Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-wq484 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T20:05:07.642Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Adaptive significance of egg size variation of aquatic organisms in relation to mesoscale features of aquatic environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2011

By
Kinya Nishimura  and
Noboru Hoshino
Edited by
Tatsuya Togashi  and
Paul Alan Cox
Kinya Nishimura
Affiliation:
Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Japan
Noboru Hoshino
Affiliation:
Hokkaido Central Fisheries Experimental Station, Yoichi, Japan
Tatsuya Togashi
Affiliation:
Chiba University, Japan
Paul Alan Cox
Affiliation:
Institute for Ethnomedicine
Get access

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Following evolution of sexual reproduction, which was most likely characterized by the transition from isogamy (equal-sized gametes) to anisogamy (different-sized gametes) and oogamy (large immotile gametes, eggs, and small motile gametes, sperm), a secondary characteristic related to fertilization resulted in the diversification of the life-history traits of organisms (Parker and Tang-Martinez, 2005; Kokko and Jennions, 2008). An understanding of sexual and reproductive characteristics of organisms is an important aspect of the study of life-history evolution. Various questions arise concerning the evolutionary diversification including sex-specific behaviors and morphologies just before and after mating and the fusion of gametes (Andersson, 1994; Danchin et al., 2008).

Size variations – between different gamete types as well as within the same gamete type – evoke questions about the selective pressures on those variations. For example, comparison of + and − type gametes in green algae raises a fundamental question: what selective forces drive gamete size differentiation, and what forces maintain observed size differences between the two types of gametes that unite to create the zygote (Randerson and Hurst, 2001a; 2001b; Togashi et al., 2007; Iyer and Roughgarden, 2008)? One of the most influential explanations for patterns of gamete size distribution comes from game theory, using a model that incorporates the mechanism of disruptive selection (Parker et al., 1972).

Type
Chapter
Information
The Evolution of Anisogamy
A Fundamental Phenomenon Underlying Sexual Selection
 , pp. 131 - 167
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andersson, M. (1994). Sexual Selection. Princeton, NJ:Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Bailey, K. M. and Houde, E. D. (1989). Predation on eggs and larvae of marine fishes and the recruitment problem. Advances in Marine Biology, 25, 1–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bailey, K. M., Brown, E. S., and Duffy-Anderson, J. T. (2003). Aspects of distribution, transport and recruitment of Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus) in the Gulf of Alaska and eastern Bering Sea: comparison of marginal and central populations. Journal of Sea Research, 50, 87–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ball, M. A. and Parker, G. A. (1996). Sperm competition games: external fertilization and “adaptive” infertility. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 180, 141–150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Balon, E. K. (1984). Patterns in the evolution of reproductive styles in fishes. In Potts, G. W. and Wootton, R. J. (editors), Fish Reproduction. London: Academic Press, pp. 35–53.Google Scholar
Bertram, D. F. and Strathmann, R. R. (1998). Effects of maternal and larval nutrition on growth and form of planktotrophic larvae. Ecology, 79, 315–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, J. H. S. (1986). Development of sense-organs and behavior of teleost larvae with special reference to feeding and predator avoidance. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 115, 98–114.Google Scholar
Blaxter, J. H. S. and Hempel, G. (1963). The influence of egg size on herring larvae. Journal du Conseil, Conseil International Pour l'Exploration de la Mer, 28, 211–240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bode, M. and Marshall, D. J. (2007). The quick and the dead? Sperm competition and sexual conflict in sea. Evolution, 61, 2693–2700.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burgner, R. L. (1991). Life history of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). In Groot, C. and Margolis, L. (editors), Pacific Salmon Life Histories. Vancouver: UBC Press, pp. 1–117.Google Scholar
Buskey, E. J., Coulter, C., and Strom, S. (1993). Locomotory patterns of microzooplankton – potential effects on food selectivity of larval fish. Bulletin of Marine Science, 53, 29–43.Google Scholar
Chambers, R. C. and Leggett, W. C. (1996). Maternal influences on variation in egg sizes in temperate marine fishes. American Zoologist, 36, 180–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooperman, M. and Markle, D. F. (2003). Rapid out-migration of lost river and shortnose sucker larvae from in-river spawning beds to in-lake rearing grounds. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 132, 1138–1153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowan, J. H. and Houde, E. D. (1993). Relative predation potentials of scyphomedusae, ctenophores and planktivorous fish on ichthyoplankton in Chesapeake Bay. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 95, 55–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, P. A. and Sethian, J. A. (1985). Gamete motion, search, and the evolution of anisogamy, oogamy, and chemotaxis. American Naturalist, 125, 74–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cushing, D. H. (1975). Marine Ecology and Fisheries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Danchin, E., Giraldeau, L.-A., and Cezilly, F. (editors) (2008). Behavioural Ecology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Denny, M. W. and Shibata, M. F. (1989). Consequences of surf-zone turbulence for settlement and external fertilization. American Naturalist, 134, 859–889.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duarte, C. M. and Alcaraz, M. (1989). To produce many small or few large eggs – a size-independent reproductive tactic of fish. Oecologia, 80, 401–404.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duffy, J. T., Epifanio, C. E., and Fuiman, L. A. (1997). Mortality rates imposed by three scyphozoans on red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus Linnaeus) larvae in field enclosures. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 212, 123–131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dusenbery, D. B. (2006). Selection for high gamete encounter rates explains the evolution of anisogamy using plausible assumptions about size relationships of swimming speed and duration. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 241, 33–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Einum, S., Hendry, A. P., and Fleming, I. A. (2002). Egg-size evolution in aquatic environments: does oxygen availability constrain size? Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B – Biological Sciences, 269, 2325–2330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elgar, M. A. (1990). Evolutionary compromise between a few large and many small eggs – comparative evidence in teleost fish. Oikos, 59, 283–287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emlet, R. B. and HoeghGuldberg, O. (1997). Effects of egg size on postlarval performance: experimental evidence from a sea urchin. Evolution, 51, 141–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Epifanio, C. E. (1995). Transport of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) larvae in the waters off Mid-Atlantic states. Bulletin of Marine Science, 57, 713–725.Google Scholar
Fuiman, L. A. and Batty, R. S. (1994). Susceptibility of Atlantic herring and plaice larvae to predation by juvenile cod and herring at two constant temperatures. Journal of Fish Biology, 44, 23–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gage, M. J. G. and Morrow, E. H. (2003). Experimental evidence for the evolution of numerous, tiny sperm via sperm competition. Current Biology, 13, 754–757.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
George, S. B. (1999). Egg quality, larval growth and phenotypic plasticity in a forcipulate seastar. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 237, 203–224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groot, C. and Margolis, L. (editors) (1991). Pacific Salmon Life Histories. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Groot, C., Margolis, L., and Clarke, W. C. (editors) (1995). Physiological Ecology of Pacific Salmon. Vancuver: UBC Press.
Gross, M. R. and Sargent, R. C. (1985). The evolution of male and female parental care in fishes. American Zoologist, 25, 807–822.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, J. W., Smith, T. I. J., and Lamprecht, S. D. (1991). Movements and habitats of shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum in the Savannah River. Copeia, 695–702.CrossRef
Hare, J. A., Thorrold, S., Walsh, H., et al. (2005). Biophysical mechanisms of larval fish ingress into Chesapeake Bay. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 303, 295–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helfman, G. S., Collette, B. B., and Facey, D. E. (1997). The Diversity of Fishes. London: Blackwell Science.Google Scholar
Hinckley, S., Bailey, K. M., Picquelle, S. J., Schumacher, J. D., and Stabeno, P. J. (1991). Transport, distribution, and abundance of larval and juvenile walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in the western gulf of Alaska. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 48, 91–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hinckley, S., Hermann, A. J.Mier, K. L., and Megrey, B. A. (2001). Importance of spawning location and timing to successful transport to nursery areas: a simulation study of Gulf of Alaska walleye pollock. Ices Journal of Marine Science, 58, 1042–1052.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hipfner, J. M. and Gaston, A. J. (1999). The relationship between egg size and posthatching development in the thick-billed Murre. Ecology, 80, 1289–1297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hipfner, J. M., Gaston, A. J., and deForest, L. N. (1997). The role of female age in determining egg size and laying date of thick-billed Murres. Journal of Avian Biology, 28, 271–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hirai, A. (2003). A Story of Fish Eggs (in Japanese). Tokyo: Seizandou-shotenn.Google Scholar
Hjort, J. (1914). Fluctuations in the great fisheries of northern Europe viewed in the light of biological research. Rapports et Procès-Verbaux des Réunions / Conseil Permanent International Pour l'Exploration de la Mer, 20, 1–228.Google Scholar
Hunter, J. R. (1972). Swimming and feeding behavior of larval anchovy Engraulis mordax. Fisheries Bulletin, 70, 821–838.Google Scholar
Hutchings, J. A. (1991). Fitness consequences of variation in egg size and good abundance in brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis. Evolution, 45, 1162–1168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iguchi, K. and Yamaguchi, M. (1994). Adaptive significance of interpopulational and intrapopulational egg size variation in ayu Plecoglossus-altivelis (Osmeridae). Copeia, 184–190.CrossRef
Iyer, P. and Roughgarden, J. (2008). Gametic conflict versus contact in the evolution of anisogamy. Theoretical Population Biology, 73, 461–472.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnston, T. A. and Leggett, W. C. (2002). Maternal and environmental gradients in the egg size of an iteroparous fish. Ecology, 83, 1777–1791.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, G. P., Milicich, M. J., Emslie, M. J., and Lunow, C. (1999). Self-recruitment in a coral reef fish population. Nature, 402, 802–804.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, R. H. (1980). The implications of ovum size variability for offspring fitness and clutch size within several populations of salamanders (Ambystoma). Evolution, 34, 51–64.Google Scholar
Kawanabe, K. and Mizuno, N. (editors) (1989). Freshwater Fishes of Japan (in Japanese). Tokyo: Yama to Keikoku Sha.
Knutsen, G. M. and Tilseth, S. (1985). Growth, development, and feeding success of Atlantic cod larvae gadus-morhua related to egg size. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 114, 507–511.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kokita, T. (2003). Potential latitudinal variation in egg size and number of a geographically widespread reef fish, revealed by common-environment experiments. Marine Biology, 143, 593–601.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kokko, H. and Jennions, M. D. (2008). Parental investment, sexual selection and sex ratios. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 21, 919–948.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laptikhovsky, V. (2006). Latitudinal and bathymetric trends in egg size variation: a new look at Thorson's and Rass's rules. Marine Ecology An Evolutionary Perspective, 27, 7–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laurence, G. C. and Rogers, C. A. (1976). Effects of temperature and salinity on comparative embryo development and mortality of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus (L.)). Journal du Conceil, 36, 220–228.Google Scholar
Levitan, D. R. (1993). The importance of sperm limitation to the evolution of egg size in marine-invertebrates. American Naturalist, 141, 517–536.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levitan, D. R. (1996). Effects of gamete traits on fertilization in the sea and the evolution of sexual dimorphism. Nature (London), 382, 153–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levitan, D. R. (2000). Optimal egg size in marine invertebrates: theory and phylogenetic analysis of the critical relationship between egg size and development time in echinoids. American Naturalist, 156, 175–192.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Litvak, M. K. and Leggett, W. C. (1992). Age and size-selective predation on larval fishes – the bigger-is-better hypothesis revisited. Marine Ecology – Progress Series, 81, 13–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Llanos-Rivera, A. and Castro, L. R. (2006). Inter-population differences in temperature effects on Engraulis ringens yolk-sac larvae. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 312, 245–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marteinsdottir, G., Gudmundsdottir, A., Thorsteinsson, V., and Stefansson, G. (2000). Spatial variation in abundance, size composition and viable egg production of spawning cod (Gadus morhua L.) in Icelandic waters. Ices Journal of Marine Science, 57, 824–830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGinley, M. A. (1989). The influence of a positive correlation between clutch size and offspring fitness on the optimal offspring size. Evolutionary Ecology, 3, 150–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, T. J., Crowder, L. B., Rice, J. A., and Marschall, E. A. (1988). Larval size and recruitment mechanisms in fishes – toward a conceptual-framework. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 45, 1657–1670.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, T. J., Crowder, L. B., Rice, J. A., and Binkowski, F. P. (1992). Body size and the ontogeny of the functional-response in fishes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 49, 805–812.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minami, T. (1984). Early life history of flatfishes V: duration of pelagic phase (in Japanese with English abstract). Aquabiology, 33, 296–299.Google Scholar
Norcross, B. L. and Shaw, R. F. (1984). Oceanic and estuarine transport of fish eggs and larvae: a review. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 113, 153–165.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nussbaum, R. A. and Schultz, D. L. (1989). Coevolution of parental care and egg size. American Naturalist, 133, 591–603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ochiai, A. and Tanaka, M. (1986a). Ichthyology II. Tokyo: Kouseisha Kouseikaku (in Japanese).Google Scholar
Ochiai, A. and Tanaka, M. (1986b). Ichthyology II. Tokyo: Kouseisya Kouseikaku (in Japanese).Google Scholar
Okubo, A. and Levin, S. A. (2001). Diffusion and Ecological Problems, second edition. New York: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, G., Baker, R., and Smith, V. (1972). The origin and evolution of gamete dimorphism and the male-female phenomenon. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 36, 529–553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parker, G. A. and Begon, M. (1986). Optimal egg size and clutch size – effects of environment and maternal phenotype. American Naturalist, 128, 573–592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, P. G. and Tang-Martinez, Z. (2005). Bateman gradients in field and laboratory studies: a cautionary tale. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 45, 895–902.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parrish, R. H., Nelson, C. S., and Bakun, A. (1981). Transport mechanisms and reproductive success of fishes in the California current. Biological Oceanography, 1, 175–203.Google Scholar
Paxton, J. R. and Eschmeyer, W. N. (editors) (1995). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Pepin, P. (1991). Effect of temperature and size on development, mortality, and survival rates of the pelagic early life-history stages of marine fish. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 48, 503–518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pepin, P. and Myers, R. A. (1991). Significance of egg and larval size to recruitment variability of temperate marine fish. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 48, 1820–1828.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pepin, P., Shears, T. H., and Delafontaine, Y. (1992). Significance of body size to the interaction between a larval fish (Mallotus villosus) and a vertebrate predator (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Marine Ecology Progress Series, 81, 1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petersen, C. W., Warner, R. R., Shapiro, D. Y., and Marconato, A. (2001). Components of fertilization success in the bluehead wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum. Behavioral Ecology, 12, 237–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Podolsky, R. D. (2001). Evolution of egg target size: an analysis of selection on correlated characters. Evolution, 55, 2470–2478.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Podolsky, R. D. (2004). Life-history consequences of investment in free-spawned eggs and their accessory coats. American Naturalist, 163, 735–753.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Podolsky, R. D. and Strathmann, R. R. (1996). Evolution of egg size in free-spawners: consequences of the fertilization-fecundity trade-off. American Naturalist, 148, 160–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Randerson, J. P. and Hurst, L. D. (2001a). A comparative test of a theory for the evolution of anisogamy. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences, 268, 879–884.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Randerson, J. P. and Hurst, L. D. (2001b). The uncertain evolution of the sexes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 16, 571–579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, D. R. (1996). Egg size in relation to fertilization dynamics in free-spawning tropical reef fishes. Oecologia, 108, 95–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rombough, P. J. (2007). Oxygen as a constraining factor in egg size evolution in salmonids. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 64, 692–699.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sargent, R. C., Taylor, P. D., and Gross, M. R. (1987). Parental care and the evolution of egg size in fishes. American Naturalist, 129, 32–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherman, K., Smith, W., Morse, W., et al. (1984). Spawning strategies of fishes in relation to circulation, phytoplankton production, and pulses in zooplankton off the Northeastern United-States. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 18, 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, C. C. and Fretwell, S. D. (1974). The optimal balance between size and number of offspring. American Naturalist, 108, 499–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strathmann, R. R. and Vedder, K. (1977). Size and organic content of eggs of echinoderms and other invertebrates as related to developmental strategies and egg eating. Marine Biology, 39, 305–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swearer, S. E., Caselle, J. E., Lea, D. W., and Warner, R. R. (1999). Larval retention and recruitment in an island population of a coral-reef fish. Nature, 402, 799–802.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thresher, R. E. (1988). Latitudinal variation in egg sizes of tropical and sub-tropical North-Atlantic shore fishes. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 21, 17–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Togashi, T. and Cox, P. A. (2004). Phototaxis and the evolution of isogamy and “slight anisogamy” in marine green algae: insights from laboratory observations and numerical experiments. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 144, 321–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Togashi, T., Cox, P. A., and Bartelt, J. L. (2007). Underwater fertilization dynamics of marine green algae. Mathematical Biosciences, 209, 205–221.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vance, R. R. (1973a). More on reproductive strategies in marine benthic invertebrates. American Naturalist, 107, 353–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vance, R. R. (1973b). On reproductive strategies in marine benthic invertebrates. American Naturalist, 107, 339–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vogel, H., Czihak, G., Chang, P., and Wolf, W. (1982). Fertilization kinetics of sea-urchin eggs. Mathematical Biosciences, 58, 189–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ware, D. M. (1975). Relation between egg size, growth, and natural mortality of larval fish. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 32, 2503–2512.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ware, D. M. (1977). Spawning time and egg size of Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, in relation to the plankton. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 34, 2308–2315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winemiller, K. O. and Rose, K. A. (1993). Why do most fish produce so many tiny offspring? American Naturalist, 142, 585–603.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winkler, D. W. and Wallin, K. (1987). Offspring size and number – a life-history model linking effort per offspring and total effort. American Naturalist, 129, 708–720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wootton, R. J. (1994). Life-histories as sampling devices – optimum egg size in pelagic fishes. Journal of Fish Biology, 45, 1067–1077.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×