Alternative life-history traits associated with reproduction in Oreochromis mossambicus (Pisces: Cichlidae) in small water bodies of the eastern Cape,South Africa |
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| Authors: | Nicholas P E James Michael N Bruton |
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| Institution: | (1) J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | Synopsis Four wild populations of Oreochromis mossambicus were investigated to examine the effects of environmental factors on reproductive biology in contrasting habitats. Age at maturity, spawning-season length, spawning frequency, clutch size and nesting behaviour were influenced by the prevailing conditions for feeding, breeding and refuge. Even under a temperature regime that approached lethal limits during winter, and erratically fluctuating water levels, O. mossambicus demonstrated an ability to adopt a precocial life-history style in some habitats. In more  hostile water bodies an increasingly altricial style was followed. |
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| Keywords: | Growth Spawning Clutch size Nesting Behaviour Feeding Water temperature Water level Environmental harshness Altricial Precocial |
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