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SUITABILITY OF THE CUNNER (TAUTOGOLABRUS ADSPERSUS) AS A MODEL SPECIES FOR REPRODUCTIVE STUDIES IN THE LABORATORY AND THE FIELD
Citation:
GutjahrGobell, R, M Huber, D B. Horowitz, G Zaroogian, AND L J. Mills. SUITABILITY OF THE CUNNER (TAUTOGOLABRUS ADSPERSUS) AS A MODEL SPECIES FOR REPRODUCTIVE STUDIES IN THE LABORATORY AND THE FIELD. Presented at Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Nashville, TN, November 12-16, 2000.
Description:
Cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus) are being studied at our laboratory as a model species to investigate the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on reproduction of estuarine fish populations. Wild cunner are easily collected and are amenable to laboratory holding. In addition, they spawn from mid-May through late-June and are large enough to have their blood sampled iepeatedly for plasma hormone and vitellogenin concentration (VTG). We first investigated the influence of sex ratio on reproduction in the laboratory. We designed a laboratory holding system to accommodate cunner's vertical spawning run and to collect the eggs released. Preliminary experimentation indicated that stripping ripe fish was the only reliable method to distinguish males and females. In the laboratory, egg production was greatest at 2 :3 . Significant mortality of male and female adultswasobserved at 3 :2 and 3 :3 . Egg viability (%) was significantly lower at 1 : 1 and 1 :3 . We then established baseline values at a field reference site from April- December, 1999 for gonadosomatic (GSI), hepatosomatic (HSI) indices, and VTG. At our field site, GSI, HSI, and VTG indicated that cunner are synchronized in their spawning. The laboratory and field observations made in this study indicated that cunner could be a useful model species for evaluating reproductive effects of environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals.