Browsing by Author "Figueroa-Gonzalez, Yanara"

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    Mismatch between shape changes, early growth, and condition for a temperate reef fish from an oceanic island
    (2021) Landaeta, Mauricio F.; Figueroa-Gonzalez, Yanara; Moyano, Gonzalo; Vera-Duarte, Javier; Perez-Matus, Alejandro; Plaza, Guido
    Settlement is a key process in the life history of marine fish, when shape and ecological changes occur during the transition from a pelagic larva to a benthic juvenile. We studied the covariation of shape changes, condition, and pre- and post-settlement growth of settlers (17-30 mm) of the wrasse, Pseudolabrus gayi, from the Robinson Crusoe island, south-eastern Pacific. Specimens were collected during late March 2018 from four locations at 20 m depth and from a large, natural intertidal pool. The morphospace and the allometry were characterised by landmarkbased geometric morphometrics, size and growth were estimated using sagittae otolith microstructure analysis, and condition was determined using the Fulton index. The settler's phenotype varied from a robust shape with ventrally oriented mouth opening, to slender specimens with frontally oriented mouth, with similar body morphospace among sites. The mean pelagic larval duration was 44.8 +/- 4.6 days, settling at 19 +/- 2 mm SL. The mean post-settlement growth rate was low (0.09 mm day(-1)), showing low static allometry (3%). Differences among locations occurred in terms of settler's condition and growth prior and after settlement, suggesting effects of the microhabitat and potential predators. Therefore, the variability in the settler's morphospace was decoupled of pre- and post-settlement growth and condition during the transition from pelagic to benthic habitat. Finally, this study highlights the dynamic nature of the settlement-transition period for a temperate reef fish in a period when phenotype variations in body shape and early life-history traits vary asynchronously.
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    Morphospace of lanternfish larvae and their interplay with oceanographic conditions from the southeastern Pacific Ocean
    (2024) Orrego, Fernanda S.; Benitez, Hugo A.; Castillo, Manuel I.; Cumplido, Nicolas; Fabres, Alejandra; Figueroa-Gonzalez, Yanara; Morales, Claudia; Zavala-Munoz, Francisca; Landaeta, Mauricio F.
    Lanternfish larval morphology is highly variable probably due to their adaptations to highly variable environmental conditions throughout ontogeny. To study the morphological variability of the larval stage of lanternfishes, samples were collected from the southeast Pacific Ocean between 2014 and 2022. Of the 24 species, nine belonged to the subfamily Lampanyctinae, two to the subfamily Diaphinae, one to the subfamily Notolychinae, one to the subfamily Gymnoscopelinae and 11 to the subfamily Myctophinae. A principal component analysis indicated the presence of body shapes varying from a slender and curved body, and upper jaw oriented downwards, with relatively rounded eyes, to taxa with robust bodies, particularly both the head and trunk, and elongated eyes in a dorsal-ventral plane (PC1 33%). Also, specimens varied from having short jaw, short snout, and slender body, to specimens with larger jaw (reaching behind the eye) and taller snout and trunk (PC2, 23%). Allometric effects were related to variations in body curvature and thickness (Diaphus theta, 12.9%), the curvature of the body and position of the eyes (Lampanyctodes hectoris, 25.1%), lengthening of the jaw and increase in eye size (Diogenichthys atlanticus, 24.6%), and a narrower body and smaller eyes (Hygophum bruuni, 20.5%). Four of the five subfamilies showed covariation between morphometrics and environmental conditions. Diaphinae, Gymnoscopelinae and Lampanyctinae body shape covaried with mean sea temperature of the water column, while Myctophinae larval shape covaried with mean salinity. In conclusion, this study quantifies shape variations during early lanternfish ontogeny from the southeastern Pacific Ocean, identifying main differences and allometric changes between the subfamilies belonging to Myctophidae, with a covariation between the shape of most lanternfish larvae and the environmental conditions experienced by myctophid early stages.