Larval quality and fecundity trade-offs are linked to the maternal environment in sea perch (Helicolenus percoides, Sebastidae)

Highlights

• We investigated how local differences in maternal provisioning influenced the quality and quantity of larvae in sea perch (Helicolenus percoides, Sebastidae)
• Subpopulations from Deep Cove within Fiordland, on the west coast, and the Otago shelf on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island were compared
• Our results demonstrated a trade-off between fecundity and oil globule size, where sea perch from the Otago shelf were more fecund but provisioned their larvae with smaller oil globules than females from Deep Cove
• The results of the present study highlight the important link between the maternal environment and the quality and fitness of fish larvae.

Keywords

Maternal effects · Oil globule · Larval survival · Larval growth · Fecundity · Spatial distribution · Maternal nutrition