Deep-sea octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) conducts the longest-known egg-brooding period of any animal.

ABSTRACT: Octopuses typically have a single reproductive period and then they die (semelparity). Once a clutch of fertilized eggs has been produced, the female protects and tends them until they hatch. In most shallow-water species this period of parental care can last from 1 to 3 months, but very little is known about the brooding of deep-living species. In the cold, dark waters of the deep ocean, metabolic processes are often slower than their counterparts at shallower depths. Extrapolations from data on shallow-water octopus species suggest that lower temperatures would prolong embryonic development periods. Likewise, laboratory studies have linked lower temperatures to longer brooding periods in cephalopods, but direct evidence has not been available. We found an opportunity to directly measure

SUBMITTER: Robison B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4116195 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature