Abstract
Tropical tunas (yellowfin, bigeye and skipjack tuna) are exploited worldwide with a quarter of the catches coming from Indian Ocean. Caught by purse seine in mixed schools, these top predators displayed a specific physiology (e.g. partial endothermy, ram-ventilators) but various life history traits (e.g. maximal size, reproduction batches). The objective of this work is to contribute to a better understanding of energy allocation in these species. For this purpose, a monthly sampling was carry out throughout 2013 in Seychelles, to collect tunas on a large range size and environmental conditions. In a first methodological step, we studied the lipids influence on isotopic values in tropical tunas and showed that using mathematical correction of lipids content requires a specific adjustment. Then, using ecological tracers (stable isotope of carbon and nitrogen and fatty acids), a trophic comparison of the three species showed that they do not exploited exactly the same energetic resources, especially due to an ontogenic diet shift. This shift was illustrated by an increasing assimilation of mono-unsaturated fatty acids over 100 cm FL. Study of lipid and protein content in four tissues presenting different physiological function (white and red muscles, liver, gonads) showed these species make little energetic reserves, only in liver and red muscle. In addition, males invest less energy for germinal cells production than females. Furthermore, only the gonado-somatic index brought information concerning energetic variations, the others tested indices (Le Cren condition factor, hepato-somatic index, girth) were bad proxies of energetic content in tissues. Finally, study of membrane fatty acids indicates a specific incorporation of 20:4ω6 and 22:6ω3 that varies with ontogeny. A great intra-specific variability was also observed and could suggest a specific physiological plasticity in these species.