To determine the effects of food quality on Ostrea edulis reproduction, European flat oysters were conditioned during two sets of experiments, carried out in spring and autumn, during 40 days at 19 degrees C, in 50 l transparent flow-through tanks, in triplicate, and fed constantly at 900 mu m(3) mu l(-1), with eight different types of microalgae. Four species were fed per group of trials: Isochrysis affinis galbana, Chaetoceros gracilis, Skeletonema marinoi, and Tetraselmis suecica were fed to flat oysters in the first set; whereas Rhodomonas salina, Thalassiosira weissflogii, Thalassiosira pseudonana, and Pavlova lutheri were provided during the second set of experiments. At the beginning and end of both conditioning periods, oysters were sampled and... |