Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T03:58:40.279Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Timing variations and effects of size on the reproductive output of the wedge clam Donax trunculus (L. 1758) in the littoral of Huelva (SW Spain)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2016

Marina Delgado  and
Luis Silva
Marina Delgado*
Affiliation:
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Cádiz, Muelle de Levante, s/n, 11006 Cádiz, Spain
Luis Silva
Affiliation:
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Cádiz, Muelle de Levante, s/n, 11006 Cádiz, Spain
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: M. Delgado, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Cádiz, Muelle de Levante, s/n, 11006 Cádiz, Spain Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study aimed to augment existing knowledge of the reproductive characteristics of Donax trunculus through analysis of timing variations and the influence of shell size on partial fecundity (PF) during the reproductive period. To achieve this objective, two reproductive timing characteristics were also studied: size at first maturity (SL50) and the reproductive cycle using histology and image analysis techniques. SL50 was 10.83 mm for females and 10.86 for males. Donax trunculus showed a continuous and simultaneous release of gametes and high oocyte regeneration ability during the reproductive period (from February to July). These reproductive characteristics impeded the estimation of total fecundity. However, throughout the reproductive period an increasing pattern of PF was observed followed by a significant drop at the end of the same period, which could be quantified (293,390 of vitellogenic and ripe oocytes). At the same time PF quantifications allowed for predicting and estimating the influence of shell length (SL) on the reproductive output as a function of oocyte typology (PF = 4.12 + 3.96 SL; r2 = 0.86; all types). Levels of prevalence of a digenetic trematode-like parasite with castrate ability fluctuated between 0–20% depending on the time of the year and sex. In addition, the possible consequences of two different scenarios of population size structure on the reproductive output were simulated, and highlighted how beach areas supporting high levels of anthropogenic pressure (Isla Canela) could compromise future recruitments, producing 84% less oocytes than a beach with a lower level of disturbance (Doñana).

Keywords

Donax trunculussize at first maturitygonadal occupation indexpartial fecundityHuelva
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 98 , Issue 2 , March 2018 , pp. 341 - 350
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ansell, A.D. and Lagardére, F. (1980) Observations on the biology of Donax trunculus and Donax vittatus at Ile d'Oléron (French Atlantic coast). Marine Biology 57, 287–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bancroft, B.J. and Stevens, A. (1996) Theory and practice of histological techniques, 4th edition. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone.Google Scholar
Beukema, J.J. and de Bruin, W. (1977) Seasonal changes in dry weight and chemical composition of the soft parts of the tellinid bivalve Macoma balthica in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 11, 42–55.Google Scholar
Dadon, J.R. (2005) Changes in the intertidal community structure after a mass mortality event in sandy beaches of Argentina. Contributions to Zoology 74, 27–39.Google Scholar
Delgado, M. and Pérez-Camacho, A. (2003) A study of gonadal development in Ruditapes decussatus (L.) (Mollusca: Bivalvia), using image analysis techniques: influence of food ration and energy balance. Journal of Shellfish Research 22, 435–441.Google Scholar
Delgado, M. and Silva, L. (2015) ‘Estudio integral en zonas de protección pesquera y marisquera y otras áreas marinas protegidas del litoral andaluz. Análisis y seguimiento de los recursos y actividades pesqueras de chirla y coquina en zonas de influencia de las reservas de pesca y marisqueras del litoral andaluz: Análisis de parámetros biológicos de la población de coquina (Donax trunculus)’ (Final Report of the Project), October 2015, 125 pp.Google Scholar
Delgado, M., Silva, L. and Juárez, A. (2013) Aspects of reproduction of striped venus Chamelea gallina in the Gulf of Cádiz (SW Spain): implications for fishery management. Fisheries Research 146, 86–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Montaudouin, X., Bazairi, H., Ait Milk, K. and González, P. (2014) Bacciger bacciger (Trematoda: Fellodistomidae) infection effects on wedge clam Donax trunculus condition. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 111, 259–267.Google Scholar
Deval, M.C. (2009) Growth and reproduction of the wedge clam (Donax trunculus) in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 25, 551–558.Google Scholar
Gaspar, M.B., Ferreira, R. and Monteiro, C.C. (1999) Growth and reproductive cycle of Donax trunculus L., (Mollusca: Bivalvia) off Faro, southern Portugal. Fisheries Research 41, 309–316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herrmann, M., Barreira, C., Arntz, W.E., Laudien, J. and Penchaszadeh, P.E. (2010) Testing the habitat harshness hypothesis: reproductive biology of the wedge clam Donax hanleyanus (Bivalvia: Donacidae) on three Argentinean sandy beaches with contrasting morphodynamics. Journal of Molluscan Studies 76, 33–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herrmann, M., Carstensen, D., Fischer, S., Laudien, J., Penchaszadeh, P.E. and Arntz, W.E. (2009) Population structure, growth, and production of the wedge clam Donax hanleyanus (Bivalvia: Donacidae) from northern Argentinian beaches. Journal of Shellfish Research 28, 511–526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, A., Pitchford, J. and Brindley, J. (2003) The relationship between plankton blooms, the hatching of fish larvae, and recruitment. Ecological Modelling 160, 77–90.Google Scholar
Lowerre-Barbieri, S.K., Ganias, K., Saborido-Rey, F., Murua, H. and Hunter, J.R. (2011) Reproductive timing in marine fishes: variability, temporal scales and methods. Marine Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 3, 71–91. doi: 10.1080/19425120.2011.556932.Google Scholar
Marcomini, S.C., Penchaszadeh, R.A., López, R.A. and Luzzatto, D.C. (2002) Beach morphodynamics and clam (Donax hanleyanus) densities in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Journal of Coastal Research 18, 601–611.Google Scholar
Möueza, M. and Frenkiel-Renault, L. (1973) Contribution a l’étude de la biologie de Donax trunculus L. (Mollusques, Lamellibranche) dans l'Algérois: la reproduction. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 14, 261–283.Google Scholar
Navarro, E., Iglesias, J.I.P. and Larrañaga, A. (1989) Interannual variation in the reproductive cycle and biochemical composition of the cockle Cerastoderma edule from Mundaca Estuary (Biscay, North Spain). Marine Biology 101, 503–511.Google Scholar
Ramadan, R.A.M. and Ahmad, A.M. (2010) Infestation of Donax trunculus (Bivalvia, Donacidae) from Mediterranean Sea at Port Said coastal zone with Bacciger bacciger (Trematoda, Fellodistomidae) and the role of the parasite in castration of the host. African Journal of Marine Sciences 6, 83–94.Google Scholar
Ramón, M. (1993) Estudio de las poblaciones de Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758) y Donax trunculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mollusca: Bivalvia) en el Golfo de Valencia (Mediterráneo Occidental) . PhD thesis. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.Google Scholar
Ramón, M., Gracenea, M. and González-Moreno, O. (1999) Bacciger bacciger (Trematoda, Fellodistomidae) infection in commercial clams Donax trunculus (Bivalvia, Donacidae) from the sandy beaches of the Western Mediterranean. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 35, 37–46.Google Scholar
R Development Core Team (2014) R: a language and environment for statistical computing, reference index version 3.2.2. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. http://www.R-project.org.Google Scholar
Snedecor, G.W. and Cochran, W.G. (1980) Statistical methods, 7th edition. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.Google Scholar
Tirado, C. and Salas, C. (1998) Reproduction and fecundity of Donax trunculus L., 1758 (Bivalvia: Donacidae) in the littoral of Málaga (Southern Spain). Journal of Shellfish Research 17, 169–176.Google Scholar
Tobin, D. and Wright, P.J. (2011) Temperature effects on female maturation in a temperate marine fish. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 403, 9–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van der Kraak, G. and Pankhurst, N.W. (1997) Temperature effects on the reproductive performance of fish. In Woods, C.M. and McDonald, D.G. (eds) Global warming: Implications for freshwater and marine fish. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 159–176.Google Scholar
Walne, J. (1976) Experiments on the culture in the sea of the Butterfish Venerupis decussata (L.). Aquaculture 8, 371–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar