Sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( Lota lota)
Sexual dimorphic characteristics arise in response to differing selective pressures on the sexes and can be used to attract mates or signal reproductive readiness. How sexual dimorphism is expressed where visual cues may be of limited use is an underexplored aspect of reproductive ecology. The burbo...
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 2024-09-15T18:00:30+00:00 Sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( Lota lota) Cott, P.A. Johnston, T.A. Gunn, J.M. 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Zoology volume 91, issue 10, page 732-740 ISSN 0008-4301 1480-3283 journal-article 2013 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 2024-08-22T04:08:45Z Sexual dimorphic characteristics arise in response to differing selective pressures on the sexes and can be used to attract mates or signal reproductive readiness. How sexual dimorphism is expressed where visual cues may be of limited use is an underexplored aspect of reproductive ecology. The burbot (Lota lota (L., 1758)) is a common boreal fish that is not overtly sexually dimorphic. It spawns mid-winter in a light-limited under-ice environment. We examined a variety of morphological and reproductive characteristics in burbot from a northern lake over one full year to assess both seasonal and sex-based variation. Spawning occurred under ice in early February. Seasonal variation was more pronounced in females for many of the traits examined. Growth, fin lengths, swim bladder mass, and liver lipid concentration did not differ between the sexes. Male burbot had significantly higher body condition, larger gas glands, and smaller livers. Males also had significantly larger gonads than females, unusual for boreal fishes. The high gonadal investment of male burbot suggests that sperm competition may be intense in this species. This study demonstrates that sexual dimorphism can be subtle and is present in a seemingly monomorphic species—the burbot. Article in Journal/Newspaper Burbot Lota lota lota Canadian Science Publishing Canadian Journal of Zoology 91 10 732 740 |
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Open Polar |
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Canadian Science Publishing |
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crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
description |
Sexual dimorphic characteristics arise in response to differing selective pressures on the sexes and can be used to attract mates or signal reproductive readiness. How sexual dimorphism is expressed where visual cues may be of limited use is an underexplored aspect of reproductive ecology. The burbot (Lota lota (L., 1758)) is a common boreal fish that is not overtly sexually dimorphic. It spawns mid-winter in a light-limited under-ice environment. We examined a variety of morphological and reproductive characteristics in burbot from a northern lake over one full year to assess both seasonal and sex-based variation. Spawning occurred under ice in early February. Seasonal variation was more pronounced in females for many of the traits examined. Growth, fin lengths, swim bladder mass, and liver lipid concentration did not differ between the sexes. Male burbot had significantly higher body condition, larger gas glands, and smaller livers. Males also had significantly larger gonads than females, unusual for boreal fishes. The high gonadal investment of male burbot suggests that sperm competition may be intense in this species. This study demonstrates that sexual dimorphism can be subtle and is present in a seemingly monomorphic species—the burbot. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cott, P.A. Johnston, T.A. Gunn, J.M. |
spellingShingle |
Cott, P.A. Johnston, T.A. Gunn, J.M. Sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( Lota lota) |
author_facet |
Cott, P.A. Johnston, T.A. Gunn, J.M. |
author_sort |
Cott, P.A. |
title |
Sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( Lota lota) |
title_short |
Sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( Lota lota) |
title_full |
Sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( Lota lota) |
title_fullStr |
Sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( Lota lota) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( Lota lota) |
title_sort |
sexual dimorphism in an under-ice spawning fish: the burbot ( lota lota) |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 |
genre |
Burbot Lota lota lota |
genre_facet |
Burbot Lota lota lota |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Zoology volume 91, issue 10, page 732-740 ISSN 0008-4301 1480-3283 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2013-0083 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Zoology |
container_volume |
91 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
732 |
op_container_end_page |
740 |
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1810437662530600960 |