Liver histology and histomorphometry in hybrid sorubim (Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum × Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) reared on intensive fish farming

This study aimed to characterize the liver histology and histomorphometry in sorubim hybrid of different categories (nursery, growth and grow‐out) reared on fish farming. The categories were defined considering body weight (BW): nursery category (n = 5): BW = 37.06 ± 6.00 g (31.6–45.3 g); growth category (n = 5): BW = 310.40 ± 53.80 g (242.1–376.4 g) and grow‐out category (n = 5): BW = 874.28 ± 27.59 g (846.2–913.1 g). Liver fragments were processed to paraffin inclusion, and sections were stained by haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), PAS (Periodic Acid Schiff) and Perl's staining to histology, histomorphometry and density volumetric of liver structures; glycogen analysis and to detect ferric irons (Fe³⁺) respectively. The hepatosomatic index decreased between the categories (P < 0.01). The percentage of PAS‐positive hepatocytes in the nursery category was higher (P < 0.05) in relation to the growth and grow‐out categories. The hepatocytes from all fish were positive to Perl's staining. The density volumetric of liver structures did not differ among categories except to blood vessels were higher (P < 0.01) in the nursery and growth. The area (μm²) and perimeter (μm) of hepatocytes, and the area (μm²), perimeter (μm) and volume (μm³) of the nuclei from grow‐out fish were lower (P < 0.01) than those from the nursery and growth categories. Changes in morphometric characteristics of hepatocytes may result from metabolic changes associated with body growth surubins; therefore, these morphometric characteristics of liver tissue can be used as functional biomarkers for the assessment of fish health and nutrition status.     

非热处理对蜂花粉杀菌效果及品质的影响

为探究更有利于保留蜂花粉原有营养和风味的杀菌方法,本研究分别用辐照、超高压和高压静电场3种非热杀菌技术处理蜂花粉,并测定营养及风味的指标。结果表明,7 kGy辐照、500 MPa超高压、30 kV高场强处理对蜂花粉中的微生物均有抑制作用,且辐照对细菌的抑制效果较好,超高压和高压静电场对真菌的抑制效果较好。经500 MPa超高压处理后,蜂花粉脂类含量增加了23.3%,酚酸等活性成分含量增加,且其抗氧化活性降低程度最小,颜色和风味最接近未处理蜂花粉;30 kV高场强处理后,蜂花粉抗氧化活性显著下降、颜色偏深偏暗;7 kGy辐照处理后产生了明显的辐照味。综上,蜂花粉经超高压灭菌能达到较好的杀菌效果,而且能最大限度保持蜂花粉原有品质。本研究为非热杀菌技术在蜂花粉加工产业中的应用提供了理论依据。     

Simulation of over-exploitation of ornamental fish and its consequences for the functional structure of assemblages of Amazonian streams

The consequences of over-exploitation may seriously impair the integrity and functioning of ecosystems. When loss of species is accompanied by the loss of ecological processes, the effects are no longer just taxonomic and may affect the stability of the environments. Ornamental fishing is one of the main economic activities of the middle Negro River. Such activity is directed to a small number of species and has the Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) as the main target species. Given the potential effects this pressure and the lack of information on its consequences, the present study analysed, through simulations, the possible effects of depletion of ornamental fish populations on the functional structure of fish assemblages, represented by functional diversity (FD) and functional redundancy (FR) indexes. We sampled 13 streams exploited by the ornamental fishery, where we collected 4,286 specimens of 110 species, of which 22 were targeted as ornamental fishing. We found that the ornamental species corresponded, on average, to 27.8% of the species and 33.3% of the FD of the assemblages. In a scenario of complete exclusion of ornamental species, local communities would lose 24.6% of the FD and reduce up to 12% of the FR. With these results, it is possible to infer that the local extinction of exploited species would cause negative impacts on the multifunctionality and the resilience of the streams ecosystems. In this way, we emphasise the need for proper management of the ornamental fisheries aiming to the sustainability of the activity and to the conservation of ecosystem functionality.     

The management type used in plum orchards alters the functional community structure of arthropod predators

Abstract

The management practices in agroecosystems can alter the community structure of pests’ natural enemies, which can consequently disturb their biocontrol function. Here, we investigated how organic or conventional farming influence the community structure of arthropod predators (spiders, coccinelids, anthocorids, ants) in orchards. The three conventional orchards studied were plum tree monocultures where mainly fungicides were applied. The three organic orchards studied were dominated by plum trees with admixture of apple trees and no agrochemical was applied. We found that management significantly affected only spiders that were less abundant in the conventional orchards than in the organic orchards. In addition, the conventional management resulted in reduced species density and altered the community composition of spiders. The conventional management reduced the functional dispersion of spider body size, which may narrow the size-spectrum of pests that could be reduced by spiders. The conventional management also reduced abundances of foliage hunters and space-web spiders. Since these spiders are effective against various insect pests, the conventional management of applying fungicides might result in increased crop damage via increased insect pests.     

Functional polymorphism among members of abscisic acid receptor family(ZmPYL) in maize

Pyrabactin resistance 1-like proteins(PYLs) are direct receptors of abscisic acid(ABA). For the redundant and polymorphic functions, some members of the PYL family interact with components of other signaling pathways. Here, 253 positive colonies from a maize cDNA library were screened as interacting proteins with the members of ZmPYL family. After sequencing and function annotation, 17 of 28 interaction combinations were verified by yeast two-hybrid(Y2 H). The germination potential, taproot length and proline content of a quartet mutant of Arabidopsis PYL genes were significantly deceased comparing to the wild type(WT) under alkaline stress(pH 8.5) and 100 μmol L–1 methyl jasmonate(MeJA) induction. The malondialdehyde(MDA) content was significantly increased. After germinating in darkness, the characteristics of dark morphogenesis of the quartet mutant seedlings were more obvious than those of the WT. The differential expression of the related genes of photomorphogenesis in the mutant was much more than that in the WT. Three light and two JA responsive cis-affecting elements were identified during the promoter sequences of the AtPYL1 and AtPYL2 genes. These results suggested that functional polymorphism has evolved among the members of ZmPYL family. In response to developmental and environmental stimuli, they not only function as direct ABA receptors but also interact with components of other signaling pathways mediated JA, brassinosteroid(BR), auxin, etc., and even directly regulate downstream stress-related proteins. These signaling pathways can interact at various crosstalk points and different levels of gene expression within a sophisticated network.     

Realizing the potential of trait‐based approaches to advance fisheries science

Analysing how fish populations and their ecological communities respond to perturbations such as fishing and environmental variation is crucial to fisheries science. Researchers often predict fish population dynamics using species‐level life‐history parameters that are treated as fixed over time, while ignoring the impact of intraspecific variation on ecosystem dynamics. However, there is increasing recognition of the need to include processes operating at ecosystem levels (changes in drivers of productivity) while also accounting for variation over space, time and among individuals. To address similar challenges, community ecologists studying plants, insects and other taxa increasingly measure phenotypic characteristics of individual animals that affect fitness or ecological function (termed “functional traits”). Here, we review the history of trait‐based methods in fish and other taxa, and argue that fisheries science could see benefits by integrating trait‐based approaches within existing fisheries analyses. We argue that measuring and modelling functional traits can improve estimates of population and community dynamics, and rapidly detect responses to fishing and environmental drivers. We support this claim using three concrete examples: how trait‐based approaches could account for time‐varying parameters in population models; improve fisheries management and harvest control rules; and inform size‐based models of marine communities. We then present a step‐by‐step primer for how trait‐based methods could be adapted to complement existing models and analyses in fisheries science. Finally, we call for the creation and expansion of publicly available trait databases to facilitate adapting trait‐based methods in fisheries science, to complement existing public databases of life‐history parameters for marine organisms.     

Evaluation of Intestinal Absorption of Dietary Halocynthiaxanthin,a Carotenoid from the Sea Squirt Halocynthia roretzi

Halocynthiaxanthin is an acetylenic carotenoid mainly found in Halocynthia roretzi. To date, several bioactivities of halocynthiaxanthin have been reported, but its mechanism of digestion and absorption in mammals has not been studied yet. In this study, we evaluated the intestinal absorption of halocynthiaxanthin in mice. The halocynthiaxanthin-rich fraction was prepared from the tunicate Halocynthia roretzi. Mice were orally administered the fraction at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight. The halocynthiaxanthin levels in the plasma, liver, and small intestine, were quantified using HPLC-PDA, 1, 3, 6, and 9 h after ingestion. The halocynthiaxanthin-rich fraction mainly consisted of the all-trans form and a small amount of cis forms. These three isomers were detected in the plasma of mice 3 h after ingestion. Time-course changes after the ingestion of this fraction were found, with cis isomers being more abundant than the all-trans isomer in the mouse plasma and liver. In the small intestine, however, the all-trans isomer was primarily detected. The possibility that cis isomers might be absorbed rapidly from the small intestine cannot be denied, but our results suggest that dietary all-trans-halocynthiaxanthin might be isomerized to the cis isomer after intestinal absorption.     

Allometric Estimates of Aboveground Biomass Using Cover and Height Are Improved by Increasing Specificity of Plant Functional Groups in Eastern Australian Rangelands

Plant aboveground biomass (AGB) is a useful metric to assess ecosystem functioning, and its sensitivity to changing environmental conditions provides insight into potential global change impacts. Allometric estimates of AGB using vegetation characteristics such as plant cover or height provide nondestructive biomass proxies for repeated measurements but can introduce uncertainty to estimates. We estimated the relationship between both plant cover and a cover·height index and AGB for 15 plant species from six sites to identify the most reliable approach to estimate biomass nondestructively in semiarid eastern Australian rangelands. Estimates were made by grouping species at four different levels of specificity, to test whether generic estimates were more robust than grouping species based on life history and morphological characteristics. Estimates were then tested on a 1.5-m² plot at each site for validation. In all cases, models were highly significant (P < 0.001) with adjusted R² values ranging from 0.42 to 0.96 for cover models and 0.38 to 0.98 for cover·height index models. We found the addition of height improved model fits in four groups while reducing model fits in two groups. The error around AGB estimates for cover·height index−based models ranged from −66.8 to 4% (absolute mean 35%). Cover-based models had errors between −13.4% and 53% (absolute mean 14.2%). For cover-based estimates of AGB in validation plots, grouping plants by plant functional types (PFTs) increased accuracy (absolute mean error 17.3%) compared with estimates using data from all 15 species (absolute mean of 65.2%). Overall cover was a useful surrogate to estimate AGB (with the exception of one site, accuracy ranged from −2.3% to 11.5%), while height (thought to be a surrogate for canopy characteristics) provided benefit in a few circumstances. We suggest that future research should test additional nondestructive proxies and group species based on PFTs to improve AGB estimates using allometry.     

大连市中心区声环境功能区划调整研究

在分析了大连市中心区声环境功能区划调整必要性的基础上,全面评估了现有区划实施效果,以问题为导向提出了区划调整的方法体系,并阐述了区划调整结果的可行性,为城市环境噪声管理和防治提供科学依据。