Egg Size Scales Negatively With System Size in a Periodic Fish Species.
Scott T Koenigbauer, Zachary S Feiner, Benjamin Dickinson, Stephanie L Shaw, L Zoe Almeida, Mark R DuFour, Alexander J Gatch, Claire Schraidt, Tomas O H����k
Author Information
Scott T Koenigbauer: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana USA. ORCID
Zachary S Feiner: Office of Applied Science, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Science Operations Center Madison Wisconsin USA. ORCID
Benjamin Dickinson: Indiana Department of Natural Resources Michigan Indiana USA.
Stephanie L Shaw: Office of Applied Science, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Escanaba Lake Research Station Madison Wisconsin USA.
L Zoe Almeida: Cornell University Bridgeport New York USA.
Mark R DuFour: Lake Erie Biological Station, Great Lakes Science Center United States Geological Survey Huron Ohio USA.
Alexander J Gatch: Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science, Great Lakes Science Center United States Geological Survey Cortland New York USA.
Claire Schraidt: Osborn Memorial Laboratories, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA.
Tomas O H����k: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana USA.
Optimal egg size theory implies that female organisms balance between fecundity and individual offspring investment according to their environment. Past interspecific studies suggest that fishes in large marine systems generally produce smaller eggs than those in small freshwater systems. We tested whether intraspecific egg size variation reflected a similar pattern by comparing egg size among yellow perch () populations inhabiting a range of system sizes. In 2018, 2019, and 2023, we collected yellow perch egg samples from 12 locations in systems ranging in surface area from 37 to 5,390,492���ha. First, we found that egg diameter significantly increased with maternal total length in five of eight individually tested populations. After accounting for these maternal effects, we found a significant interaction, where females inhabiting larger lakes, such as the main basins of Lakes Erie and Michigan, produced smaller eggs than those in smaller inland lakes, and the greatest differences were demonstrated among females of greater total length. This egg size variation in the largest females is consistent with interspecific egg size comparisons between marine and freshwater fishes. However, by examining a single species across vastly different environments, we were able to support theoretical expectations that maternal investment in offspring should vary with environmental conditions controlling early-life resource acquisition and competition.
