Sex-based differences in fatty acid composition of adult walleye

Differences in reproductive strategies of male and female fishes are presumably accompanied by differences in nutrient allocation and predicted to lead to divergence in body composition between the sexes. We compared patterns of variation in fatty acid profiles of lipids extracted from ova, liver, muscle and visceral fat between mature male and female walleye (Sander vitreus) sampled from two wild spawning stocks. Fatty acid profiles differed significantly among body tissues in both males and females, with the strongest contrast between muscle and visceral fat. Significant differences in fatty acid composition between the sexes were found in liver, muscle and visceral fat tissues. Variation among sexes and populations was greater in liver than in the other tissues. Female livers had lower relative abundances of palmitic acid (PA, 16:0) and oleic acid (OA, 18:1(n-9)), and higher relative abundances of arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4(n-6)), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5(n-3)) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6(n-3)) compared to male livers. In addition, female muscle had higher relative abundance of OA and lower relative abundance of DHA compared to male muscle. Our results illustrate the differential effects of reproductive demands on the biochemical composition of males and females and have implications for the analysis of fatty acid profiles in studies of wild fish populations.     

Effects of Gender and Size on Feed Acquisition in the Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, are sexually dimorphic for growth, where subadult and adult females typically are larger than males of the same age. This character may be attributed to physiological and/or behavioral differences between the sexes. To determine if growth differences are the result of a more aggressive feeding behavior by females, four concurrent feeding trials were conducted to study the effects of gender and size on feed acquisition time. Feeding trials consisted of tanks (three replicate tanks per trial) stocked with (1) all females with small‐ and large‐size groups, (2) all males with small‐ and large‐size groups, (3) a random selection of males and females (resulting in larger females than males), and (4) males and females of equal size. Depending on the trial, tanks were stocked with either an equal number of males and females or small and large shrimp. Shrimp were fed a limited ration of squid, and the total feeding time (TFT) of shrimp between groups within a tank was compared. Results show that both gender and size are important factors in TFT as large shrimp out‐competed small shrimp in both all‐female and all‐male feeding trials. Gender is more important than size as males out‐competed females for feed even when they were smaller than competing females. These results suggest that sexual growth dimorphism is not the result of more aggressive feeding by females. In fact, males have a competitive advantage over females in acquiring feed. These results are counterintuitive because females typically are larger than males. Additional research is needed to investigate the physiological basis for sexual growth dimorphism in this commercially important shrimp.     

Female-biased mortality rate and sexual size dimorphism of migratory masu salmon, Oncorhynchus masou

Abstract –  We examined whether mortality and growth during the migration phase (the lacustrine phase after smolting) differ between sexes in migratory (lake-run) masu salmon ( Oncorhynchus masou ) in a lacustrine population, northern Hokkaido, Japan. The sex ratio of 1+ smolts was more skewed to females than that of the returning adults in three annual cohorts examined, indicating that females have a higher mortality rate during the migration phase. Although there was no difference in smolt length between sexes, female adults were larger in body length than males of the same age: female-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD) occurs. We suppose that breeding selection favouring a larger body size for females than for males in this population probably requires that females undertake more intensive foraging behaviour with its greater inherent risks but faster growth rates during the migration phase. It therefore seems to be likely that the selection is the ultimate cause of the female-biased mortality rate and SSD.     

Sexual dimorphism in growth and maturation of turbot, Scophthalmus maximus (Rafinesque, 1810)

Sexual dimorphism in growth and maturation of individually tagged turbot (n= 421), Scophthalmus maximus Rafinesque, was studied in a long-lasting (20 months) growth experiment with four temperature regimes. The influence of onset of puberty and subsequent maturation on growth was evaluated. There were no initial size differences, but the final weight of females was larger than that of males at all temperature regimes, except at the lowest temperature. Surplus energy (sum of increase in somatic weight and gonad weight) in females was on average greater than in males from 8 months prior to first spawning. Significant growth (as specific growth rate, SGR) differences between maturing and immature fish were detected from the age of 9 months post hatch. Maturing females had the highest growth rate and reached the largest size (1.8 kg in 20 months), whereas male body weights reached a plateau and levelled off around 1.0 kg. To optimize production characteristics in turbot aquaculture and achieve more homogeneous growth, methods should be developed to produce all-female broods.     

Should only females of giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii be selected in genetic improvement programmes?

Sexual dimorphism is widely observed in almost all farmed aquatic animal species but giant freshwater pawn (GFP) is unique, with males characterized by three main morphotypes (blue claw, orange claw and small males) and females by different reproduction status (ovary, berried egg and already‐spawned females). There has been reported evidence that the effect of male morphotype may have masked genetic variation in growth‐related traits, as a result the heritability for male body weight was lower than that estimated in female. A pending question has arisen whether selection should be made in female only. To answer this question, we used an 8‐year data set from a long‐term selection programme (2008–2015) for high growth in this species comprising 106,756 individuals that were offspring of 515 sires and 810 dams. The body weight data of female and male GFP or of each morphotype was treated as a separate trait and a multi‐trait approach was used to estimate genetic correlations for homologous traits between sexes and between morphotypes. Our analysis showed that there were little differences in the heritability estimates between female and male. In female, mature ovary individual displayed higher heritability than berried egg and already‐spawned females. For male, the heritability for blue claw, orange claw and small males were 0.11, 0.06 and 0.00 respectively. Between‐sex genetic correlation was moderate (0.55 ± 0.11) for body weight, suggesting that the trait expressions in female and male may be genetically different. In female, the genetic correlations for body weight among three female types were close to one (0.91–0.94). In contrast, the genetic correlations for body weight between male morphotypes especially between blue claw or orange claw and small males were low (0.15–0.25). Furthermore, we estimated genetic gain as the difference in least square means (LSM) or estimated breeding values (EBV) between the selection line and control group. The genetic gain in body weight was smaller in females than in males. It is concluded that there is no need to run separate breeding programme for female and male GFP. A combined selection using both female and male data can achieve selection response for body weight as demonstrated in the present study.     

Evolution of body composition of European eels during their growth phase in a fish farm, with special emphasis on the lipid component

The effects of changes in the feeding regime on growth rate, body composition and fatty acid content of body lipids were monitored during the production cycle of European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in a fish farm, from elvers to commercial size (> 100 g).A high variation in growth rate obliged periodic grading. The fat content in the body of the eels notably increased over the study period in a direct relationship with size. At commercial size, a certain degree of sexual dimorphism was apparent, as were differences in dorsal coloration. At this stage, females were clearly larger than males and had a greater amount of body fat.Changes in dietary lipid composition (moist natural food, pellet foods with low and high fat content) influenced fatty-acid composition of body and muscle lipids. No differences between sexes were recorded in this respect. In general, indices of the nutritional quality of body lipids decreased progressively (in terms of the ratio between saturated, on the one hand, and mono- and polyunsaturated, on the other). However, the high fat content of the eels' edible fraction provides an equally high amount of the strongly recommended highly unsaturated fatty acids of the 3 series (HUFA3). © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Sexual dimorphism of fast muscle fibre recruitment in farmed Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.)

Commercially farmed Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) were reared at the Aga Marin's facility located on Dønna (Norway) under ambient environmental conditions in duplicate 15 × 15 × 8 m netpens (May 2004 to May 2005). Twenty fish were sampled five times over a twelve month production period during which time the average body weight increased from 1.26 to 2.08 kg (n = 100 fish). Body mass, fork length (L_F), and the number and size distributions of fast muscle fibres were determined in male and female fish. All males matured during the autumn whereas no maturation was observed in females. From the point of maturation females had superior growth performance to males and body mass and the total cross-sectional area of muscle were 1.4-fold (P < 0.05) and 1.3-fold higher (P < 0.01) respectively by May 2005. The total number of fast muscle fibres per trunk cross-section at 0.55 L_F was 24.5% higher in females (7.58 × 10⁵) than males (5.80 × 10⁵) prior to sexual maturation. In females, muscle fibre recruitment slowed with short days and low water temperatures (< 6.5 °C), but had increased to 1.01 × 10⁶ by May 2005 (P < 0.001). In contrast, there was no growth and no increase in muscle fibre number in males following the onset of maturation. The distribution of muscle fibre diameters prior to maturation in males was also significantly different between male and female fish matched for L_F. The results illustrate a sexual dimorphism of muscle fibre recruitment patterns in Atlantic halibut and highlight the adverse affects of sexual maturation in males on muscle growth.     

Yield characteristics and morphometric relationships of giant freshwater prawn,Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879)

Meat yield of 233 individuals of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879), and their morphometric relationships were examined. Morphometric parameters of different length and weight measurements were recorded for both the sexes separately and subjected to analysis. The meat yield of prawns was size and sex dependent with females showing significantly greater (P < 0.05) tail meat yield than males. The tail meat as a body weight percentage ranges from 26.12 to 40.75 and 32.97 to 42.11 in males and females, respectively. Much of the differences in yield are related to the size and weight of the head and claws. The head weight of males was observed to be higher compared to females in all the size classes. Regression slopes of total length versus body weight and total length versus head weight were significantly higher than critical isometric value indicating high positive allometric growth in both the sexes, with males showing significantly higher (P < 0.05) slope than females. The relationship parameters of total length versus tail weight and total length versus tail meat showed a positive allometric growth in females, whereas it is isometry and negative allometry in males. The morphometric relationship of tail length versus all weight measurements showed positive allometry and negative allometry in females and males, respectively.     

Biochemical composition of pond-reared and lake-stocked Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne-Edwards) broodstock

The morphological characteristics, tissue indices, proximate and fatty acid compositions of hepatopancreas, gonad and muscle of pond‐reared (PR) and lake‐stocked (LS) Eriocheir sinensis broodstock were compared. Lake‐stocked crabs are characterized by a blue carapace, white abdomen, golden legs and yellow setae while PR crabs have a brown carapace, grey abdomen, black legs and similar yellow setae. The carapace length and width of PR crabs were significantly less than those of LS crabs of the same wet weight (WW). The results showed that the hepatosomatic index (HSI) of PR males was significantly higher, but the gonadosomatic index (GSI) was significantly lower for PR females when compared with LS individuals of the same sex. Regardless of their origin, the muscular index (MI) of males was higher than that of females. The hepatopancreas of LS crabs had higher protein levels and lower lipid levels compared with PR crabs. The results of proximate analysis of male gonads from two different sources were similar, while the protein level in the ovary of LS females was higher than that of PR females. The tissues of males had higher water content but lower lipid and protein levels compared with females regardless of their source. The LS crabs had higher highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) levels than PR crabs in their gonad and hepatopancreas. In conclusion, our results suggest that the nutritional quality of LS crabs is better than that of PR crabs, the nutritional quality of males is poorer than that of females. The reproductive performance and larval quality of crabs from these two rearing systems should be further verified.     

Comparison of malondialdehyde concentrations in different muscle areas of tench <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tinca tinca</Emphasis> L

The concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid peroxidation changes, was measured in the muscles of male and female common tench (Tinca tinca L.). Differences in MDA concentrations were determined in samples in cranio-caudal and dorso-ventral directions and in surface and deep muscle layers. Mean MDA concentration in both sexes (n=27) was 0.037 mol g-1 tissue (wet weight), with the highest levels in the cranial segment. The difference between the cranial and other segments was significant (p < 0.05 in males andp < 0.01 in females). HigherMDAvalues were found in the cranial segment (malesp < 0.05, femalesp < 0.01), in females in ventral part of the cranio-medial segment, in males in the ventral part of the medio-caudal and dorsal parts of the caudal segment (p < 0.05). Both sexes had higher MDA levels in the ventral parts of the first three segments and in the dorsal part of the caudal segment. The results show lipid peroxidation products that may constitute a potential risk for consumers. We found that the content of these substances in tench varies with body topography. The malondialdehyde content of fresh muscle tissue in tench correlated with its content on a fat weight basis. The highest correlation was found for the dorsal part of segments in females (r = 0.9964), the lowest for ventral parts of segments in males. Quantitative distribution of MDA in body segments of the examined tench population was used as a criterion for creating types and subtypes of lipid peroxidation. Samples for hygienic analysis should include musculature from the site least stable in terms of lipid peroxidation, i.e. the cranial segment.     

2010年乌苏里江大麻哈鱼的群体结构及其变动

2010年10月4日~21日,对乌苏里江大麻哈鱼（Oncorhynchus keta）洄游繁殖群体渔业资源及其种群结构变动进行了调查研究,共统计标本9160尾。初步结果显示,大麻哈鱼的日洄游数量受水温和溶解氧的影响较大,出现2次洄游高峰期,平均日单船捕捞量为64尾。体长为55~65cm的个体占群体中的74%,其中体长为55~60cm的雌（36.82%）、雄（36.58%）个体在群体中所占比例接近,在体长小于55cm的群体中,雄性（27.17%）个体在本群体中所占比例高于雌性（12.75%）,体长大于60cm的群体中,雌性（48.61%）在本群体中所占比例高于雄性（34.25%）。体质量为2 000~3 000g的个体占群体中的57%,体质量大于2 500g的群体中,雌性（61.73%）个体在本群体中所占比例高于雄性（46.06%）。雌、雄性比为1.09：1,其中体重大于2 500g的雌性在群体所占比例最高为36.06%,其次为小于2 500g的雄性,占28.8%。对比历史数据表明,该渔业产量为近15年的最高值,总体资源量呈增多趋势,群体中个体趋于小型化,雌性个体在群体中处于主导地位。     

2010年乌苏里江大麻哈鱼的群体结构及其变动

2010年10月4日~21日,对乌苏里江大麻哈鱼（Oncorhynchus keta）洄游繁殖群体渔业资源及其种群结构变动进行了调查研究,共统计标本9160尾。初步结果显示,大麻哈鱼的日洄游数量受水温和溶解氧的影响较大,出现2次洄游高峰期,平均日单船捕捞量为64尾。体长为55~65cm的个体占群体中的74%,其中体长为55~60cm的雌（36.82%）、雄（36.58%）个体在群体中所占比例接近,在体长小于55cm的群体中,雄性（27.17%）个体在本群体中所占比例高于雌性（12.75%）,体长大于60cm的群体中,雌性（48.61%）在本群体中所占比例高于雄性（34.25%）。体质量为2 000~3 000g的个体占群体中的57%,体质量大于2 500g的群体中,雌性（61.73%）个体在本群体中所占比例高于雄性（46.06%）。雌、雄性比为1.09：1,其中体重大于2 500g的雌性在群体所占比例最高为36.06%,其次为小于2 500g的雄性,占28.8%。对比历史数据表明,该渔业产量为近15年的最高值,总体资源量呈增多趋势,群体中个体趋于小型化,雌性个体在群体中处于主导地位。     

Maturity and reproduction of goneplacid crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carcinoplax vestita</Emphasis> (Decapoda,Brachyura) in Tokyo Bay

ABSTRACT:     Sexual maturity, morphological sexual dimorphism, and reproduction of the goneplacid crab Carcinoplax vestita were investigated in Tokyo Bay, Japan, from November 2002 to October 2003. The puberty molt in males was evidenced by changes in the relative size of the chelipeds and merus of the walking legs, and was estimated to occur at a size range of 13.20–18.85 mm carapace length. Post-pubertal females were identified by the relative size of the abdomen and puberty was estimated to occur at a size range of 12.81–15.46 mm carapace length. Sexual dimorphism in C. vestita was observed in all features that showed secondary sexual characteristics. Monthly changes of gonad index in males, and of seminal receptacle index and occurrence of sperm plugs in females were synchronized, and indicated that mating was intense in spring. Ovaries began developing in March. Ovigerous females were found in all months except December, but were clearly more abundant between August and October. Fecundity ranged from 7800 to 57 000 mature oocytes per female per batch and was highly correlated with body size. The results suggest that some females may spawn more than one batch per year.     

Length-weight relationship,muscle production and proximate composition of the freshwater crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes (Lereboullet)

Significant sexual divergence in weight occurred in a sample of 276 crayfish at body lengths greater than 60 mm. Males reached approximately 60 g and females approximately 35 g wet weight. Immature males and females did not differ significantly in weight. Abdominal muscle in larger specimens attained a maximum weight of 3.53 g and 3.78 g in males and females, respectively. Percentage contribution by abdominal muscle to total body weight was 14.43 ± 2.59% (N = 40) for males and 15.73 ± 2.16% (N = 40) for females. Up to 5.13 g of cheliped meat was produced by males but females only produced up to 2.52 g. This difference was largely responsible for the significant differences in total muscle weight expressed as a percentage of body weight between males (27.38 ± 2.36%, N = 40) and females (23.21 ± 2.08%, N = 40). However, male muscle contained significantly more water than female muscle. A new analytical scheme developed to assess crayfish muscle composition revealed a relatively low protein and high lipid content in A. pallipes but other tissue component levels were similar to those of three other marketed crayfish species.     

Sex-related differences in aerobic capacities and reactive oxygen species metabolism in the silver eel

Silver European eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) need to develop important aerobic capacities to cope with their long fasting spawning migration at depth, particularly males which are about half the size of females. Moreover, they have to face potential oxidative stress because reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is linked to the increase in metabolic rate. Thus, aerobic metabolism was globally evaluated in male and female silver eels exposed to a 10.1 MPa hydrostatic pressure (1,000 m depth). Oxygen consumption (MO₂), ROS production and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured in the muscle fibres. Males showed a trend in both higher rate of aerobic metabolism and ROS production than females. After pressure exposure, ROS production was inversely correlated to metabolic rate only in males. By facilitating MO₂ rise with no harmful effects by ROS, the supposed enhanced aerobic capacities of males could speed up the sustained swimming. In females, the tendency to lower metabolic rate and higher catalase activity would make them less vulnerable to ROS effects. These results are in agreement with the hypothesis for different migration depths between genders.     

Does habitat occupancy by lake trout and lake whitefish in large lakes match published thermal habitat envelopes?

Habitat occupancy patterns of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in two large Canadian Shield lakes were modelled based on detections of fish from repeated depth‐stratified surveys over several summers. Lake trout and lake whitefish consistently occupied sites outside traditional thermal envelopes and were not detected at some sites within these ranges. This included the metalimnion and shallow epilimnion for lake trout and lake whitefish in Lake Opeongo. Physical habitat covariates were not important in defining lake trout habitat in both lakes. Physical habitat as represented by the hardness/softness gradient based on acoustic substrate surveys was important for lake whitefish in Lake Opeongo but not in Smoke Lake. In addition, thermal envelopes for lake whitefish differed between the lakes possibly because of differences in substrate slope. The wash zone of lakes, where the thermocline contacts the substrate, appears to be a physical habitat feature for lake whitefish in some lakes. Lake whitefish also exhibited diurnal activity behaviour that was reflected through greater detection rates in the morning versus the afternoon. By accounting for imperfect detection, true estimated overall occupancy of lake trout and lake whitefish increased 0.15–0.30 over naïve occupancy. Thermal habitat envelopes for lake trout and lake whitefish are wider than previously thought. Lake trout occupied a consistent thermal habitat envelope while lake whitefish varied between lakes likely because of lake specific differences in basin morphology and wash zone.     

雌雄半滑舌鳎脑垂体基因表达差异研究

为研究半滑舌鳎雌雄个体大小和生长速度差异悬殊的分子机理,采集来自同一亲本、同一发育阶段的半滑舌鳎雄鱼和雌鱼脑垂体,分别与Affymetrix的斑马鱼基因芯片杂交,筛选差异表达基因。芯片杂交结果显示二者共有1 051个基因检测到明显的杂交信号,其中上调基因486个,下调基因561个。进一步比较雄鱼和雌鱼杂交信号的比值(Ratio值),有39个基因的Ratio值小于0.6或大于1.5,其中sh3gl1b、meis2.1、acta1、Noxa、slc25a5这5种上调基因和col1a2、klf7、acta2这3种下调基因可能与半滑舌鳎雌雄生长差异相关。这一结果为深入研究半滑舌鳎雌雄性别分化与生长调控机制提供了新思路。     

Sexual dimorphism in yellow European eels, Anguilla anguilla (L.)

Sexual dimorphism in yellow eels, Anguilla anguilla (L.). was studied to clarify the differences between sexes. The focus was on the relationship between length/weight and sex. Three samples of eels, grown in captivity in different places in Israel, were studied. Females were significantly lighter than undifferentiated eels in the length range 33-47 cm. The regression coefficient did not differ significantly between females and undifferentiated eels. Sex induction, by a single injection of human chorionic gonadotropin, resulted in a higher loss of body weight during differentiation into the female than into the male.     

Growth,Processing Measurements,Tail Meat Yield,and Tail Meat Proximate Composition of Male and Female Australian Red Claw Crayfish,Cherax quadricarinatus,Stocked into Earthen Ponds

Abstract

Small (0.7 g) juvenile red claw, Cherax quadricarinatus, were stocked in earthen ponds (0.04 ha) in Kentucky and grown for 86 days so that measures of growth, survival, processing characteristics, and proximate composition of tail muscle in male and female Australian red claw crayfish could be obtained. A commercial marine shrimp was fed to all red in two separate feedings, each consisting of one-half of the total daily ration between 0800-0830 and between 1530-1600 hours for the duration of the culture period. Total weight and number of red claw from each pond were recorded at the harvest. Forty red claw from each sex were randomly sampled, chill-killed by lowering the body temperature in an ice-bath, and frozen (-20°C) for processing measurements and proximate composition. Red claw were removed from the freezer, thawed, individually weighed to the nearest 0.01 g, and then were hand-processed so that weights of chelae, tail, and tail muscle were obtained to the nearest 0.01 g. After 87 days, red claw had a final average individual weight of 59.6 g, weight gain of 8,413%, survival of 64.0%, yield of 903 kg/ha, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 4.63. When analyzed by sex, males had significantly (P < 0.05) higher final individual weight (71.05 g) compared to females (53.65 g); higher (P < 0.05) chelae weight (13.1 g for males compared to 6.84 g for females); higher tail weight (25.53 g for males compared to 20.38 g for females); higher tail muscle weight (18.99 g for males compared to 14.89 g for females); and higher cephalothorax weight (32.41 g for males compared to 26.44 g for females; Table 2). There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the percentage moisture, protein, lipid, fiber, and ash in the tail muscle of male and female red claw when analyzed either on a wet-weight basis and averaged 81.0%, percentage protein averaged 16.46%, percentage lipid averaged 0.16%, fiber averaged 0.1%, and percentage ash averaged 1.42%. Results from the present study indicate that red claw can be grown as a commercial aquaculture species in locations with limited growing seasons, and that male red claw grow larger, have larger chelae, and higher tail muscle weights compared to females so that it might be economically advantageous to stock all-male populations of red claw in ponds to achieve maximum production. Further research on growth and processing yields of red claw should be conducted to assist the industry.     

Planktivory and diet-overlap of densely rakered whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus (L.)) in a subarctic lake

Abstract –  Three sympatric whitefish ( Coregonus lavaretus (L.)) forms, one being pelagic and two benthic, segregate available habitat and food resources in subarctic Lake Muddusjärvi, northern Finland. Zooplankton availability in the lake, food composition, diet-overlap and growth of densely rakered (DR) whitefish were examined during June to September to explore the reasons for the small individual size of the pelagic form. DR whitefish used zooplankton as main food item and prey selection followed zooplankton species density proportions in the lake. Zooplankton density and water temperature was highest in July–August. The average lengths of Bosmina spp., Daphnia spp., Calanoida and Cyclopoida in DR whitefish stomach were higher than in zooplankton sample during June–September, except Calanoida in June. Diet-overlap between DR whitefish age groups was high at all months indicating intercohort resource competition. DR whitefish reached sexual maturity at 3 years of age and at the length of 12 cm, after which somatic growth almost ceased. Reason for the small average size and slow growth of DR whitefish were connected to high diet-overlap between age groups and early sexual maturation.