Life history traits influence in gonad composition of two sympatric species of flatfish

Abstract

Paralichthys orbignyanus and Paralichthys patagonicus are flatfish with different life history traits, having in common the condition of breeding in seawater. Paralichthys patagonicus remain their whole life in open seawater and Paralichthys orbignyanus are sometimes found in brackish water bodies. As marine and estuarine food webs have different fatty acid (FA) compositions, the aim of this study was to characterize the gonadal maturation of P. orbignyanus and P. patagonicus females through the analysis of lipid content and FA profile in order to understand to what extent life history traits are reflected in the ovarian composition. During gonadal maturation lipid content increased and FA profiles changed in both species, but the lipid increase was greater in P. orbignyanus. The N-3FA and n-3HUFA proportions increased in both species but were higher in P. orbignyanus. The differences between the lifestyles of these species were reflected in the ovarian FA profile mainly as a result of differences in their FA metabolism, causing a greater accumulation of n-3FA and n-3HUFA in P. orbignyanus than in P. patagonicus. The higher lipid accumulation in P. orbignyanus’ ovaries could indicate that this species, feeding in brackish water bodies, has the possibility of storing more energy than P. patagonicus.