Ontogeny

Relying on field research to complete the life history for certain fish
species can be inadequate, but laboratory research can be used to fill these
gaps. These gaps exist for Bonefish (Albula spp.), a tropical marine fish and
popular sportfish. In this study, aquaculture techniques were applied to Bonefish
in a captive setting at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) and Cape
Eleuthera Institute (CEI) to induce spawning and describe early ontogeny.
Photothermal manipulations and hormone injections were used to induce gonad
maturation and spawning, which was achieved once at CEI and is the first record
of hormone-induced spawning for Bonefish. From that spawn, egg and larval
development were recorded and described through 26 hours and 56 hours
respectively, representing the first record of these early life stages for Bonefish. This work expands upon what is known about Bonefish reproductive biology and
will be useful for management and future captive research.

Changes in activity related oxygen consumption and energy partitioning were measured in leatherback and olive ridley sea turtle hatchlings over their first month after nest emergence. Leatherbacks emerge with about 75--90 KJ of energy in the residual yolk at their disposal for growth and movement. In comparison, the residual yolk energy reserves for the olive ridley are estimated to be much less (45 KJ). In leatherbacks resting specific oxygen consumption rates decreased by 53% over the first post-hatching month (0.0065 ml O2 min-1 g-1--0.0031 ml O2 min-1 g-1), while for ridleys the fall was 32% (0.0038 ml O2 min-1 g-1--0.0026 ml O2 min-1 g-1). Greater differences were seen in aerobic scope. For olive ridleys the factorial aerobic scope doubled over the first month but there was no significant increase in the leatherback's factorial aerobic scope. Leatherback hatchlings gained on average 33% body mass (10 g) over the first week however 70 to 80% of this increase was due to water accumulation. The differences in aerobic scope and energy reserves are related to differences in early life ecological stratagems of these species.