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First published online March 2, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 1112-1121 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02119
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Differential parental nutrient allocation in two congeneric pipefish species (Syngnathidae: Syngnathus spp.)

Jennifer L. Ripley* and Christy M. Foran

Department of Biology, West Virginia University, PO Box 6057, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA


Figure 1
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  		Fig. 1. Population sex ratios (number of males/number of females) for Syngnathus fuscus (black) and Syngnathus floridae (white) collected in the Chincoteague Bay, VA, USA during the 2003 (broken line) and 2004 (solid line) reproductive seasons. Sample sizes ranged from a minimum of 88 Syngnathus fuscus collected in September 2004 to 859 individuals of the same species counted in June 2004.

 

Figure 2
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  		Fig. 2. (A) Protein, (B) lipid and (C) carbohydrate content of mature eggs (white) and released fry (black) of Syngnathus floridae (eggs, N=26; fry, N=6) and Syngnathus fuscus (eggs, N=16, fry, N=7). Values are mean ± s.e.m. For all comparisons, interspecific differences (asterisks) exist between eggs but not fry (P<0.0001).

 

Figure 3
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  		Fig. 3. Illustrations and photomicrographs depicting morphological differences in the Syngnathus fuscus (A,B) and Syngnathus floridae (C,D) male brood pouch. (A) Syngnathus fuscus are distinguished by their shorter snout length (I) and enclosure of developing embryos underneath a pouch-derived epithelium (II). Males form an enclosed brood pouch by the attachment of each flap to the ventral surface of the animal (III). (B) Blood vessels (asterisk) transverse the pouch flaps in close proximity to embedded developing embryos (arrow). (C) Syngnathus floridae, with the longer snout (I), attach embryos on only one face (II) to the pouch flap. The two flaps that form the pouch seal at the midline (III). (D) Lipid droplets (double-sided arrow) are distinguishable in the pouch secretions, and blood vessels (asterisk) pass below the embryo connection to the pouch flap (arrow).

 

Figure 4
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  		Fig. 4. Changes in (A) protein, (B) lipid and (C) carbohydrate concentrations in the pouch fluid of Syngnathus fuscus (gray squares; solid line) and Syngnathus floridae (white diamonds; broken line) across the progression of embryonic development. For both species, nutrient levels significantly decline in pouch fluid over the seven stages of development (P<0.05). The decrease in protein occurs at a steeper rate for Syngnathus floridae, whereas lipid concentrations drop more quickly in Syngnathus fuscus (both P<0.05).

 

Figure 5
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  		Fig. 5. Circulating carbohydrate levels in blood plasma of gravid females (black bars), brooding males (white bars) and non-brooding males (gray bars). Values are means ± 1 s.e.m. An asterisk indicates a significant difference between groups (P<0.05).

 




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2006