Nutritional state determines reproductive investment in the mixotrophic sea slug Elysia viridis

Parental size and nutritional state have been identified as important interrelated parameters determining reproductive investment in marine gastropods. However, studies on reproductive investment of sacoglossan sea slugs capable of incorporating intracellular functional chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) 2019-02, Vol.611, p.167-177
Main Authors: Cartaxana, Paulo, Rey, Felisa, Ribeiro, Mariana, Moreira, Ana S. P., Domingues, M. Rosário M., Calado, Ricardo, Cruz, Sónia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Animal nutrition
Chloroplasts
Condition factor
Dry weight
Eggs
Elysia viridis
Fatty acids
Food
Food availability
Food sources
Food supply
Freshwater molluscs
Gastropoda
Investment
Marine molluscs
Parameter identification
Photosynthesis
Photosystem II
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Resource allocation
Seaweeds
Slugs
Spawning
Stearic acid
Weight
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Summary:Parental size and nutritional state have been identified as important interrelated parameters determining reproductive investment in marine gastropods. However, studies on reproductive investment of sacoglossan sea slugs capable of incorporating intracellular functional chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) from their food sources are scarce. In the present work, we investigated the effects of different levels of availability of the macroalga Codium tomentosum on the reproductive investment of the mixotrophic sea slug Elysia viridis. Limited food availability decreased sea slug size (dry weight), kleptoplast abundance (chl a concentration), and photosynthetic capacity (PSII maximum quantum yield, F v/F m). Furthermore, sea slugs with limited access to food spawned significantly smaller egg masses and displayed a reduced number of eggs per egg mass. Intermittently fed sea slugs spawned a lower number of egg masses than continuously fed and starved sea slugs, indicating a trade-off between feeding and spawning activity under limited resources. No detectable effects of food limitation were observed on the size of individual eggs and total fatty acid content per egg. However, starved sea slugs produced eggs richer in saturated fatty acids, namely stearic acid (18:0). On the other hand, sea slugs with unlimited access to food spawned eggs richer in polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic, eicosatrienoic, and eicosapentaenoic acids (18:2 n-6, 20:3 n-3, and 20:5 n-3, respectively). In conclusion, nutritional state significantly affected resource allocation to reproductive traits in E. viridis.
ISSN:0171-8630
1616-1599
DOI:10.3354/meps12866