Morphology, Respiration and Energetics of the Eggs of the Giant
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Q' ê1. oet Morphology, resp¡ration and energetics of the eggs of the giant cuttlefish, Sepia apama Emma R. Cronin Department of Environmental Biology University of Adelaide This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy FEBRUARY 2OOO Table of Contents ABSTRACT.... 4 INDEX TO TABLES.... 6 INDEX TO FIGURES 7 DECLARATION 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ... 8 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ... 10 CHAPTER 2: MORPHOLOGY AND GROWTH OF THE EGG.. Introduction.......... 19 Methods 20 Site collection and egg maintenance 20 Ageing eggs.............. ¿) Morphology of the eggs and embryos 23 Perivitelline fluid.......... 25 Growth rate................... 26 Variations in egg si2e........... 26 Data analysis.. 27 Results...... 2l Field observations 27 Egg morphology 29 Perivitelline fluid osmolality. 32 Growth rates ................ 32 Variations in egg si2e......... JI Discussion 42 Morphology ............... 42 Perivitelline fluid 43 Egg size 45 Capsule 46 47 Embryo 48 CHAPTER 3: STAGING EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT 54 54 Methods... 56 Results..... .56 Gonad development and fertilisation . 56 Cleavage.... 57 Gastrulation 58 2 Organogenesis ................... Sepia apama organogenesrs Behaviour and hatching...... Discussion..... CHAPTER 4: GAS EXCHANGE IN EGGS. Introduction Methods..... Oxygen consumption of the eggs ....'.......'..'. Perivitelline Poz Mantle contraction frequencY.. Results...... Oxygen consumption... Comparison of methods .... Effect of Poz on \b2.. Changes in \bz throughout development... Perivitelline Fluid Po2............ Oxygen conductance of the caPsule Role of convection Discussion Embryonic oxygen consumption Capsule oxygen consumption.............'. Effects of stining on egg metabolic rate: Boundary layers Effect of Poz on \b2 Matching \ôz and Goz .......... Capsule Ko2....... Role of convection Consequences of diffusive limitations on egg design. CHAPTER 5: ENERGETICS OF EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT Initial egg energy content.. Final energy content Energy content.. Results..... Initial egg energy content Final composition Discussion Ecological imPlications .'..... BIBLIOGRAPHY ......... 3 Abstract The giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama) of southern Australia lays among the largest molluscan eggs known. The eggs consist of a single embryo with attached yolk enclosed within a chorion membrane and wrapped in a series ofjelly layers. Embryonic development requires 3-5 months to produce a miniature adult weighing 0.35 g, with an internal yolk constituting half of its dry mass. The growth pattern reflects the avian exponential growth model, however the growth rate is slower than in birds, indicating that metabolism is inherently low. Compounded with low incubation temperatures this prolongs the developmental period, which necessitates a greater degree of protection in the form of capsule material, which consists of 20Yo of the total egg energy content. Egg volume increases by 180% during development as a result of water accumulating in the perivitelline space, and this alters egg morphology and facilitates gas exchange. Oxygen diffusion across the capsule was modeled using the equation, Vo2 : Goz (Pozou, - Pozin) in which Voz is the oxygen consumption rate, Goz is the capsule oxygen conductance, and the Poz values are the oxygen partial pressures across the capsule. During development Voz rises exponentially as the embryo grows, reaching 5.5 pl h-l at hatching. Egg swelling causes Goz to increase, allowing maintenance of intemal Po2 high enough to allow unrestricted Voz until shortly before hatching. Diffusion limitation of respiration in hatching-stage embryos is demonstrated by (1) increased embryonic Voz when ambient Poz is experimentally raised, (2) greater Voz of resting animals immediately after hatching, and (3) reduced \bz of hatchlings at ambient Poz levels higher than internal Poz before hatching. Using direct calorimetry, the proportion of energy conserved in the hatchling was 6l%. The amount of energy consumed during metabolism determined by direct calorimetry, was greater than that measured using respirometry. This suggests the embryo utilises anaerobic pathways for metabolism, which may be important when diffusion across the capsule limits the Voz. This occurs despite the 4 low temperature of incubation which extends the developmental duration, the inherently low metabolic rate and the high Goz, indicating that S. apama eggs represent the upper boundary for molluscan egg size under natural environmental conditions. Publications from this studY Cronin, E. R. and Seymour, R. S. (2000). Respiration of the eggs of the giant cuttlefish Sepia apqma. Marine Biology (in press) 5 lndex to figures Figure 1.1 : Cephalopod classification...'..'...'. Figure 1.2: Decapoda eggs and egg masses Figure 1.3: Vampyropoda eggs and egg masses Figure 1.4: Photograph of Sepia apama eggs .".....'..'..' Figure 1.5: Sepia apamq egg diagram Figure 2.I: Map of egg collection sites" 2 1 Figure 2.2: Relationship between dorsal mantle lengths and age. Figure 2.3: Water temperature profile...... Figure 2.4: Photograph of Sepia qpsma eggs. ........ Figure 2.5 : Eggmass throughout development......... " "' Figure 2.6: Eggdimensions throughout development. Figure 2.7: PeÅvítelline fluid volume throughout development Figure 2.8: Effective surface area and thickness of the capsule' Figure 2.9: Osmolality of the perivitelline fluid Figure 2.10: V/et mass of the egg components. '.....' Figure 2.11: Capsule mass throughout development Figure 2.12 Y olkmass throughout development. .'. Figure 2.13: Wet and dry embryo mass throughout development 36 Figure 2.14: Internal yolk free embryo mass and internal yolk mass....... 36 Figure 2.I5: Dry mass of egg components of variable initial egg mass JI Figure 2.16 Eggcomponent dry mass as a proportion of initial total egg mass 38 Figure 2.17 Changes in the capsule thickness of initial egg mass 38 Figure 2.18 Eggmass and effective surface area.."...'... 40 Figure 2.19: Perivitelline fluid volume and capsule thickness .. 4l Figure 2.20 : Hatchling parameters. 42 Figure 2.21: RelationshiP between natural logarithms of embryo mass with age 50 Figure 2.22: Relationship between the internal yolk free embryo dry and wet mass .. 52 Figure 3.1 : Dissected ventral mantle of female Sepia apama...'... ....57 Figure 3.2: Stage 18 embryo .... 60 Figure 3.3: Photographs of stages of embryonic development of Sepia apama ...' ....61 Figure 3.4: Drawings of developmental stages of Sepia apama....'. ....62 Figure 3.5: Stage 30 embryo and diagrams showing iridoc¡e pattern .... 65 Figwe 3.6: Hatching sequence of Sepia apama'..... 66 Figure 3.7: Changes in dorsal mantle length with development....... 67 Figure 3.8: Relationship between dorsal mantle length and developmental stage .. 68 Figure 4.1: Changes in the partial pressure in respirometry chambers Figure 4.2: Oxygen consumption rates at varying partial pressure Figure 4.3: Oxygen consumption as a function of chamber partial pressure.'.. Figure 4.4: Hatchling oxygen consumption.'.'.'...'..,'. 6 Figure 4.5: Oxygen consumption rates of whole eggs, capsule and embryos Figure 4.6: Partial pressure of the internal and external environment"""""' Figure 4.7: Oxygen conductance of the capsule Figure 4.8: The effect of temperature and partial pressure on mantle contraction rate Figtue 4.9: Embryonic oxygen consumption vs age Figure 4.10: Embryonic oxygen consumption vs mass..""' ...........109 ........... I 13 ........... 1 14 ........... I l4 lndex to tables Table 4.1: Regression equations for oxygen consumption vs partial pressule 77 Table 4.2: S. apama and S. fficinalis masses and metabolic rates 87 Table 4.3: Cephalopod metabolic rate 92 Table 4.4: Diffusivity and Krogh' s coeffi cient ........'..... 96 Table 4.5: Cephalopod egg volume 1 03 Table 4.6: Cephalopod egg characteristics........... "....... 1 04 Table 5.1: Composition and energy content of Sepia apama .. 116 Table 5.2: Energy density of yolk and body tissue of cephalopod species. 118 Table 5.3: Energy budgets for developing embryos of S. apama and S. fficinalis 120 7 Acknowledgments The staff and students at the Department of Environmental Biology provided assistance and support throughout this study, in particular, thanks is due to my supervisor Roger Seymour, and fellow students of the Seymour lab, Nicki Mitchell and Kerstin Wagner. Helen Vanderwoude and Phil Kempster were always willing to assist with equipment which was not cooperating, or did not exist. Many thanks to Jo Strzelecki and to the 'Marine Lab' for the opportunities to escape to the field. Tony Brambly and the Whydive club at Whyalla provided essential collection expeditions and informative local knowledge. Facilities for maintaining eggs were made available by the South Australian Research and Development Institute, Aquatic Sciences Centre. Special thanks to my parents, who have always been supportive of my ventures and provided their unreserved love and encouragement. Finally, to Andrew Melville who gave infinite support and encouragement throughout. 9 lntroduction Sepia apama belongs within the class Cephalopoda, the most disparate class within the vast and diverse group comprising the second largest animal phylum, the Mollusca (Arnold I97I). The specialised cephalopod class is divided into three subclasses, the completely shelled Nautiloidea and Ammonoidea, and the Coleoidea in which the shell is internal and either reduced or absent (Fig. 1.1). All living cephalopods belong to this latter subclass, except for Nautilas, which is the sole extant shelled representative