From Broodstock to Larvae: Reproductive Physiology, Gamete Quality, and Early-Life Programming in Tropical and Subtropical Freshwater Fish

Aquaculture reproduction science has advanced significantly in understanding how environmental, physiological, and genetic factors determine reproductive success and offspring quality in fish. In tropical and subtropical freshwater species, however, the continuum linking broodstock conditioning, gamete quality, and larval development remains only partially resolved. Current approaches have often addressed isolated phases — such as induced spawning, egg quality assessment, or larval rearing — without fully integrating them into a physiological and developmental continuum.
Recent research has shown that maternal and paternal experiences, environmental salinity and temperature, endocrine stimuli, and stress exposure can all reprogram gamete and embryonic developmental pathways. Yet, the mechanisms mediating these early-life effects and their implications for survival, growth, and phenotypic plasticity in aquaculture-relevant species remain incompletely explored across the diverse tropical and subtropical freshwater systems of South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South Asia. Addressing these questions is essential for both advancing fundamental reproductive biology and improving seed production efficiency for native and cultivated tropical fishes.

This Research Topic aims to bring together studies that elucidate the physiological, biochemical, molecular, and behavioral processes operating from broodstock through early larval stages in tropical and subtropical freshwater fish. Specifically, it seeks to integrate experimental and applied approaches that connect gonadal physiology, gamete quality, endocrine regulation, and early ontogenesis. By combining viewpoints from reproductive endocrinology, morphology, behavior, and aquaculture systems science, this Topic intends to define how environmental conditioning, stress modulation, and parental status drive the programming of early developmental traits. The goal is to identify biomarkers and mechanisms predictive of reproductive output, larval competence, and resilience — providing a mechanistic foundation to optimize management of tropical and subtropical freshwater aquaculture species globally.

To gather further insights across the broodstock–larva continuum in tropical and subtropical freshwater fish, we welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
o Maternal and paternal conditioning and their effects on gamete quality, embryonic viability, and larval performance
o Endocrine and molecular regulation of gonadal maturation and induced spawning
o Physiological and morphological indicators of egg and larval quality (e.g., PCNA, IGF-axis, muscle cellularity, yolk absorption kinetics)
o Environmental modulation (temperature, salinity, photoperiod) and its influence on reproductive physiology and early ontogeny
o Behavioral and stress physiology aspects shaping reproductive success and larval adaptation
o Larval rearing systems, hydrological and nutritional parameters influencing developmental programming
o Integration of physiology and system design for sustainable broodstock management and fry production
o Comparative studies among tropical and subtropical freshwater aquaculture species across different biogeographic regions

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: broodstock conditioning, reproductive physiology, egg quality, early-life programming, larval development, endocrine regulation, Tropical Freshwater Fish

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.