Hydrology-oriented (adaptive) silviculture in a semiarid pine plantation: How much can be modified the water cycle through forest management?

Hydrology-oriented silviculture might adapt Mediterranean forests to climatic changes, although its implementation demands a better understanding and quantification on the water fluxes. The influence of thinning intensity (high, medium, low and a control) and its effect on the mid-term (thinned plots in 1998 and 2008) on the water cycle (transpiration, soil water and interception) and growth [basal area increment (BAI)] were investigated in 55-year-old Aleppo pine trees. Thinning enhanced a lower dependence of growth on climate fluctuations. The high-intensity treatment showed significant increases in the mean annual BAI (from 4.1 to 17.3 cm²) that was maintained in the mid-term. Thinning intensity progressively increased the sap flow velocity (v _s) in all cases with respect to the control. In the mid-term, an increased functionality of the inner sapwood was also observed. Mean daily tree water use ranged from 5 (control) to 18 (high intensity) l tree^?1. However, when expressed on an area basis, daily transpiration ranged from 0.18 (medium) to 0.30 mm (control), meaning that in spite of the higher transpiration rates in the remaining trees, stand transpiration was reduced with thinning. Deep infiltration of water was also enhanced with thinning (about 30 % of rainfall) and did not compete with transpiration, as both presented opposite seasonal patterns. The changes in the stand water relationships after 10 years were well explained by the forest cover metric. The blue to green water ratio changed from 0.15 in the control to 0.72 in the high-intensity treatment, with the remaining treatments in the 0.34–0.48 range.     

Toxicity of aqueous aluminium to the ectoparasitic monogenean Gyrodactylus salaris

Both laboratory and field experiments have demonstrated that aqueous aluminium can act as a paraciticide to the monogenean Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg, 1957 infecting freshwater salmonids. However, the reproductive conditions of gyrodactylids surviving to cessation of an aluminium exposure is unknown. Therefore, Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) parr infected with G. salaris was experimentally exposed to elevated concentrations of aqueous aluminium for more than 1 month. During this period, the infection increased the first week before it peaked and started to steadily decline approaching elimination. When almost all parasite specimens were eliminated, the water quality was adjusted to normal aluminium-poor freshwater. During the next 3 weeks, the surviving G. salaris were shown to clearly resume their reproduction. The experiment demonstrates the potential of the gyrodactylids to reproduce after cessation of an aluminium exposure. Thus, the as-yet unknown mechanism behind the toxic effects of aluminium on G. salaris survival and reproduction might to some extent be reversible. The present study gives further support for this metal as a parasiticide to G. salaris but demonstrates at the same time that in order to eliminate the parasites totally, the aluminium treatment must eradicate all G. salaris from the skin of the infected hosts. Furthermore, the potential development of resistance to aluminium should also be studied.     

Intestinal histological alterations in farmed red-bellied pacu Piaractus brachypomus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) heavily infected by roundworms

The farmed red-bellied pacu Piaractus brachypomus is a valuative commercial fish widely exploited in fish farming. Histopathologic alterations in small intestine of this fish were associated with heavy roundworms infection. Of a total of thirty-five fish examined, all were parasitized with a prevalence of 100%, intensity of 290–6403, and mean intensity of infection of 4467.5 parasites per fish. According to the morphological features of whole nematodes examined using light and electronic microscopy, the parasite was identified as Rondonia rondoni Travassos. Rev Vet e Zoot 10, 59–70; 1920. The fish intestinal tissue alterations include fusion of villi, edema, disorganization of epithelial cells, epithelial abrasion, and flaking of the villus at mucosa layer level and submucosa layer with some regions of necrosis and lymphocyte infiltrate. This is the first report of histopathological alterations caused by infection of the atractid nematode R. rondoni in a farmed population of P. brachypomus in the Peruvian Amazon. The study points out the need of improving the strategies of parasitic prevention and control in order to better prevent future disease outbreaks.

     

Pilot-scale production of mysid shrimp in a static water system

Studies were conducted to determine the potential for large scale culture of the mysid shrimp Mysidopsis almyra. Reproduction was consistent, as newly hatched mysids were always present in the culture trays. At the end of 45 day preliminary trials, the populations in the culture trays had increased 323.3% and 256.6%. A larger pilot-scale system connected to a biological filtration tank was constructed and operated for 17 weeks. Two rectangular trays (125 cm × 50 cm × 8 cm deep) were placed one above the other; water volume in each tray was 20 l. The room was kept dark. Temperatures were maintained at 26(2) °C and salinities at 20(2). A total of 1,000 adult mysids were placed in the culture tray and the hatchlings were collected and moved into a hatchling tray. Water circulation was static except for twice-daily water exchanges; newly hatched Artemia nauplii (24 h incubation) were fed to the mysids immediately after each water exchange. Feeding presented no technical problem to the pilot-scale culture of mysids in static water systems but the cost of Artemia did represent the largest expense. Mean (SD) mysid production throughout the 17 weeks of the trial was 133(69) hatchlings d–1 with highest production [244(30) hatchlings d–1] occurring between weeks 11 and 13. Mean survival in the hatchling tray after the 14 day growth periods was 41.4%. Reproduction occurred at ammonia-nitrogen and nitrite-nitrogen concentrations as high as 1.5 mg l–1 and 0.250 mg l–1 respectively, and at pH values as low as 7.6. When pH decreased to 7.38, reproduction halted abruptly and mortality increased sharply. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Effects of four egg desticking procedures on hatching rate and further survival and growth of larvae in the tench (Tinca tinca L.)

Four desticking procedures for tench eggs (A: tannic acid solution (1 g L⁻¹) for 15 s; B: alcalase enzyme solution (8 mL L⁻¹) for 60 s; C: alcalase enzyme solution (15 mL L⁻¹) for 120 s; D: Woynarovich and Woynarovich (1980) solution for 58 min followed by tannic acid solution (1 g L⁻¹) for 15 s) were tested to obtain data about influence on embryo survival to hatching stage and further survival and growth of the larvae. In the tannic acid and Woynarovich and Woynarovich (1980) treatment (A and D) few eggs stuck together and some were adhered to the incubator walls, whereas in the alcalase treatments (B and C) eggs neither stuck together nor adhered to the incubator walls. Percentages of hatched larvae did not show significant differences (mean values ranged between 47.4% in treatment A to 37.0% in treatment C). Larvae deformities observed were <0.5% in all cases. There were no significant differences among survival and growth rates of the larvae from different egg desticking origin, reaching, after 30 days, mean survival values around 90% and total length and weight of 12.5 mm and 19 mg respectively.     

Characterization by whole-cell hybridization of bacterial populations associated with shrimp hatchery biofilms

The impact of shrimp larvae development, as well as water and food inputs upon the increase of bacterial populations within the bacterial community of hatchery tank biofilms, was studied. For this study, a total of 68 biofilm samples were collected from concrete tanks at three larvae production times in a commercial shrimp hatchery. Seventeen samples were taken at each larval development stage (Zoea I, Mysis I, postlarvae 1 and postlarvae 16), as well as 37 samples from water, shrimp nauplii and food, introduced into the shrimp hatchery tanks. Culturable and direct bacterial counts were performed and 16S‐rRNA‐targeted oligonucleotide probes were used to quantify the presence of specific bacterial groups. An average of 27–70% of DAPI total cell counts were detected with the EUB338 probe, while the GAM42a probe signal ranged from 1% to 11%. Vibrio‐like bacteria (VLB) counts in TCBS agar ranged from <10 to 10¹ VLB/cm⁻², with a tendency to increase at the last postlarvae stage. The most significant external source of bacteria registered with GAM42a probe and TCBS agar were found in live Artemia nauplii, used as food; nevertheless, biofilms remain with low counts of these groups.     

Benthic microbial indicators of fish farm impact in a coastal area of the Tyrrhenian Sea

We studied the impact of organic loads due to the biodeposition of a fish farm in a non-impacted coastal area of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean). Sediment chemistry and benthic microbial community were investigated from July 1997 to February 1998 on monthly basis at two stations: one was located under the fish farm, while the second was about 1 km away, and served as a reference site. The presence of the cage induced rapid changes in the benthic conditions: the sediments were rapidly (after 6 weeks) reduced. A significant accumulation of biopolymeric carbon was observed beneath the cage both 2 weeks after the initial cage deployment, on non-impacted sediments, and 5–7 months after, and appeared to be related to the fish farm production cycle. The density of microbial communities beneath the fish farm increased only during the first month of farming activity (July) and partially 7 months after cage disposal (i.e. in January), when there was a significant sediment organic enrichment. Additional evidence of rapid impact of the fish farm on the benthic bacterial communities is provided by the increase in the numbers of autofluorescent microbial cells. The photosynthetic eukaryotic cells displayed a highly reduced contribution to total autofluorescent microbial density, indicating that their decrease is related with biopolymeric carbon accumulation, and probably was due also to “shadow effect” induced by suspended material, coming from the fish farm, on the environment below. We propose here, to apply the ratio of culturable heterotrophic bacteria to microbial direct counts (CFU/MDC) to detect fish farm impact. In cage sediments, organic enrichment and the consequent modification of the characteristics of the benthic environment, determined an increase in aerobic heterotrophic bacteria and vibrio density indicating that they are efficient colonizers of organic-rich sediments. Densities of Escherichia coli and Enterococci were not significantly higher than in the reference site, and are likely of terrestrial origin. Thus they cannot be used as specific indicators of fish farm impact.     

Effect of Artificial Diets on Growth,Survival and Condition of Adult Cuttlefish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sepia officinalis</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1758

The effects of artificial diets on growth and body condition of adult cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis were tested in two experiments. Supplemented prepared diets (fish myofibrillar protein concentrate) were fed during a 30-day and a 21-day experiments. Growth, feeding rate and food conversion of group-reared cuttlefish were analyzed. The first of these experiments tested four artificial diets, made with increasing levels of lysine, on adult cuttlefish. According to the chemical analysis, diets 1–3 had limiting concentrations of lysine and other essential amino acids (compared to mantle composition of the cuttlefish), while diet 4 was the only one where almost all essential amino acids were present in concentrations similar or higher than the ones present in cuttlefish mantle. A second experiment was conducted by isolating 16 adult cuttlefish individually, and feeding them the same four artificial diets, in order to obtain individual data. During Experiment 1, only the diet with the best chemical score (diet 4) produced growth (p < 0.05), with a mean instantaneous growth rate (MIGR) of 0.30% wet body weight (BW) d⁻¹. Similarly, individually reared cuttlefish fed diet 4 produced the highest IGR’s (0.26, 0.38 and 0.48% BW d⁻¹) and grew larger (p < 0.01). Comparison of cuttlefish fed the artificial diets vs. thawed shrimp and unfed cuttlefish indicated that cuttlefish fed the artificial diets were in an intermediate state. Growth rates obtained with the artificial diets (<0.4% BW d⁻¹) were considerably lower compared to natural prey, live or frozen, reported by other authors.     

PREVALENCE OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC SUBCHONDRAL BONE LESIONS IN THE SCAPULOHUMERAL JOINT OF 32 IMMATURE DOGS WITH THORACIC LIMB LAMENESS

Osteochondrosis is a common developmental abnormality affecting the subchondral bone of immature, large breed dogs. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe CT lesions detected in scapulohumeral joints of 32 immature dogs undergoing CT for thoracic limb lameness. Eight dogs (14 scapulohumeral joints) had arthroscopy following imaging. Thirteen dogs (19 scapulohumeral joints) were found to have CT lesions, including 10 dogs (16 scapulohumeral joints) with subchondral bone lesions and 3 dogs with enthesopathy of the supraspinatus tendon. In one dog, subchondral bone lesions appeared as large oval defects within the mid‐aspect of the glenoid cavities, bilaterally. These lesions resembled osseous cyst‐like lesions commonly identified in the horse. This is the first report of such a presentation of a subchondral bone lesion in the glenoid cavity of a dog. In all dogs, small, focal, round or linear lucent defects were visible within the cortical bone at the junction of the greater tubercle and intertubercular groove. These structures were thought to represent vascular channels. Findings from this study support the use of CT as an adjunct modality for the identification and characterization of scapulohumeral subchondral bone lesions in immature dogs with thoracic limb lameness.