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Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Influence of abiotic factors on the fecundity and ecological plasticity of a freshwater prawn in estuary and river environments

Breno R. M. Silva https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3996-4427 A * , Gicelle M. F. Silva https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3271-9290 A , Yanne A. Mendes https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8718-2932 A , Juliana C. D. Pantoja https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9180-4033 B , Ivana K. S. Viana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2296-0902 B , Antonio E. P. De Oliveira https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6721-6776 A , Rossineide M. Rocha https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9224-3138 B and Maria A. P. Ferreira https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0964-4297 A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Laboratory of Immunohistochemistry and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa 01, Guamá, Belém, Pará 66075-110, Brazil.

B Laboratory of Cellular Ultrastructure, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Rua Augusto Correa 01, Guamá, Belém, Pará 66075-110, Brazil.

* Correspondence to: brenorich@hotmail.com

Handling Editor: Richard Marchant

Marine and Freshwater Research 75, MF24013 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24013
Submitted: 21 February 2024  Accepted: 6 August 2024  Published: 4 September 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

Macrobrachium amazonicum is a freshwater prawn of socioeconomic importance in the Amazon region, whose growth, reproduction and fecundity vary according to the environment.

Aims

To determine which abiotic factors influence the size and fecundity of populations of M. amazonicum in estuary and river environments.

Methods

To do so, we captured a total of 255 ovigerous females, 181 from the estuary and 74 from the river, and measured temperature, total dissolved solids, turbidity, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen and precipitation.

Key results

We found that turbidity, precipitation and dissolved oxygen explained the variation in M. amazonicum size, and that the estuarine females were larger and had more and smaller eggs than riverine females.

Conclusions

Precipitation, turbidity and dissolved oxygen were found to bedetermining factors for the ecological plasticity of M. amazonicum females in different environments.

Implications

Freshwater prawn species display different reproductive strategies for distinct environments, and understanding their fecundity is important to establish efficient management policies. In addition, this information should be useful to improve the cost–benefit ratio of freshwater prawn farming in the Amazon region.

Keywords: embryonic eggs, environmental variables, life history, Macrobrachium amazonicum, ovigerous females, Palaemonidae, reproduction, seasonality.

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