Development of a bioenergetics model for fish embryos and larvae during the yolk feeding period

A mechanistic model of an energy budget in fish embryos and yolk-sac larvae was developed using data for five freshwater fish species: rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss , nase Chondrostoma nasus , carp Cyprinus carpio , tench Tinca tinca and African catfish Clarias gariepinus , based on the existing models for adult and juvenile fishes. The model simulates changes in the components of the budget under various conditions. Besides the effects of body mass and temperature on consumption and metabolic rate, the dependence of ration size on amount of available yolk and initial egg size was implemented in the model. The model parameters were found through optimization. A sensitivity analysis of the model was conducted by varying its parameters and observing changes in the output. A comparative analysis showed that the values generated by the model closely approximated independent empirical observations. Simulations of energy budgets demonstrated that the overall pattern of energy partitioning was the same for different species, irrespective of egg size and temperature preferences. Most energy was allocated to body growth. Clarias gariepinus showed the fastest growth and had the highest yolk conversion efficiency.