Color vision, spectral sensitivity, accommodation, and visual acuity in juvenile masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou masou

ABSTRACT:   Color vision, spectral sensitivity, accommodation, and visual acuity were examined in juvenile masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou masou to obtain fundamental information about the visual system. Two types of S-potentials were recorded from 415 horizontal cells in isolated retinas from 34 cultured freshwater masu salmon (114–219 mm standard length, SL). Although horizontal cells recording S-potentials were not identified, the horizontal cells were confirmed because their responses were maintained while the stimulus remained. The variety of chromaticity (C)-type S-potentials indicated well-developed color vision. The analysis of the luminosity (L)-type S-potentials indicated that the peak spectral sensitivity was at 522 nm. S-potentials were also recorded in response to ultraviolet light. The direction and extent of lens movement induced by electrical stimulation was measured in 12 cultured masu salmon (99.0–142.5 mm SL). The results indicated that the visual axis was upward and forward, and that the range of accommodation was from 0.79 × SL in front of the eye to infinity. In histological analysis of the retinas of five wild smolts (100–118 mm SL), the maximum cone densities (276–345 cones/0.01 mm²) were detected in the ventral to temporal regions. The visual acuities assessed by histological methods were 0.069–0.075.     

Visual acuity and spectral sensitivity of Jacopever Sebastes schlegeli

Understanding the behavior of Jacopever Sebastes schlegeli to visual stimulation is important and requires determination of visual sensitivity through the use of effective stimulation. In the present study, we measured the visual acuity, visual accommodation and spectral sensitivity of Jacopever. Visual acuity was calculated from the maximum cone density in the retina. In five specimens, the total length ranged from 17.6 to 24.5 cm and the calculated minimum resolving angles and visual acuities were 9.5–10.7 min and 0.09–0.11, respectively. Measurement of lens movement for visual accommodation indicated a mean distance and direction of movement of 0.31 mm and 16.0° in an upward and forward direction, respectively. The direction of accommodation and visual axis measured from the retinal area of maximum cone density were almost identical. The calculated focal distance was 0.74-fold the total length in the nearest point to infinity. We also determined the spectral sensitivity electrophysiologically by recording S-potentials from 45 specimens of total length of 15.4–47.5 cm. The S-potentials were recorded from 300 horizontal cells in the retina. All responses showed a similar spectral pattern, consisting of hyperpolarization in response to various wavelengths of stimulating light; the maximum amplitude of the response was recorded at 522 nm.     

Comparison of visual acuity and visual axis of three flatfish species with different ecotypes

ABSTRACT:   The visual acuity, visual axis and visual accommodation of pointhead flounder, slime flounder, and red halibut were determined to obtain basic knowledge for developing appropriate fishing gear and fishing methods for sustainable fisheries. Each of these species has a different ecotype in terms of habitat, depth and prey species. Thus, it was hypothesized that they may differ in terms of visual acuity, visual axis and visual accommodation. Few studies have compared these characters in flatfishes from different ecotypes. We used histological methods to determine visual acuity (i.e. cone cell density) and visual axis (i.e. cone cell distribution) in each of these species. The maximum visual acuity was 0.127 in pointhead flounder (total length, TL 344 mm), 0.092 in slime flounder (TL 372 mm) and 0.109 in red halibut (TL 336 mm). Based on the cone cell distribution in the retina, the visual axis was upward and forward in pointhead flounder, forward and downward in slime flounder, and downward in red halibut. Finally, the mean angle of lens movement was −2° in pointhead flounder, −13° in slime flounder and −32° in red halibut. This measurement of lens movement indicated that the average near-point distance was 0.87 × TL in pointhead flounder, 0.65 × TL in slime flounder and 1.02 × TL in red halibut. At similar TL (336–355 mm), the visual acuity of these species differs depending on the direction in which they are looking.     

Visual acuity and spectral sensitivity of the elkhorn sculpin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alcichthys alcicornis</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   In this study, the visual acuity, visual accommodation, and spectral sensitivity of the elkhorn sculpin were determined. The elkhorn sculpin Alcichthys alcicornis is a typical groundfish that has conspicuously large eyes. They are caught by bottom gillnets, trawl nets, bottom line angling, and other fishing methods. Although fish behavior arising from visual stimuli is important in these fishing methods, there is little information available regarding the visual sensitivity of the elkhorn sculpin . Three specimens, with total lengths of 300–310 mm, were studied. Visual acuity was calculated, from the maximum cone density in the retina, to be between 0.10 and 0.14. The minimum separable angles were calculated to be 7.14–10.37 min. Measurement of lens movement in five specimens indicated that the near-point distance was between 0.87 and 1.53 times the total length. Lens direction was estimated to be 11–22° in the downward visual axis. Spectral sensitivity was also determined electrophysiologically by recording S-potentials. Three types of response were obtained from 21 specimens, including L responses that showed hyperpolarization at all wavelengths of stimulating light, and two C responses that showed wavelength-dependent hyperpolarization and depolarization. Based on these results, the elkhorn sculpin has color vision and its sensitivity is most acute in light with a wavelength of 554 nm.     

Persistence of Florida largemouth bass alleles in a northern Arkansas population of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides Lacèpéde

Abstract– Lake Ashbaugh, located in northeast Arkansas, was constructed in 1981, and initially stocked with Florida largemouth bass followed by supplemental stockings of northern largemouth bass. Allele frequencies of three discriminant allozyme loci (sAAT-B, sIDH-B, sMDH-B) between Florida and northern largemouth bass were determined for 414 largemouth bass collected between 1994 and 1996. F_x bass dominated our sample, with 62.3% possessing Florida largemouth bass alleles. A high incidence of Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium was observed, indicative of genetic change within the population. No significant differences were identified for frequency of age classes, relative weight, and length at age between the northern, F₁ and F_x phenotypes. Despite being located north of what is generally considered suitable for stocking Florida largemouth bass, it was demonstrated that temperature is not selective at present against bass possessing Florida largemouth bass alleles. However, caution should prevail when introducing non-native stock into native gene complexes, as introduced genes persist through many generations.     

Effects of season, maturity, and sex on lipid class dynamics in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides Lacepede)

Abstract Factors that can influence changes in lipid class concentrations in specific tissues have not been reported for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. We investigated patterns of lipid composition by measuring seasonal levels of total lipid and major lipid classes in the muscle and liver tissues of juvenile and adult largemouth bass and gonad tissue of adults. Fish were collected in December, February, April and July to correspond with key stages of the sexual cycle. Total lipid concentrations were substantially greater in hepatic (32.8 [female] to 56.6 [male] mg. g^?1) and gonadal tissues (34.4 [F] to 204.0 [M] mg. g^?1) than in muscle (7. 5 [F] to 11.4 [M] mg. g^?1). Muscle lipid concentrations in juveniles were significantly higher (10.9 [F] and 11.4 [M] mg. g^?1) in summer than in winter in adult muscle tissue (8.6 [F] and 9.4 [MI mg. g^?1). A 44% increase in ovary lipid was observed from preparatory to prespawn stages, followed by a 78% decline after the spawn. Additionally, seasonal hepatic lipid concentrations were substantially higher in juveniles. Concentrations of lipid classes (free cholesterol [C], triacylglycerol [TAG], free-fatty acids [FFA], esterified cholesterol [CE] and phospholipid [PL]) of all tissue types varied significantly among season, sex, and maturity categories. Changes with all lipid classes in the ovary coincided with those occurring in total ovarian lipid. Mobilization and transport of TAG and PL from the liver to the ovary appeared to occur during gametogenesis. All class concentrations in juveniles were invariably higher in liver than in muscle, but seasonally variable among hepatic and gonad tissues of adults. Juvenile males showed slightly greater hepatic C concentrations than other groups. Muscle and hepatic C were generally higher in juveniles.     

Arginine requirement and effect of arginine intake on immunity in largemouth bass,Micropterus salmoides

An 8‐week feeding test was conducted to quantify the dietary arginine requirement of juvenile largemouth bass (LMB) (25 ± 0.4 g). Six isonitrogenous and isolipidic (459 g crude protein and 122 g crude lipid kg^?1 dry diet) diets were formulated to contain graded levels of arginine (17.0–30.1 g kg^?1 dry diet). Zein‐coated crystalline amino acid mixtures were supplemented to simulate, except for arginine, the amino acid profile of the muscle protein of LMB. Each diet was randomly assigned to quadruplicate tanks of 35 fish reared in a flow‐through system. Fish were fed to apparent satiation twice daily. Weight gain (WG) was significantly affected by dietary arginine level. Nitrogen retention was significantly lower in fish fed D17.0. Arginine retention significantly decreased with dietary arginine increased. Threonine, leucine and lysine concentrations in whole body were significantly affected by dietary arginine level. Serum lysozyme activity, serum protein and respiratory burst of head kidney leucocytes were significantly affected, while complement activity (CH₅₀) showed no difference among treatments. Based on broken‐line analysis for WG against dietary digestible arginine level, the arginine requirement of LMB was 19.1 g kg^?1 of dry diet (41.6 g kg^?1 of crude protein).     

维生素C对大口黑鲈生长与非特异性免疫的影响

以不同维生素C水平(添加量分别为0、500、1000、2000和4000mg·kg-1)的5种饲料喂养初始体重为19g左右的大口黑鲈1个月,每个处理50尾鱼,各处理3个重复,研究维生素C对大口黑鲈生长及非特异性免疫的影响。结果显示:饲料中添加维生素C能显著促进大口黑鲈的生长和脾体指数(P<0·05),然而对大口黑鲈的成活率以及肝体指数等不产生影响(P>0·05);饲料中添加维生素C能显著促进大口黑鲈血清中超氧化物歧化酶活力和溶菌酶活力(P<0·05);随着饲料中维生素C添加水平的提高,大口黑鲈肝脏中维生素C的积累量显著升高(P<0·05)。实验证明,Vc作为免疫刺激剂能有效地提高大口黑鲈的生长与非特异性免疫能力。     

Frequency, composition and stability of associations among individual largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) at diel, daily and seasonal scales

Abstract –  A whole-lake acoustic telemetry observatory situated in eastern Ontario was used to continuously monitor the three-dimensional position of 20 largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) over a 120-h period during the winter and a separate 120-h period during the early spring. These data were used to evaluate the frequency and stability of associations among fish to provide an understanding of seasonal aggregations and the sociobiology of largemouth bass. The temporal and spatial proximity of each fish relative to the other 19 individuals was assessed and, based on our definition of spatial/temporal proximity (i.e., two fish having an average hourly position <2 m apart), associations were shown to vary among fish, as well as diurnally, daily and seasonally. Associations during the winter were found to be more stable and involved fewer fish than associations during the spring. Of those fish that formed pair aggregations during the winter and spring study periods, male–female pairs occurred more often than male–male and female–female pairs. Our analysis also demonstrated that associations occurred primarily during daylight hours, suggesting that fish may use visual cues to form these aggregations.     

Growth and body composition of juvenile largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in response to dietary protein and energy levels

To determine the dietary protein and energy requirements of juvenile largemouth bass, 1350 feed‐conditioned fishes (average weight 14.46 ± 0.81 g) were stocked in ninety 60‐L cages, set up in 1000‐L tanks at three cages/tank, and fed for 64 days with a dry, extruded feed containing six levels of crude protein (CP) (340–540 g kg^–1, with increases of 40 g kg^–1) and five levels of energy (150.7–171.7 kJ g^–1 feed, with increases of 5.2 kJ). The trial was set up in a 6 × 5 factorial, completely randomized design (n=3). Weight gain (WG), daily feed consumption (DFC), feed conversion rate (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), specific growth rate (SGR), protein and energy retention were recorded and evaluated. There was no interaction between feed energy and protein levels with all parameters evaluated. Data analysis by the broken line method showed that the minimum dietary requirement for maximum daily weight gain of 8.0 g kg^–1 is 435.9 g kg^–1 CP; the best feed conversion ratio (1.04:1) was attained with a minimum of 448.2 g kg^–1 CP; a minimum of 162.1 kJ g^–1; DFC was reduced as dietary protein and energy levels increased; dietary levels of 460–500 g kg^–1 CP led to best PER (1.665); best values for protein (33.14 g 100 g^–1) and energy (26.87 g 100 g^–1) retention were observed for fish feeding on the 420 g kg^–1 CP ration. Limits of energy to protein ratio to feed largemouth bass are 25.01 and 26.89 mg protein kJ^–1, enabling feed conversion ratios of 0.96–1.10.