Relationship between fertilization success and the number of milt donors in rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax (Mitchell): implications for population growth rates

A series of artificial fertilizations using rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax were conducted, each designed to assess the fertilization success of a female’s eggs with milt from one to five males. Mean egg fertilization success increased and variance in fertilization success decreased when more males con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish biology 2007-03, Vol.70 (3), p.934-946
Main Authors: Purchase, C. F., Hasselman, D. J., Weir, L. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allee effects
fertilization success
Osmerus
Osmerus mordax
rainbow smelt
recruitment
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Summary:A series of artificial fertilizations using rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax were conducted, each designed to assess the fertilization success of a female’s eggs with milt from one to five males. Mean egg fertilization success increased and variance in fertilization success decreased when more males contributed to a constant volume of milt. This may indicate the presence of an Allee effect. The results suggest that potential changes in egg fertilization success due to a decrease in the number of males, in addition to changes in egg production due to a decrease in the number of females, can affect estimates of maximum sustainable harvest rates, and recovery of depleted populations.
ISSN:0022-1112
1095-8649
DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01356.x