Effect of
dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on reproductive output and larval growth
of bivalves
I.E.
Hendriks, L.A. van Duren, P.M.J. Herman-2003
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology,
296(2): 199-213
Abstract:
The pre-spawning condition of adult bivalves is
influenced by quantity and quality of available food. For bivalves, the
essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
20:5(n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) 22:6(n-3) are presumed to determine
the nutritional value of algae. Macoma balthica kept on a broodstock
diet supplemented with PUFAs spawned a larger number of eggs (average 22220)
per female and larger sized eggs (106.7 µm) compared to adults kept on a
diet without PUFA supplementation (962.5 eggs with average size 99.8 µm).
Larvae of M. balthica from the same parental
pool however did not profit from a diet where a part was replaced with PUFA
spheres. Instead, larvae reared on Isochrysis sp. showed lower
mortality and higher growth rates than larvae fed on the same algae
supplemented with lipid spheres. Crassostrea gigas larvae showed no
clear response to a PUFA supplemented diet.