Biochemical composition of Spondylus leucacanthus Broderip, 1833 (Bivalvia : Spondylidae) and its relationship with the reproductive cycle at Isla Danzante, Gulf of California, Mexico

摘要

The monthly variation of the biochemical composition was studied for one year in relation to the reproductive cycle in a population of Spondylus leucacanthus, a commercially important species in the Gulf of California. Carbohydrate, lipid, and protein concentrations were determined in the adductor muscle, gonad, and digestive gland. Protein was the main constituent in the gonad, digestive gland, and adductor muscle. Lipids were important in the digestive gland, whereas in the gonad they were moderately represented and in the muscle they showed low and virtually invariable concentrations during the study period. Carbohydrates were found largely in the adductor muscle and the digestive gland, whereas the gonad showed lower concentrations. S. leucacanthus has a seasonal reproductive cycle with a reproductive inactivity period at the end of the autumn and throughout the winter. Gametogenesis starts at the end of the winter, continuing during springtime, and ending in the summer, where 90% of organisms are ripe, coinciding with the highest lipid concentration in the gonad. Spawning takes place in early autumn. It is concluded that this species has a conservative reproductive strategy because it largely uses energy reserves for gamete development, in addition to energy obtained from food, to supplement its energetic expenditure.