Nutritional condition and starvation in Sardina pilchardus (L.) larvae off southern Portugal compared with some environmental factors

The aim of this study was to determine the condition and the incidence of starvation among field-caught Sardina pilchardus larvae, using RNA/DNA ratios and to compare them with various abiotic and biotic factors. S. pilchardus larvae were collected off southern Portugal, during April and May 1992. A highly sensitive fluorometric method for quantifying larvae nucleic acid was applied. Sardine larvae were generally in good condition. The means of the RNA/DNA ratios were relatively high and low percentages of starving larvae (RNA/DNA ratio ,1.3) were recorded, ranging from 0 to 12.5%. These two results were associated with high prey availability, which contributes to enhanced condition, and with a high density of potential predators, which may result in fewer larvae in poor condition