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Seasonal nutritional status in Norway lobsters, Nephrops norvegicus (L.): are females nutritionally compromised over the winter?
- Source :
- Marine Biology Research. 12:563-572
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Informa UK Limited, 2016.
-
Abstract
- Norway lobsters, Nephrops norvegicus, are sediment-dwelling decapod crustaceans that excavate burrows from which they make short excursions to feed by predation and scavenging. The females of this species are known to reside within their burrows for an extended period of time over the winter while brooding their eggs. The aim of this study was to assess the likelihood of these females being able to feed during this brooding period. Biophysical and biochemical measurements that had previously been shown to change with starvation under laboratory conditions in male N. norvegicus were taken for female N. norvegicus under similar conditions. These measurements were also compared in both sexes obtained from monthly trawl samples from the Clyde Sea Area, Scotland, UK, together with trawl composition data. The laboratory study showed that the hepatosomatic index, and the copper, lipid and water content of the hepatopancreas can be used as indicators of the state of starvation in females, as in males. In the wild, both sexes have reduced nutritional status during the winter, but not to the degree seen in animals starved for 20 weeks in aquarium trials. This study does not support the hypothesis that females cease feeding over winter, during their brooding period. Firstly, some females were unable to sustain ovary development during starvation under controlled conditions, contrary to field observations. Secondly, field data suggest that there is no sex-specific reduction in nutritional status.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Norway lobster
Population
Zoology
Aquatic Science
Biology
Oceanography
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Predation
Nephrops norvegicus
Biochemical composition
education
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
education.field_of_study
nutritional state
Decapoda
010604 marine biology & hydrobiology
fungi
starvation
brooding
Nutritional status
biology.organism_classification
Crustacean
Fishery
Hepatopancreas
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17451019 and 17451000
- Volume :
- 12
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Marine Biology Research
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....adc1a6193b8fb9044c093d7f8961cf74