmental fluctuation dictates life cycles in many ecosystems on earth, especially within marine coastal areas. The magnitude of those fluctuations at ecologically relevant time scales (i.e. hours and days) induces phenotypical adjustment in aquatic organisms, including maternal investment in offspring. However, the effect of the magnitude and the periodicity of those fluctuations on animal physiology has been poorly investigated. In this study, we investigated the correlation between environmental fluctuation and maternal investment in offspring. We focused on one population of the kelp crab Taliepus dentatus from central Chile and considered whether fluctuations in water temperature, dissolved oxygen and salinity are associated with temporal changes in maternal investment in early embryos (volume, lipid content and fatty acid composition) over a period of 1 yr. We used remote data loggers deployed at an ecologically relevant temporal scale to calculate the monthly magnitude, periodicity and predictability of environmental fluctuations. We found substantial variation among females in embryo volume, lipid content and fatty acid composition during the year, mostly associated with seasonality (average environmental conditions). However, embryo lipid content and essential fatty acids (arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid) showed a clear negative relation with the monthly predictability of the environmental fluctuations. This study shows how the integration of environmental fluctuations and their predictability can improve our understanding of the reproductive ecology of marine coastal species.
Author(s): Fernández F, Guzmán-Rivas F, Urzúa A, Landaeta MF, Fusi M, Baldanzi S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Marine Ecology Progress Series
Year: 2025
Volume: 755
Pages: 79-93
Print publication date: 27/02/2025
Online publication date: 27/02/2025
Acceptance date: 25/02/2020
ISSN (print): 0171-8630
ISSN (electronic): 1616-1599
Publisher: Inter-Research
URL: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14797
DOI: 10.3354/meps14797
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