Routine metabolism of larval green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris Ayres)

Routine metabolic rates of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) from hatching to 31 days post hatch (dph) were determined under normoxic conditions. During the endogenous feeding stage that comprised period from hatching to 15 dph, the oxygen consumption rate (MO₂, μg O₂ larva⁻¹ h⁻¹) increased 5-fold before yolk reserves became exhausted and MO₂ rates steady. The allometric relationships between MO₂ and body mass had mass exponents greater than 1.0 (b=1.64±0.21) and equal to 1.0 (b=1.04±0.07) during the endogenous and exogenous feeding phases, respectively. The magnitude and changes of MO₂ rates in green sturgeon larvae reflected their early ontogeny, especially during the endogenous feeding phase when the increase in metabolic rates was associated with organogenesis, acquisition of organ functions, and the conversion of yolk sac into new tissues. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Pacific sand lance of the Port Moller estuary, southeastern Bering Sea: an estuarine^dependent early life history

Three waves of spawning Pacific sand lance (Ammo-dytes hexapterus) entered the Port Moller estuary from mid-January to late May 1990. Each wave laid its eggs on sand in lower Moller Bay with the center of egg distribution about 14 km inside the estuary. After incubation for 45 to 94 d, each cohort of eggs hatched out over a 41- to 63-d period. Larvae moved at a rate of 0.21 knvd“¹ toward a deep fjordlike basin at the head of Herendeen Bay inside the estuary about 20 km southwest of the center of hatch. The basin has the lowest flushing rate of the estuary, and unlike the rest of Port Moller, it is vertically stratified, which allows the development of a spring-summer zooplankton community with greater biomass than any other location in the estuary. Larvae may have moved to the basin to enhance growth or to avoid offshore transport to areas of low food abundance, but we cannot demonstrate a direct link between growth and habitat. We conclude that the Port Moller sand lance stock has an estuarine early life history that evolved in response to the unique physical conditions of the Port Moller estuary–a shallow, well-mixed site with sandy substrate that is suitable for incubation of demersal eggs next to a deep, vertically stratified fjord with a rich zooplankton community that is suitable for rearing of larvae.     

A study of spring-and autumn-spawned herring (Clupea harengus L.) larvae in the Norwegian Coastal Current during spring 1990

An intensive sampling program for yolk-sac herring larvae and microzooplankton was carried out in the main spawning area of Norwegian spring-spawning herring during March to April 1990 (between 62^o and 63^o30'N) to estimate their hatching period and the abundance of copepod eggs and nauplii. Additional investigations were carried out in the Skagerrak area during January-March and on the Norwegian Shelf in May to study the otolith microstructure of the herring larvae. In May both autumn- and spring-spawned herring larvae were found in the samples from the Norwegian Shelf. They were easily distinguished by differences in otolith microstructure. The pattern in increment widths in the otoliths of the autumn-spawned larvae indicated that these larvae had not been transported through the Skagerrak area, but more likely were carried directly from the northern North Sea across the Norwegian Trench and into the Norwegian Coastal Current system. The calculated hatching of the spring-spawned larvae sampled in May occurred significantly later than the observed hatching over the spawning grounds. The results suggest a mismatch between the abundance of first-feeding herring larvae and their prey organisms, resulting in a higher survival of those herring larvae hatching during the latest part of the spawning period. This coincides with a general increase towards the middle of April in the abundance of prey organisms, from 1 to 4 1^_1. There were no differences in otolith microstructure among spring-spawned herring larvae sampled on the shelf in May, indicating that these larvae originated from the same cohort and were well mixed throughout the whole shelf area.     

Trypsin enzyme activity during larval development of Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone) fed on live feeds

Larval stages of the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone) were fed standard live diets of mixed microalgae from the first to the third protozoea (PZ1 to PZ3), followed by Artemia nauplii until post‐larvae 1 (PL1). Trypsin enzyme activity for each larval stage was determined using N‐α‐p‐toluenesulphonyl‐l ‐arginine methyl ester (TAME) as a substrate. Results were expressed as enzyme content to assess ontogenetic changes during larval development. Tissue trypsin content (IU µg^?1 DW for each larval stage) was significantly highest at the PZ1 stage and declined through subsequent stages to PL1. This contrasts with previously observed patterns of trypsin development in Litopenaeus setiferus (Linnaeus) and other penaeid genera, which exhibit a peak in trypsin activity at the third protozoea/first mysis (PZ3/M1) larval stage. Litopenaeus vannamei larvae transferred to a diet of Artemia at the beginning of the second protozoea (PZ2) stage were significantly heavier on reaching the first mysis stage (M1) than those fed algae, while survival was not significantly different between treatments. At both PZ2 and PZ3 stages, trypsin content in larvae feeding on Artemia was significantly lower than in those feeding on algae. The rapid decline in trypsin content from PZ1 and the flexible enzyme response from PZ2 suggest that L. vannamei is physiologically adapted to transfer to a more carnivorous diet during the mid‐protozoeal stages.     

饵料蛋白能量比对黑鲷幼鱼生长和体成分的影响

取黑鲷(Sparusmacrocephalus)幼鱼960尾,体重(3.39±0.18)g,以鱼粉和豆粕作为蛋白源,鱼油和豆油等比例混合油作为脂肪源,共配制4个蛋白水平(34%、38%、42%、46%),每一蛋白水平设3个脂肪水平(10%、13%、16%),共12种饵料,糖水平保持在16%左右,饵料的蛋白能量比(P/E)在96.76～136.21mg/kcal。黑鲷幼鱼随机分成12组,每组设2重复,实验为期42d。结果表明,对特定生长率(SGR)与饵料系数(FCR)的影响,以较高蛋白组(38%、42%、46%)显著优于低蛋白组(34%)(P<0.05),中、高脂肪组(13%、16%)显著优于低脂肪组(10%)(P<0.05);各组饵料对成活率的影响无显著差异(P>0.05)。当蛋白水平为42%,脂肪水平为16%时,黑鲷幼鱼获得最大特定生长率(3.20)、最高蛋白质效率(2.10)和最小饵料系数(1.14)。全鱼脂肪含量随着饵料中脂肪水平的提高而逐渐升高。在同一饵料蛋白水平内,全鱼蛋白与灰分含量随着饵料脂肪水平的提高呈逐渐升高趋势。经统计分析,饵料中不同蛋白能量比显著影响黑鲷幼鱼生长(P<0.05),饵料中脂肪有明显节约蛋白质的作用(P<0.05)。由生长及体成分的实验结果得出,黑鲷幼鱼的最适饵料蛋白水平为42%,最适蛋白能量比(P/E)为110.37mg/kcal。     

Diet shift of larval and juvenile landlocked Ryukyu-ayu <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plecoglossus altivelis ryukyuensis</Emphasis> in the Fukuji Reservoir,Okinawa Island,Japan

ABSTRACT:   The diet shift of larval and juvenile Ryukyu-ayu Plecoglossus altivelis ryukyuensis was investigated for the landlocked population stocked in the Fukuji Reservoir, Okinawa Island. Gut contents of 274 specimens (5.1–31.4 mm in body length) including 31 yolk-sac larvae (5.7–8.0 mm) were examined. The diet of larval and juvenile landlocked P. a. ryukyuensis was mainly composed of zooplankton such as dinoflagellates, rotifers, copepods, and cladocerans. Feeding incidence was 48% in total and it gradually increased with growth. Diet analysis clearly demonstrated a diet shift during the larval and juvenile periods. For yolk-sac larvae and 5.0–19.9 mm fish, the diet was dominated by dinoflagellates Gymnodinium sp., and Peridinium sp., both numerically and by frequency, followed by rotifers that mainly consisted of Polyarthra spp. Diet breadth (Levin's standardized index B_A) diversified with growth, and feeding on copepods and cladocerans gradually increased in 10.0–14.9 mm fish. Diet overlap (Morisita's index: C) showed that diet drastically changed in 20.0–24.9 mm fish with a specialization on cladocerans Bosminopsis deitersi and Diaphanosoma brachyurum . This diet shift probably corresponded with an increase of feeding ability resulting from an enlargement of the mouth, increased swimming ability, and the development of sense organs.