Upwelling promotes earlier onset & increased rate of Gonadal development of four coastal herbivores

Upwelling can lead to physiological adjustments in organisms to cope with changing physical and biological conditions. Physiological heterokairy describes changes in the physiological itinerary of an animal, typically in response to environmental variability. We determined the effects of upwelling on the onset and rate of gonadal development in the herbivore intertidal fish, Scartichthys viridis (Valenciennes, 1836), and subtidal Mollusca, Fissurella maxima G. B. Sowerby I, 1834, Fissurella cumingi Reeve, 1849, and Fissurella latimarginata G. B. Sowerby I, 1835. In animals from an area with upwelling, gonadal tissue was detected in individuals with a body size smaller than counterparts from a non-upwelling zone. Further, the rate of gonadal tissue growth was higher in animals from an upwelling zone. This heterokairy may be a consequence of constant exposure to higher energy resources in animals from upwelling areas.