Bony fish are an important part of living fish, and like most fish, the bony fish family cannot survive without water, and the water body is the most important factor in the entire reproductive process. But we need not worry in this regard, because teleost fish have occupied all the inland and marine waters. Although most fish are oviparous and in vitro fertilized, oviparous and viviparous conditions are also common, and these two modes of reproduction belong to in vivo fertilization. Fish have a variety of mating patterns, some with flocks of wives and concubines, while others are parents waiting for their oviparous children and providing protection for them.
Environmental factors in the reproduction of bony fish
Although the sign of adulthood of individual bony fish is that the female has reproductive function or the male reproductive glands can randomly release gametes, because gametes are not continuously excreted, in order to ensure their smooth union and embryonic development, the surrounding environment must also be suitable. The most important of these factors are the length of light or light cycle, temperature, and salt concentration, which should be kept within a specific range. At high latitudes, winter and summer variations are significant, so fish there adjust their internal circadian clocks to accommodate changes in the environment throughout the year. In contrast, fish living in the tropics enjoy abundant sunlight and a warm environment, and seasonal variations are only manifested during the rainy season, when salt concentrations in inland and seawater waters change, river flows increase dramatically, and external materials flow into aquatic ecosystems. Under adverse conditions, some species can delay the release of gametes until the situation improves, or temporarily not release reproductive gametes.
Unique breeding strategies of the bony fish family
To ensure the reproduction of offspring, the reproductive strategies of bony fish vary. Usually, fish that live in the marine environment lay extremely large numbers of eggs, small and crystal-shaped, and float with the currents of water, leaving predators to decide whether they live or die. Huge schools of fish are swimming, and the female and male do not need to be paired in advance to release their gametes in the water. For example, a female Atlantic cod releases as many as 6 million eggs, but no more than 6 survive, a strategy won by "heaping" because there is little way for these fish to let some ferocious predators spare their children.
In contrast, inshore fish grow in turbulent waters, and their eggs often have a sticky substance that can attach to rocks, seaweed plants, or other substrates, such as fish such as salmon, whose eggs also stick to rocks. At the same time, in order to produce more yolks, they will reduce the number of ovulations and ensure reproduction by building nests or burying them. Many freshwater fish build a very complex nest in order to better preserve and care for the next generation, allowing their offspring to develop better and fuller in the nest. Like offshore fish, they have very complex courtship mating processes and sex dindate markers. These fish usually have very colorful fins and a strong sense of territory. Their eggs don't float for long and usually adhere to a variety of substrates. There are also many fish that swallow their eggs into their stomachs until they become juveniles and can forage for themselves, such as the species of the cichlid family.
The sex change of the bony fish family is the law
Most fish are of a single sex throughout their lives, but there are also some fish that can change sex or have a dual sex over a period of time, and most of these fish are marine fish. For example, the black-cheeked stingray can inhibit or induce individual or group denaturation depending on the proportion of male and female fish in the population. The respective mortality rates of females and males can also cause sex changes, which continue until the population reaches sex balance. The sex of high-finned parrots can be changed during development, and their changes are mainly based on color, which can be divided into three stages: juvenile (sexual dormant), initial (usually female) and terminal (this stage is always male). This is a very clever strategy that can change sex depending on the number of populations and then obtain a balance of the entire species population.
The first bite of nutrition after birth
Except in extremely rare cases, most fry develop on a substance called yolk in the egg. In the first few weeks after hatching, the attached embryos form yolk sacs that can deliver nutrients, mainly sugars, lipids, proteins, and nutrients needed in the early stages of juvenile fish. The greater the amount of yolk, the less dependent the newborn fry are on the outside world for food supplies. Usually, small fish in their juvenile stage feed on smaller nutrients from the food of larvae or adult fish. Like the small fry of the panlis, they feed on the white mucus produced by the heads of their parents and the roots of the dorsal and caudal fins.
It is precisely because of the variety of breeding strategies that the bony fish family is the most successful family of aquatic animals, which are found in the ocean and in rivers and streams, and are extremely diverse.