Effect of photoperiod intensity on cisco (Coregonus artedi) egg development
Conference Year
January 2019
Abstract
Cisco in the Laurentian Great Lakes exhibit boom-or-bust population dynamics and may be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Cisco spawn in the fall and eggs develop over the winter with hatching occurring soon after ice-out. Water temperature and ice cover, however, are changing in the Great Lakes. Such changes may influence the quantity and quality of light penetration to the lake bed and thus may potentially impact the phenology and development rate of cisco eggs via photosensitive organs (e.g.,retina and pineal organ). Developmental response of cisco eggs to changing winter light regimes may impact life history characteristics, and thus synchrony with spring algae and zooplankton blooms. We conducted a pilot laboratory experiment to test the effect of photoperiod on egg development and hatching of cisco at 2-3°C over the 2016-2017 winter. Fertilized eggs were exposed to three light treatments: continuous and seasonal diel photoperiod of high-intensity white (full-spectrum) light and continuous darkness. We hypothesized that exposure to continuous light accelerates development resulting in earlier hatching, larger larvae, and smaller yolk-sac area at hatch than eggs incubated under a diel light cycle or no light.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Jason D Stockwell
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Mark R Vinson
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Biology
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Effect of photoperiod intensity on cisco (Coregonus artedi) egg development
Cisco in the Laurentian Great Lakes exhibit boom-or-bust population dynamics and may be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Cisco spawn in the fall and eggs develop over the winter with hatching occurring soon after ice-out. Water temperature and ice cover, however, are changing in the Great Lakes. Such changes may influence the quantity and quality of light penetration to the lake bed and thus may potentially impact the phenology and development rate of cisco eggs via photosensitive organs (e.g.,retina and pineal organ). Developmental response of cisco eggs to changing winter light regimes may impact life history characteristics, and thus synchrony with spring algae and zooplankton blooms. We conducted a pilot laboratory experiment to test the effect of photoperiod on egg development and hatching of cisco at 2-3°C over the 2016-2017 winter. Fertilized eggs were exposed to three light treatments: continuous and seasonal diel photoperiod of high-intensity white (full-spectrum) light and continuous darkness. We hypothesized that exposure to continuous light accelerates development resulting in earlier hatching, larger larvae, and smaller yolk-sac area at hatch than eggs incubated under a diel light cycle or no light.