1. Composition of body storage compounds influences egg quality and reproductive investment in the land snail Cornu aspersum
- Author
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Nicolai, Annegret, Filser, Juliane, Lenz, Roman, Valerie, Briand, and Charrier, Maryvonne
- Subjects
Body composition -- Research ,Snails -- Physiological aspects ,Egg (Biology) -- Physiological aspects ,Zoology and wildlife conservation - Abstract
In invertebrates, resources available for growth and reproduction might influence the composition of body stores and subsequently nutrient allocation to eggs, thereby adjusting energy investment in reproduction. We investigated in the land snail Cornu aspersum (Muller, 1774) the efficiency of growth and the main storage compounds in the body and in eggs with respect to lipid content in food (5.5% versus 2.5%). The high body dry mass density of snails fed on lipid-rich diet underlined the high storage capacity of neutral lipids acquired during growth (high growth efficiency) without changing energy content because of the prevailing carbohydrate storage compounds. Reproductive investment was lower in these snails, and maternal effects decreased clutch size. Triglyceride allocation to eggs might enhance survival probability of offspring and therefore compensate for smaller clutch size. Snails fed on lipid-poor diet maximized their investment in clutch size whatever the amount of body stores, and allocated a higher amount of cholesterol to eggs. Cholesterol could be essential for embryo growth, as it ensures membrane functioning. In conclusion, the availability of resources can differentially affect nutrient allocation and energy investment in reproduction. Thus, the investigation of physiological processes becomes essential to understand population dynamics in fluctuating or changing habitats. Key words: triglyceride storage, cholesterol, carbohydrate storage, growth, reproductive trade-offs, reproductive allocation, Cornu aspersum. Chez les invertebres, les ressources disponibles pour la croissance et la reproduction pourraient influencer la composition des reserves corporelles et, consequemment, l'attribution de nutriments aux oeufs, modulant ainsi la quantite d'energie investie dans la reproduction. Nous avons etudie, chez l'escargot terrestre Cornu aspersum (Muller, 1774), l'efficacite de la croissance et les principaux composes de reserves dans le corps et dans les oeufs pour differents contenus lipidiques de l'alimentation (5,5 % contra 2,5 %). La forte masse seche des corps d'escargots nourris d'un regime riche en lipides a mis en avant la capacite de stockage elevee de lipides neutres acquise durant la croissance (efficacite de croissance elevee) sans changement du contenu energetique en raison de la dominance de composes de reserves glucidiques. L'investissement dans la reproduction etait plus faible chez ces escargots, et les effets maternels reduisaient la taille des pontes. L'allocation de triglycerides aux oeufs pourrait accroitre la probabilite de survie de la progeniture et ainsi compenser la taille reduite des pontes. Les escargots nourris d'un regime faible en lipides ont maximise leur investissement dans la taille des pontes, quelle que soit la quantite de reserves corporelles, et attribue une plus grande quantite de cholesterol aux o ufs. Le cholesterol pourrait etre essentiel a la croissance des embryons puisqu'il assure le bon fonctionnement des membranes. En conclusion, la disponibilite des ressources peut avoir differents effets sur l'allocation de nutriments et l'investissement d'energie dans la reproduction. Aussi, l'etude des processus physiologiques est necessaire a la comprehension de la dynamique des populations dans des habitats fluctuants ou changeants. Mots-cles : stockage des triglycerides, cholesterol, stockage des glucides, croissance, compromis associes a la reproduction, attribution pour la reproduction, Cornu aspersum. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Many small invertebrates, like insects or gastropods, adopt a life-history strategy with production of many small eggs (Andersen et al. 2008). The success of this strategy depends on the [...]
- Published
- 2012
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