Effect of ambient oxygen on growth and reproduction in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Growth, size at maturity, gonadosomatic index (GSI), egg size, and absolute fecundity of Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) were significantly affected by oxygen levels (1.5 ± 1.0, 2.8 ± 1.4, and 6.0 ± 1.8 mg·L -1 ) in a controlled experiment designed to test the hypothesis (D. Pauly. 1984. J. C...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences 2008-07, Vol.65 (7), p.1413-1424
Main Authors: Kolding, Jeppe, Haug, Lise, Stefansson, Sigurd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Distribution
Evaluation
Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.)
Fecundity
Fish populations
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Health aspects
Hypothesis testing
Life history
Maturation
Maturity
Oreochromis niloticus
Oxygen
Physical growth
Plasticity
Size
Tilapia
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
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Summary:Growth, size at maturity, gonadosomatic index (GSI), egg size, and absolute fecundity of Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) were significantly affected by oxygen levels (1.5 ± 1.0, 2.8 ± 1.4, and 6.0 ± 1.8 mg·L -1 ) in a controlled experiment designed to test the hypothesis (D. Pauly. 1984. J. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer, 41 : 280-284) that O 2 is the controlling factor for the transition from juvenile to adult in fish, in general, in the context of phenotypic life history plasticity and "stunting" in tilapias. Size at maturity and the estimated asymptotic size decreased with decreasing O 2 concentration, as predicted by Pauly's hypothesis. All fish matured at the same age (18 weeks old), which is in contrast to conventional definitions of stunting. This finding challenges the suggested plasticity in age at first maturity for tilapia. The results also challenge the hypothesis that stunting is a unique recruitment mechanism, as the smaller fish in the group with low oxygen concentration produced smaller and fewer eggs than the larger fish in the group with high oxygen concentration.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/F08-059