Dietary fatty acid enrichment increases egg size and quality of yellow seahorse Hippocampus kuda.
Seahorses populations in the wild have been declining and to restore them a better knowledge of seahorse reproduction is required. This study examines the effect of dietary quality on seahorse fecundity and egg quality. Two different diets were tested with Hippocampus kuda females: frozen mysis (control) and frozen mysis enriched with a liposome spray containing essential fatty acids. Diets were given to females (two groups of five) over a seven week period. After this period, males (fed the control diet) and females were paired and the eggs dropped by the females were collected. Fatty acid profile were analysed and eggs were counted and measured. Results showed that females fed on enriched mysis had larger eggs and that these had a higher content of total polyunsaturated fatty acids. The size of the egg was especially affected in the first spawn, where egg size for females fed the enriched diet was significantly higher than the egg size from control females. This effect was reduced in the following spawning where no significant differences were found. Egg size is an important quality descriptor as seahorse juveniles originating from smaller eggs and/or eggs of poor quality will have less chances of overcoming adverse conditions in the wild and consequently have lower survival and growth rates. This study shows that enriching frozen mysis with polyunsaturated fatty acids increases egg size and egg quality of H. kuda.
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom. Electronic address: margarida.saavedra@gmail.com.
M
M
Saavedra
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom.
M
M
Masdeu
Sea Life London Aquarium, County Hall, Riverside Building, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7PB, United Kingdom.
P
P
Hale
Institute of Developmental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, United Kingdom.
C M
CM
Sibbons
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom.
W V
WV
Holt
D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture / Q000379:methods; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010063:Ovum / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D011786:Quality Control; D023701:Smegmamorpha / Q000502:physiology
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids
Eggs; Fatty acids; Hippocampus kuda; Mysis