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First published online June 26, 2009
Journal of Experimental Biology 212, 2287-2295 (2009)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2009
doi: 10.1242/jeb.016329
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Limiting factors to encapsulation: the combined effects of dissolved protein and oxygen availability on embryonic growth and survival of species with contrasting feeding strategies

Antonio Brante1,2,3,*, Miriam Fernández2,3 and Frédérique Viard3,4,5

1 Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Departamento de Ecología Costera, Facultad de Ciencias, Casilla 297, Concepción, Chile
2 Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas of Las Cruces, Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile
3 Laboratoire International Associé `Dispersal and Adaptation in Marine Species' (LIA DIAMS) PUC, Chile and CNRS-UPMC, France
4 UPMC Univeristy de Paris 06, UMR 7144, Equipe Evolution et Génetique des Populations Marines Station Biologique, Roscoff, 29682 France
5 CNRS, UMR 7144, Station Biologique, Roscoff, 29682 France

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: abrante{at}ucsc.cl)

Accepted 22 April 2009

Encapsulation is a common strategy among marine invertebrate species. It has been shown that oxygen and food availability independently constrain embryo development during intracapsular development. However, it is unclear how embryos of species with different feeding strategies perceive these two constraints when operating jointly. In the present study, we examined the relative importance of dissolved albumen, as a food source, oxygen condition and their interaction on embryonic growth and the survival of two calyptraeid species, Crepidula coquimbensis and Crepidula fornicata, exhibiting different embryo feeding behaviours (i.e. presence vs absence of intracapsular cannibalism). Two oxygen condition treatments (normoxia and hypoxia) and three albumen concentrations (0, 1 and 2 mg l–1) were studied. In addition, albumen intake by embryos was observed using fluorescence microscopy. Our study shows that embryos of both species incorporated dissolved albumen but used a different set of embryonic organs. We observed that embryo growth rates in C. coquimbensis were negatively affected only by hypoxic conditions. Conversely, a combination of low albumen concentration and oxygen availability slowed embryo growth in C. fornicata. These findings suggest that oxygen availability is a limiting factor for the normal embryo development of encapsulated gastropod species, regardless of feeding behaviour or developmental mode. By contrast, the effect of dissolved albumen as an alternative food source on embryo performance may depend on the feeding strategy of the embryos.

Key words: Crepidula fornicata, Crepidula coquimbensis, encapsulation, hypoxia, food limitation, embryo development


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