Abstract
In the River Lobos-Ucero and its tributary the River Avión-Milanos (Duero basin, Old Castile, Central Spain), two limestone streams fed by aquifers, the population of brown trout, as compared with the populations of other European streams, shows a high growth rate, high condition coefficients, short life-span and early age at first maturity. Gonad cycle was also studied. Size distributions of unshed eggs exhibit a dynamic activity with a bi-modal distribution from June onwards, spawning occurred in the last days of November. Fecundity (F) can be predicted from trout length (L, mm) according to the equation: F= −646.47+5.6167 · L. Numbers and standing crop of trout range from 18 to 3903 ind. ha−1 and 3.6 to 452.9 Kg ha−1, reaching higher values in the sites close to the aquifers. Egg production had values of 22.4 and 18.0 eggs m−2 in the Rivers Ucero and Avión-Milanos respectively. Some factors suggested as regulators of these demographical characteristics are discussed in the light of recent literature.
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Lobon-Cervia, J., Montañés, C. & de Sostoa, A. Reproductive ecology and growth of a population of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in an aquifer-fed stream of Old Castile (Spain). Hydrobiologia 135, 81–94 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006461
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006461