A Comparison of Reproductive Performances in Young and Old Females: A Case Study on the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean Sea.

ABSTRACT: In the Mediterranean Sea, a demographic substructure of the Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus has emerged over the last decade, with old and young individuals exhibiting different horizontal movements and spatial-temporal patterns of gonad maturation. In the present study, histology and molecular reproductive markers were integrated with the gonad-specific mir-202 gene expression and ovarian localization to provide a comprehensive picture of the reproductive performances in young and old females and investigate the role played by the mir-202 during gonadal maturation. During the reproductive period, old females (>100 kg; 194.6 ± 33.9 cm straight fork length; 11.3 ± 2.7 years old) were found to have greater reproductive performances than younger females (<80 kg; 139.3 ± 18.8 cm s

SUBMITTER: Marisaldi L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8697984 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature