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- Title
Egg-capsule deposition and how behavioral interactions influence spawning rate in the squidLoligo opalescensin Monterey Bay, California.
- Authors
Hanlon, R. T.; Kangas, N.; Forsythe, J. W.
- Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that, contrary to what was believed previously, mostLoligospp. females spawn multiple times and do not die immediately following a single spawning event. The present study used sustained focal observations of male/female pairs of the opalescent inshore squidLoligo opalescensBerry to examine the structure and behavior of near-bottom spawning groups. The study was carried out in a small area (10 km2) of Monterey Bay, California (36°36.1'N; 121°53.4'W), at depths of 25-45 m, using video cameras mounted on remotely operated vehicles. Behavioral observations were made primarily during daylight hours over known spawning beds in April and November 2000, and August 2001. Squid formed large aggregations in the water column where pairing occurred. Most commonly, only small numbers of active spawners were found at the substrate depositing egg capsules, and the mean operational sex ratio in the spawning groups was 1.87 males:1 female (range=1.0-8.5), although the ratio fluctuated rapidly as roving lone males joined and departed from the small spawning groups. On average, females (n=40) deposited 2.67 capsules (range 2-7) per focal observation at an average interval of 8.47 min between depositions (n=67). Following deposition of the capsules, females broke away from their consort males and jetted upwards to rejoin large schools located many meters above the substrate. Egg-capsule deposition was often interrupted by lone males seeking a mate, or by the approach of predators including fish and marine mammals. The results suggest that most of the communal egg beds in southern Monterey Bay are built up slowly through daily intermittent spawning, not in large “big bang” reproductive events as often depicted forL.opalescens.
- Subjects
MONTEREY Bay (Calif.); CALIFORNIA; LOLIGO opalescens; EGG cases (Zoology); SPAWNING; REPRODUCTION; MARINE biology; AQUATIC biology
- Publication
Marine Biology, 2004, Vol 145, Issue 5, p923
- ISSN
0025-3162
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00227-004-1383-x