| Bluegill are important gamefish for stocking farm ponds and lakes; but, their high reproduction rates can cause stunting. Polyploid induction may be used for population control. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop histological techniques to monitor egg development to determine the critical time for the production of polyploid bluegill and (2) to observe differences between the development of normal eggs and eggs that received polyploid induction treatments.; Standard histological techniques and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) were not effective in monitoring chromosomal changes in fertilized eggs. However, LSCM could be used to observe developmental changes in the eggs. Blastodiscs were not observed to divide in eggs that received induction treatments during the first 60 minutes postfertilization. Polyploid induction treatments may have produced a shock to the cell that required a recuperation period, cell division was inhibited in polyploid eggs, or treatments had a lethal effect on the eggs. |
