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Simulated maternal pre‐spawning stress affects offspring's attributes in farmed A tlantic salmon S almo salar ( L innaeus, 1758)
Author(s) -
Eriksen Marit Skog,
Poppe Trygve T,
McCormick Mark,
Damsgård Børge,
Salte Ragnar,
Braastad Bjarne O,
Bakken Morten
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
aquaculture research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-2109
pISSN - 1355-557X
DOI - 10.1111/are.12301
Subject(s) - salmo , offspring , biology , maternal effect , yolk , reproduction , aquaculture , hormone , ontogeny , zoology , oogenesis , physiology , endocrinology , fish <actinopterygii> , pregnancy , fishery , ecology , embryo , embryogenesis , genetics
Summary In fish hormones are released into the nutritive yolk sac during oogenesis in quantities that mirror female plasma levels, thus implying a potential for the maternal endocrine state at spawning to affect offspring characteristics. In the present study, mature female A tlantic salmon, S almo salar , were given intraperitoneal cortisol implants to investigate potential impacts of simulated stress on offspring ontogeny. Maternal cortisol levels reduced fertilization success and affected several offspring characters: lowered initial survival rates, impaired growth early in life and increased prevalence of morphological abnormalities in adult individuals. In addition, offspring from cortisol administered females displayed increased locomotor activity in an acute confinement test. These results suggest that developmental trajectories of salmon offspring can be considerably altered if their mothers experience severe stress during the final stages of gametogenesis. The present findings may have conceptual and applied ramifications as they demonstrate a mechanism that links the maternal environment to subsequent viability of the progeny.