New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Variability in life history characters of the Chilean oyster Tiostrea chilensis (Philippi, 1845)

A. G. JEFFS

Cawthron Institute
Private Bag 2, Nelson
and
Leigh Marine Laboratory
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92 019
Auckland, New Zealand

S. H. HOOKER

School of Environmental and Marine Sciences
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92 019
Auckland, New Zealand

R. G. CREESE

Leigh Marine Laboratory
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92 019
Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract  Differences in some life history characters of the Chilean oyster, Tiostrea chilensis, were examined for three populations in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Previous studies of oyster populations in the South Island have predicted that populations at lower latitudes would produce smaller-sized larvae and substantial numbers of planktonic larvae. For only one northern population was there some evidence of the release of planktonic larvae. However, larvae from all three northern study populations were smaller in size than reported for all other locations, both in New Zealand and Chile. This was because of a trend for larval size to vary inversely with sea water temperature. The results of this study indicate that life history characters of this species can vary greatly at both the individual and population level. Furthermore, this variability does not always conform to commonly proffered life history principles which assert that planktonic development and small larvae become more common at low latitudes.

Keywords  Tiostrea chilensis; Chilean oyster; larvae; brooding; New Zealand; flat oyster; Ostreidae; life history

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1997, Vol. 31: 487-495

0028-8330/97/3104-0487 $7.00/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1997

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (630K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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