Ciclo reprodutivo de Eudistoma vannamei MILLAR, 1977 (Tunicata:Ascidiacea) e sua influência no metabolismo primário

• Ano de defesa: 2011
• Autor(a) principal: Costa, Tereza Emanuelle da Silva
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Palavras-chave em Português: Acidiacea - Fisiologia; Ácidos Graxos; Espectrometria de massa
• Link de acesso: http://www.repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/15862

The ascidian Eudistoma vannamei is endemic to the Brazilian Northeast region, where it is found in the intertidal areas of coastal reefs, is considered one of the most abundant species of the encrusting fauna. This work presents data on the reproductive period of the species, also aiming to relate variations in the fatty acid composition to events on the reproductive cycle. For this study 10 colonies of the species were collected bimonthly at Flecheiras beach, Trairi city, Ceara state, from December 2007 to June 2010. A total of 200 colonies were collected, preserved and taken to the laboratory. For the study of the reproductive period 10 zooids were dissected from each colony and classified according to the development of the gonads and the presence of larvae or eggs in the atrial cavity. From the first 120 samples, part of the colony was separated and submitted to extraction in methanol, with a later partition in hexane. The hexanic partition was analyzed through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for determination of the fatty acid composition. The analysis of gonadal development was not a good indicator for reproductive effort. On the other hand, the presence of larvae or eggs was a more reliable marker, showing a continuous reproduction for the species, with a peak of effort between December and April, coinciding with the rainy season for the region. As to the fatty acids, a total of 32 different types were identified, out of which the miristic, plamitic, margaric, stearic, palmitoleic, oleic and gondoic acids were the major components. The analysis with a generalized linear model indicated a correlation for the miristic and stearic acids with the number of zooids with larvae or eggs in the atrial cavity.