Physiological markers suggest energetic and nutritional adjustments in male sharks linked to reproduction

Energetic condition is one of the most important factors that influence fitness and reproductive performance in vertebrates. Yet, we lack evidence on how energetic states change in response to reproduction in large marine vertebrates. In the present study, we used a non-lethal approach to assess rel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 2021-08, Vol.196 (4), p.989-1004
Main Authors: S. Rangel, Bianca, Hammerschlag, Neil, Sulikowski, James A., Moreira, Renata Guimarães
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal reproduction
Benthos
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Carcharhinus limbatus
Carcharhinus melanopterus
Corticosteroids
Divergence
Ecology
Fatty acids
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Ginglymostomatidae
Hormones
Hydrology/Water Resources
Ketones
Life Sciences
Males
Marine fishes
Mating
Nurses
Physiological aspects
Physiological Ecology–Original Research
Plant Sciences
Reproduction
Reproductive behaviour
Sharks
Spermatogenesis
Steroid hormones
Steroids
Testosterone
Vertebrates
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Summary:Energetic condition is one of the most important factors that influence fitness and reproductive performance in vertebrates. Yet, we lack evidence on how energetic states change in response to reproduction in large marine vertebrates. In the present study, we used a non-lethal approach to assess relationships among reproductive stage, circulating steroid hormones (testosterone and relative corticosteroid levels), plasma fatty acids, and the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate in male sharks of two species with divergent ecologies, the benthic nurse shark ( Ginglymostoma cirratum ) and the epipelagic blacktip shark ( Carcharhinus limbatus ). We found higher relative corticosteroid levels in adult nurse sharks during the pre-mating period and in blacktip sharks during the mating period. Higher levels of β-hydroxybutyrate were found in adult nurse sharks during the mating period, but concentrations of this ketone body did not significantly vary across reproductive stages in blacktip sharks. We also detected reduced percentages of essential fatty acids during the mating period of both nurse and blacktip sharks. Taken together, our findings suggest that nurse and blacktip sharks differ in their energetic strategy to support reproduction, however, they likely rely on physiologically important fatty acids during mating, to support spermatogenesis.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/s00442-021-04999-4