Growth maximization in early sardine larvae: a metabolic approach

Sardine larvae are forced to grow as fast as possible to reduce larval mortality. Thus, changes in biochemical composition during the first steps of sardine larval growth are intended to maximize larval growth rate efficiency and survival. Protein and RNA weight-specific growth rates were the highest and their corresponding doubling times the shortest among all the biomolecules, reflecting the importance of fast growth during early stages of larval development. The protein percentage increased and the carbohydrate and lipid percentages decreased during early growth until they reached, respectively, a percentage of 73.7, 3.1 and 18.0%. These percentages would represent the optimal proportion of biochemical components in sardine early larvae and they are the result of the trade-off between, in the short term, the protein proportion necessary to optimize larval movement and growth and, in the long term, the minimum lipid percentage necessary to guarantee energy reserves to fuel metamorphosis. RNA/DNA ratio increases during larval growth up to an asymptotic optimal value of ≈3.5 in postflexion larvae. Nutritional condition of sardine larvae was good and was influenced by the parental effect through the egg biochemical composition and by the growth trajectory determined by the actual environmental conditions.