Evaluating Reproductive Outputs in Laboratory- and Wild-Mated Dwarf Seahorses (Hippocampus zosterae) and Assessing Growth Rates and Survivorship of Laboratory-Born Offspring
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Authors
Sanchez, Dalila
Issue Date
2025-07-22
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Academic theses , Biology , Sea horses , Marine biology , Animals--Growth , Animal behavior , Sexual behavior in animals , Conservation biology , Aquatic ecology , Animal handling , Gulf of Mexico , Florida , Caribbean Area
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Abstract
Dwarf seahorses (Hippocampus zosterae, Jordan & Gilbert, 1882) are one of thesmallest species of seahorse found in coastal seagrass ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic coast of Florida, and the Caribbean. This thesis addressed the current gaps in life history information for this species by conducting experiments for three main aims to: 1) determine reproductive outputs of laboratory- and wild-mated adult dwarf seahorses, 2) assess morphometrics of juveniles at birth and 100 days of age, and 3) analyze potential impacts of animal handling techniques on survivorship and growth rates of juveniles. Reproductive output and initial offspring sizes of broods from 41 laboratory- and 20 wild-mated males were measured. To evaluate the effects of animal handling on juvenile seahorses during mass and morphometric measurements, offspring from 25 laboratory-mated broods were divided equally into three measurement treatments: photo, weight, and a control group. Average brood size was 33.3 ± 2.1 offspring and ranged from 7 to 71 across the 61 broods, with no difference between laboratory- or wild-mated males. At birth, average offspring length and mass were 9.902 ± 0.024 mm and 0.0019 ± 0.00002 g (n = 61 broods). Final offspring lengths ranged from 18.144 to 39.954 mm, while masses ranged from 0.0105 to 0.1377 g at day 100 (n = 13 broods). Lengths and masses of offspring were positively correlated at both day 0 and day 100. At day 100, all treatments reported around 20% survival (n = 25 broods), with no differences between the animal handling treatments. These results validate the methods of measuring juvenile dwarf seahorses used in this thesis and allow for future studies to measure both variables without affecting offspring survivorship. Overall, this study advanced the knowledge of dwarf seahorse life history traits to enhance conservation efforts for this species, while also providing potential insight for smaller, more vulnerable seahorse species.
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This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not alloweThis dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.