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. 2022 Aug 26;12(17):2192.
doi: 10.3390/ani12172192.

Effect of Sperm Ratio and Temperature on Fertilization and Early Larval Development of the Surf Clam Mesodesma donacium (Bivalvia:Mesodesmatidae)

Piera Vásquez-Calderón  1 , Alejandro Abarca  2 , L René Durán  1   3 , Doris Oliva  1   4
Affiliations

Effect of Sperm Ratio and Temperature on Fertilization and Early Larval Development of the Surf Clam Mesodesma donacium (Bivalvia:Mesodesmatidae)

Piera Vásquez-Calderón et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

The effect of sperm ratio on fertilization was evaluated in five sperm:oocytes treatments (10:1, 50:1, 100:1, 500:1 and 1000:1), the effect of temperature on embryonic and larval development in three temperature treatments (13 °C, 16 °C and 19 °C) was recorded and the duration of each stage, the growth rate and survival rate were registered. The oocytes were spherical (67.5 ± 4.2 μm) with a defined nucleus. Spermatozoa had a circular head (2 μm) and a fusiform flagellum (12 μm). The 500:1 sperm:oocytes treatment presented the lowest % of unfertilized oocytes, and lysis was observed in the 1000:1 treatment. An inverse relationship was observed between temperature and the duration of the stages of embryonic development. At 16 °C, veliger D larvae were observed at 41 h 45' pf (88 ± 13.0 μm). Umbonate larvae were obtained at day 16 in the 13 °C culture and at day 10 in the 16 °C and 19 °C treatment (140 μm). On day 16 of culture, advanced umbonate larvae with a well-defined stomach (235 μm) were observed. The larval growth rate was higher in the 19 °C treatment (3.6 μm day-1) than the 13 °C and 16 °C treatment (2, 2.2 μm day-1). The mortality was higher in the 19 °C treatment (91%). These results are an initial contribution towards the culture of M. donacium as part of small-scale aquaculture in South America.

Keywords: Southeastern Pacific; embryonic development; fertilization; larval development; macha; temperature.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Oocyte and sperm of the surf clam Mesodesma donacium obtained by the stripping technique seen under a microscope. (a) Oocyte with germinal vesicle (GV) and nucleus (N), scale bar 50 μm; (b) sperm where the head (H) and flagellum (F) are observed (scale bar = 10 μm).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fertilization success for the surf clam Mesodesma donacium using different sperm:oocyte ratios. Letters, a and b, indicate significative different groups (Tukey test). The vertical bar indicates SE.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Embryonic development of the surf clam Mesodesma donacium at 16 °C: (a) oocyte with fertilization membrane (FM); (b) release of first polar corpuscle (PC); (c) first two-cell embryo segmentation (2 blastomeres); (d) second segmentation (4 cells); (e) third segmentation (8 cells); (f) morula; (g) blastula; (h) rotary blastula; (i) gastrula with cilia (C); (j) trochophore larva with apical flagellum (F); (k) trochophore larva with extended vellum (V); (l) D larva with straight hinge (SH) and prodisoconch I (PD). Scale bar = 50 μm.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Larval development of the surf clam Mesodesma donacium maintained at 16 °C. The size of the larvae is shown from day 4 to day 16 post fertilization: D larva from day 4 to 10 and umbonate larva from day 12 to 16.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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