Influence of personality traits on reproduction and sperm quality of Oreochromis Niloticus

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproductive aspects of Nile tilapiaclassified by personality traits. Through the environment test 16 males (8 Bold – BM and 8 Shy – SM) (110.5 ± 23.8 g) and 32 females (16 Bold – BF and 16 Shy – SF) (87.5 ± 19.3 g) were microchipped. Every seven days, were selected and relocated in mating tanks at a 2:1 female:male ratio, according to the treatments: BFBM, BFSM, SFBM and SFSM. The breeding management lasted eight weeks, after which semen was collected and analyzed, using CASA software. Offspring resistance was tested after complete absorption of the yolk sac by air exposure . Breeders of the same personality traits spawned more frequently, with the greatest amount of spawning being for BFBM and the lowest for BFSM. Total and relative fecundity were higher for SF. However, the percentage of newly hatched larvae, egg weight and volume of yolk sac were higher for BF. In males, only the Curvilinear Velocity and Straight-line Velocity were influenced by personality traits. The offspring of BF showed greater resistance to the stress test. Personality traits have an influence on reproductive parameters related to females than to males. .

KEYWORDS:

• Tilapia
• behavior
• coping style
• reproduction

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq-Brasil), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES-Brasil), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). R. K. Luz received a research grant and a research fellow ship from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq n°. 308547/2018-7).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval

All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted. Ethics committee on animal experimentation of UFMG (CEUA/UFMG) under the protocol 161/2018.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico [308547/2018-7]; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior [001]; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais [001].