青虾“红体病”组织病理学观察

用连续切片的方法对患有红体病的青虾进行组织病理学研究，结果表明患病青虾鳃部、肌肉组织和肝胰腺部位病症比较明显，不同患病阶段组织变形差异显著。鳃片细胞在患病初期表现为胞质收缩，后期则细胞膨胀破裂。细胞内物质外溢，细胞边缘界限不完整；肌肉组织在后期出现肌纤维束之间间隙，且部分肌纤维有断裂的现象；中期肝小叶间隔出现空隙和腺细胞变形，在后期则表现为小叶溃烂。造成青虾因红体病死亡的原因，初期主要是因为鳃片的组织病变导致呼吸困难，进而造成青虾生理异常；后期主要是因为肝胰脏的溃烂造成消化功能全面丧失。     

“红肉病”文蛤的组织病理学

利用组织学和组织化学方法,在光镜水平下研究了患“红肉病”文蛤(Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus)的组织病理学变化特征。结果显示,患病文蛤的病理学变化主要表现为组织结构紊乱,上皮膨大、脱落,鳃、外套膜、消化盲囊等组织发现异常结构及寄生物,如嗜碱性的包涵体、嗜酸性颗粒及寄生性原生动物等。另外,组织化学研究结果显示,病蛤在糖含量、磷酸酶活性等方面也有明显变化,表现为消化盲囊、肠等部位吸收细胞内糖含量增加。消化盲囊、消化管各处酸性磷酸酶(ACP)活性减弱,碱性磷酸酶活性(AKP)增强。鳃组织ACP活性增强,AKP活性减弱等。     

Fatty acids in muscle of wild and farmed red porgy, Pagrus pagrus

The total fat content and the fatty acids of total lipids (TL), phospholipids (PL) and triacylglycerols (TAG) were analysed in white muscle from wild and reared red porgy, Pagrus pagrus (L.). The fat percentage was higher in reared (3.03 ± 0.57%) (mean ± SE) than wild (0.65 ± 0.03%) fish. The fatty acid pattern of reared porgy TL reflected the diet's lipid. Wild red porgy showed higher levels of ω3 and ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) than reared, but both the atherogenic index and the index of thrombogenicity were very low for both wild and reared red porgy. The lipid fractions showed that the PL were composed of very high levels of PUFA, especially 22:6ω3, and their composition seemed to be better regulated than the composition of TAG. TAG showed greater differences between wild and reared fish, presumably because they reflected the dietary content of lipids. PUFA were the principal component of wild red porgy TAG.     

Heritability of juvenile growth traits in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.)

Heritability of juvenile growth rate was estimated for red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), an economically important sciaenid fish in the southern USA. Thirty‐eight families were generated via ‘natural’ spawning of multiple sets of five breeders (three dams × two sires) in individual brood tanks. Offspring were individually tagged with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags and mixed for grow‐out in replicate ‘common‐garden’ tanks. Juvenile growth was followed from 166.4±18.6 to 254.0±27.0 mm (total length). Offspring were assigned a posteriori to individual brood fish (dam and sire) based on genotypes at nuclear‐encoded microsatellites. Heritability (h²) of a thermal growth coefficient was estimated using an animal‐additive model and a restricted maximum‐likelihood algorithm. Estimates of h² were 0.33±0.08 and 0.31±0.08 for thermal growth coefficient based on length and weight respectively. These results indicate a significant genetic component in juvenile growth rate in red drum. Estimates of h² for condition coefficient (K) at various measurement dates averaged 0.38, suggesting a genetic component to shape in juvenile red drum.     

A preliminary study on the effects of dietary supplementation of brewers yeast and nucleotides, singularly or in combination, on juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with brewers yeast (Brewtech^®) and nucleotides (Optimûn), either singularly or in combination, on red drum growth, body composition, stress responses and possible resistance to Amyloodinium ocellatum infection. Juvenile red drum (～1 g initially) fed practical fish‐meal‐based diets for 6 weeks had similar weight gain regardless of whether the diet was unsupplemented (basal) or supplemented with brewers yeast (2% of diet), nucleotides (Optimûn at 0.2% of diet) or both brewers yeast (2% of diet) and nucleotides (Optimûn at 0.2% of diet). Dietary effects on hepatosomatic index, intraperitoneal fat ratio or whole‐body composition were not significant, except that fish fed the singular nucleotide supplement had a significantly higher whole‐body lipid content compared with fish fed the basal diet. No significant dietary effects on cortisol response were observed after a 15 min confinement stress test perhaps because of the extreme variation among individual fish. Subsequently, in situ challenge by co‐habitation with A. ocellatum caused 100% mortality regardless of dietary treatment within a 48 h period. It is concluded that dietary supplementation of brewers yeast and nucleotides did not promote enhanced growth or improved cortisol response and resistance to uncontrolled amyloodiniosis in juvenile red drum, at least at the tested dosages.     

Sex differences in circulating steroid hormone levels in the red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus L.

Steroid profiles of cultured and captive red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.) were investigated to evaluate the potential use of circulating sex steroid levels as a tool for gender identification in this species. Cultured 18‐month‐old fish were maintained on a 120‐day shortened photothermal cycle to induce precocious maturation. Additionally, wild‐caught fish were maintained in captivity under simulated natural photothermal conditions from late spring to early fall. Circulating 11‐ketotestosterone (11‐KT) levels were significantly higher in males compared with females during the early stages of gonadal growth in both cultured and captive fish. Plasma testosterone (T) levels showed a similar trend; however, the differences were significant only when males were already producing sperm. 17β‐estradiol (E₂) concentrations were low in males and females before gonadal recrudescence but increased significantly with the progression of vitellogenesis in females. These results show that a test using a minimum concentration of circulating 11‐KT could be developed to differentiate between sexes in the early stages of gonadal maturation in red drum. Moreover, plasma E₂ concentrations could be used to identify vitellogenic females. The two steroids considered together could help avoid possible error in gender identification due to unusually high levels of certain steroids encountered in some individuals.     

Effects of dietary thyroid hormones on the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

Four separate 8-week feeding trials were conducted to assess the effects of supplementing semipurified diets with either triiodothyronine (T₃) or thyroxine (T₄) at 0, 2, 10, and 50 mg/kg on growth and body composition of juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) held in artificial brackish water (6‰) and artificial seawater (32‰). At both levels of salinity, increasing doses of T₃ resulted in fish with reduced weight gain, feed efficiency, condition factor (weight × 100/length³), and muscle ratio (muscle weight × 100/body weight), as well as a lighter body color. Significant (p < 0.05) effects of T₃ on the proximate composition of whole body, liver, and muscle were variable, generally reflecting decreased lipid and protein storage in liver and muscle, respectively. The two highest doses of T₃ given to seawater adapted fish increased survival. Dietary T₄ supplementation had no distinctive effects on appearance, growth or proximate body composition. These results indicate that whereas T₃ may function to regulate protein and lipid metabolism in red drum, dietary supplementation with T₃ leads to a hyperthyroidism-induced catabolic state. The elevated endogenous thyroid hormone levels found in fish fed optimal diets may thus adequately supply tissue needs during juvenile growth.     

Blood oxygen transport and hemoglobin function in three tropical fish species from northern Australian freshwater billabongs

The oxygen binding properties of whole blood and hemoglobin were studied in three phylogenetically distant tropical teleosts inhabiting freshwater billabongs that exhibit marked seasonal oxygen stratification. The water breathing saratoga (Scleropages jardinii, Family Osteoglossidae), derived from an ancient divergence of the stem line leading to all other extant teleosts, has a low blood oxygen carrying capacity, Bohr and Root effect, and a high blood oxygen affinity. Erythrocytes contain a single major hemoglobin component, and equimolar concentrations of ATP and GTP. The tarpon (Megalops cyprinoides, Family Megalopidae), a facultative air-breather, has the highest blood oxygen carrying capacity and Bohr effect, and a low blood oxygen affinity and Root effect. Erythrocytes contain a single major hemoglobin and ATP as a putative regulator of hemoglobin oxygen affinity. Barramundi (Lates calcarifer, Family Centropomidae), is an obligate water-breather with intermediate blood oxygen binding properties, and the smallest Root effect. Erythrocytes contain at least 7 hemoglobins, and equimolar concentrations of ATP and GTP. Functional properties of these three blood oxygen transport systems are considered in terms of the respiratory environment and demand for oxygen. Our interpretation supports the hypothesis that the process of speciation can lead to divergence in physiological mechanisms, irrespective of past or present selection pressures.