Gonad Morphology And Social Influence On Gonad Development Of The Juvenile Divine Dwarfgoby, Eviota Epiphanes(Teleostei: Gobiidae)
Date
2018-05
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Abstract
Social factors can have significant effects on sexual development and sex allocation
strategies in juveniles of many coral reef fishes. However, much about the diversity of
reproductive strategies remains to be explored in the many species coral reef fishes. This
study examined the process of gonad development and tested for social control of first
sexual differentiation in juveniles of the hermaphroditic goby, Eviota epiphanes. This
small, cryptic species is native to the Hawaiian Islands and empirical data from previous
studies have shown that adult E. epiphanes can alternate sexual function in response to
social cues. Thus, social experiments were maintained to access the possible role of
social factors, specifically the presence of another conspecific of similar body size, on
gonad development and sexual function in juveniles. We hypothesized that the relative
proportions of ovarian and testicular tissues present in the developing gonad of E.
epiphanes prior to sexual maturity varies significantly in response to the presence of
another conspecific. Social pairs were established based on similarity in body sizes and
were maintained in individual laboratory tanks. Following the end of the two-week
experimental period, some fish had achieved adulthood, indicated by the sexually
distinctive papilla morphology and by the presence of mature gametes identified
histologically. A non-experimental group, composed of wild caught juveniles was used to
examine gonad morphology prior to sexual maturity. All gonads were assessed
histologically and the results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in
the proportion of spermatogenic to oogonia tissues appropriated in the gonads of paired
individuals. This study demonstrated for the first time that social context affects sexual
differentiation in E. epiphanes juveniles.
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bi-directional, hermaphroditism, Eviota epiphanes, ovotestis, sex differentiation
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