Journal
JOURNAL OF SEA RESEARCH
Volume 62, Issue 4, Pages 295-298Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.seares.2009.08.001
Keywords
Reproductive investment; Gonadosomatic ratio; Body condition; Ensis americanus; Dutch Wadden Sea
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The American razor clam Ensis americanus is a marine bivalve indigenous from the American coast that was introduced in Europe in the late 1970s and has managed to build up strong populations along the European coast. In the present paper, we studied energy investment into soma and gonads by following the seasonality in growth and reproduction of this species in a subtidal area of the western Dutch Wadden Sea. Body and somatic mass indices showed a seasonal pattern with maximal values in August and minimal in April. Gonadal mass index showed the opposite trend with highest values in April. Spawning started in April/May and a second, but weaker, spawning event apparently occurred in August/September. Gonadosomatic ratio values were very low. Just before the spawning period, only 2.5% of the body mass of E. americanus consisted of gonads. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available