Abstract

Environmental variables are pivotal factors for the condition of marine invertebrate species with a complex life cycle, influencing larval biochemical composition, and therefore, indirectly affecting later benthic stages. We herein explore the physiological responses of the fishery resource the red squat lobster (Pleuroncodes monodon) under contrasting environmental conditions of seawater surface temperature and planktonic food availability on the Humboldt Current System (HCS), through the analysis of larval condition and its consequences in the HCS. Larval condition was measured as dry weight, biochemical composition and fatty acids profile at hatching during 'late summer' (i.e. March) and 'early winter' (i.e. June). Larvae hatching from larger eggs produced in winter months showed a higher size, dry weight and a higher content of bioenergetic fuel (i.e. lipids and essential fatty acids) compared to those from larvae hatching in summer months. Temperature and food availability can to be key driving factors favouring an evolution of temporal variability in larval condition of the red squat lobster. These physiological adaptations provide an extension of the reproductive period of P. monodon, specifically planktonic larval development during 'early winter', characterized by a period with restricted food availability and lower temperatures than 'late summer'.