• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.202-215
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• 2019

This study was conducted to investigate the spawning preference of the Acheilognathinae fishes in relation to the shell size of host mussels after identifying the species of eggs and fries in the host mussel using our recently developed RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) molecular marker at four sites [Hongcheon Naechoncheon (HN) and Deokchicheon (HD) from the North Han River basin and Jeongseon Goljicheon (JG) and Joyanggang (JJ) from the South Han River] in South Korea during May in each year between 2015 and 2018. The Acheilognathinae fish observed in the studied sites included one species (Acheilognathus signifer) in HN and JG, three species (Rhodeus uyekii, A. signifer, and Acheilognathus yamatsutae) in HD, and two species (A. signifer and Acheilognathus yamatsutae) in JJ, and we collected 982 host mussels (Unio douglasiae sinuolatus) that inhabited in all four sites. Using the RFLP molecular marker, we confirmed 46 eggs and fry of the Acheilognathinae fish (454 A. signifer, 43 Acheilognathus yamatsutae, and 149 Acheilognathus yamatsutae) in Unio douglasiae sinuolatus (N=163; 16.6%). We compare the average shell length, shell height, and shell width of mussels with [presence] eggs/fry and mussels without [absence] eggs/fry to examine the spawning preference according to the size of host mussels in each site. The results show that the shell length (1.98 mm), shell height (0.85 mm), and shell width (0.73 mm) of mussels with the eggs/fry were significantly larger (Mann-Whitney U test, P=0.002; difference=1.98 mm) than those of mussel without eggs/fry in HD where three species cohabitated. Although the shell length, shell height, and shell width of mussels with the eggs/fry were larger also in the other three sites, the difference was not statistically significant. In addition, we analyzed the mean number of spawned eggs and fry of each species and found $9.31{\pm}5.94$ R. uyekii, $2.86{\pm}2.45$ A.signifer, and $2.50{\pm}1.32$ A. yamatsutae. R. uyekii spawned 6.45-6.81 more eggs than A.signifer and A. yamatsutae on average per mussel, and it was statistically significant (Kruskal-Wallis test, P < 0.001). These findings indicate that the three species of Acheilognathinae fish tend to prefer larger mussels as their spawning hosts, and this tendency increases when the number of cohabitating bitterling fish species increases. Moreover, A.signifer and A. yamatsutae spawned a smaller number of eggs evenly in more host mussels while R. uyekii spawned many eggs on relatively fewer mussels. We found mussels (N=4) having the eggs/fry of two coexisting species, A. signifier and A. yamatsutae in HD and JJ where more than two bitterling fish species occurred. It suggests the interspecific competition taking place between the Acheilognathinae fishes for utilizing the same resource of mussels for spawning when two or more species cohabitate. This study is expected help to understand better the spawning patterns and reproductive ecology of the Acheilognathinae fishes, which will provide insightful information for advancing our understanding of their ecological relationships - mutualism or host-parasitism - with host mussels.