Size, permeability and buoyancy of anchovy ( Engraulis Encrasicolus ) and sardine ( Sardina Pilchardus ) eggs in relation to their physical environment in the Bay of Biscay

Type Article
Date 2016-11
Language English
Author(s) Huret MartinORCID1, Bourriau Paul2, Gatti PaulORCID1, Dumas Franck3, Petitgas PierreORCID2
Affiliation(s) 1 : IFREMER, STH LBH, BP 70, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
2 : IFREMER, EMH, Rue Ile Yeu,BP 21105, F-44311 Nantes 03, France.
3 : IFREMER, DYNECO PHYSED, BP 70, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
Source Fisheries Oceanography (1054-6006) (Wiley-blackwell), 2016-11 , Vol. 25 , N. 6 , P. 582-597
DOI 10.1111/fog.12174
WOS© Times Cited 9
Keyword(s) anchovy, Bay of Biscay, density gradient column, egg buoyancy, egg permeability, egg size, sardine
Abstract The size and specific gravity of eggs of marine pelagic fish partly determine their dispersal and survival. Using an original dataset of anchovy and sardine eggs, sampled in spring over the last decade in the Bay of Biscay, we provide a parameterization of these properties on ambient water temperature and salinity. We used the density gradient column for measurement of egg specific gravity. The column was also filled with homogeneous water for sinking velocity experiments. For anchovy, these experiments confirm that the effect of egg permeability through the chorion could be neglected when modelling sinking, while it has to be considered for sardine, its perivitelline space representing 78.6% (±6.2%) of the total egg volume, as opposed to 5–10% for most teleosts species. We estimated a coefficient of permeability of the chorion of 0.0038 mm s−1. However, permeability should not affect the measurement of sardine egg specific gravity in a gradient column, provided a minimum duration before reading is respected for equilibrium to be reached. In relation to their environment, we found that the egg specific gravity is largely determined by sea surface salinity for both species, whereas egg size is weakly but significantly impacted by temperature, for sardine only. On average, the estimated difference in specific gravity between egg and surface water is −0.92 σT for anchovy and −1.06 σT for sardine. The detailed parameterization of the relationship between eggs and water properties should prove useful, in particular to modellers dealing with the dispersal of fish early life stages.
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Huret Martin, Bourriau Paul, Gatti Paul, Dumas Franck, Petitgas Pierre (2016). Size, permeability and buoyancy of anchovy ( Engraulis Encrasicolus ) and sardine ( Sardina Pilchardus ) eggs in relation to their physical environment in the Bay of Biscay. Fisheries Oceanography, 25(6), 582-597. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12174 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00346/45676/