Large‐scale patterns of fish diversity and assemblage structure in the longest tropical river in Asia

Although the Mekong River is one of the world's 35 biodiversity hot spots, the large‐scale patterns of fish diversity and assemblage structure remain poorly addressed. This study aimed to investigate the fish distribution patterns in the Lower Mekong River (LMR) and to identify their environmental determinants. Daily fish catch data (i.e. from December 2000 to November 2001) at 38 sites distributed along the LMR were related to 15 physicochemical and 19 climatic variables. As a result, four different clusters were defined according to the similarity in assemblage composition and 80 indicator species were identified. While fish species richness was highest in the Mekong delta and lowest in the upper part of the LMR, the diversity index was highest in the middle part of the LMR and lowest in the delta. We found that fish assemblages changed along the environmental gradients and that the main drivers affecting the fish assemblage structure were the seasonal variation of temperature, precipitation, dissolved oxygen, pH and total phosphorus. Specifically, upstream assemblages were characterised by cyprinids and Pangasius catfish, well suited to low temperature, high dissolved oxygen and high pH. Fish assemblages in the delta were dominated by perch‐like fish and clupeids, more tolerant to high temperatures, and high levels of nutrients (nitrates and total phosphorus) and salinity. Overall, the patterns were consistent between seasons. Our study contributes to establishing the first holistic fish community study in the LMR.     

西藏鱼类增殖放流初报

西藏土著鱼类生长缓慢、性成熟晚并对环境变化高度敏感。近年来,受过度捕捞、水利工程建设等人类活动的影响,西藏渔业资源面临越来越大的压力。开展增殖放流活动是恢复当地渔业资源和生态平衡的重要手段。本文介绍了西藏鱼类增殖放流概况、苗种来源、放流实施、效果评估情况,分析了目前存在的基础研究不足、苗种来源不稳定、缺乏技术规范、效果评估有待加强等问题。提出了加强增殖放流基础设施建设和基础理论研究、建立西藏鱼类增殖放流与效果评估技术规范、重视放流后的管理与评估工作、加强专业技术人才队伍建设的建议。     

High fluid shear strain causes injury in silver shark: Preliminary implications for Mekong hydropower turbine design

The Lower Mekong Basin is facing unprecedented threats to fish diversity from hydropower development. There is increasing pressure on developers and construction authorities to design solutions to improve fish survival through turbines, thus protecting the resources in regions being developed for hydropower. A hydraulic characteristic of hydropower turbines with known fisheries impacts is fluid shear stress. Elevated shear stress occurs where rapidly flowing water passes near spillways, screens and within turbine draft tubes. Shear stress can have adverse impacts on fish, but no work has assessed whether this holds true for Mekong River species. A flume was used to determine critical tolerances of silver shark, Balantiocheilos melanopterus (Bleeker), to shear stress rates at a high‐velocity jet which simulated a hydropower turbine. Fish were assessed for injury or mortality following exposure. Results were compared against a no‐shear control. Injury and mortality were greater at higher shear stress exposures. Injuries occurred at all shear exposure levels with mortality at shear levels higher than 600/s. This approach should help design future hydropower turbines if data on other species demonstrate similar results. If the likelihood of adverse impact is high, then shear stress will need to be considered in the design of future hydropower facilities.     

Impacts of diet on hindgut microbiota and short‐chain fatty acids in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus)

Diet is known to influence intestinal microbiota in fish, but the specifics of these impacts are still poorly understood. Different protein/fibre ratio diets may result in differing structures and activities of gut microbiota. We examined the hindgut microbiome of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) fed three different diets: fish meal (FM, high protein – low fibre), Sudan grass (SG, high fibre – low protein) and compound feed (CF, intermediate). Microbial profiles of fish fed on FM were significantly different from profiles of fish fed CF and SG (F = 18.85, p < .01). Cetobacterium, known to be positively associated with protein digestion, was the dominant microbial group in FM samples (approximately 75.7%), while Lachnospiraceae and Erysipelotrichaceae, thought to be involved in fermentation of plant polysaccharides, were dominant in CF and SG samples (46.8% and 42.9% respectively). Network analyses indicated that the abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Erysipelotrichaceae was in a significantly positive correlation (r = .895, p = .001). Short‐chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels may indicate that the digestibility of diet by microbiota in the grass carp gut decreased from FM to SG (FM>CF>SG). Overall low SCFA levels indicate that hindgut fermentation probably provides a low proportion of energy requirements in grass carp.     

灌水对强筋小麦籽粒产量及营养品质的影响

为明确水地强筋冬小麦高产、优质、高效的灌溉技术，试验设3个灌水时期8个灌溉处理［越冬期灌1水（W₁），拔节期灌1水（W₂），孕穗期灌1水（W₃），越冬期和拔节期灌2水（W₁₂），越冬期和孕穗期灌2水（W₁₃），拔节期和孕穗期灌2水（W₂₃），越冬期、拔节期和孕穗期灌3水（W₁₂3），全生育期不灌水处理（CK）］,于小麦成熟期测定籽粒产量、总蛋白及其组分含量和淀粉含量。结果表明，与不灌水的CK比较，所有灌水处理的籽粒产量、有效穗数、穗粒数、千粒重、蛋白质产量以及籽粒淀粉含量均显著增加，但籽粒的总蛋白及其组分含量均呈不同程度降低（W₁处理除外）。越冬期灌水对有效穗数、籽粒产量、总蛋白及其组分含量、淀粉含量的提升作用较大；拔节期灌水对穗粒数的提升作用较大，但对淀粉含量的提升作用较小，对总蛋白及其组分含量的降低作用较大；孕穗期灌水对千粒重的提升作用较大，对蛋白质产量的提升作用较小。随着灌水次数增加，小麦籽粒产量显著提高，淀粉含量先显著提高后基本不变，而籽粒总蛋白及其组分含量降低。W₁₂3处理籽粒产量最高，其次是W₁₃处理；W₁处理籽粒蛋白质及其组分含量最高，其次是W₁₂及W₁₃处理；W₂₃处理淀粉含量最高，其次是W₁₂或W₁₃处理。综合各项指标，最好的灌水组合是越冬期和孕穗期灌2水（W₁₃）。     

Factors influencing the abundance of three common nearshore fishes in south‐west Lake Michigan

Variation in the distribution and abundance of nearshore fishes is critical to understand food web processes and fishery management issues in Lake Michigan. This study characterised patterns in abundance of three common nearshore species, yellow perch Perca flavescens (Mitchell), round goby Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas) and alewife Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson), in relation to spatio‐temporal, abiotic and biotic factors using gillnet sampling conducted across 5 years at multiple locations representing different substrates. Significant variations were observed in alewife and round goby catches between locations. A negative relationship between round goby and age‐0 yellow perch catch was observed, indicating potential competition between the two species. This study demonstrates that variability in nearshore fish communities can be driven by factors including substrate and interspecific interactions. Given the prominent role these species play in Lake Michigan's food web and thus their importance to fishery production, a thorough understanding of these factors is warranted.     

鱼类生殖细胞移植的研究进展及应用前景

生殖细胞移植是指将供体的生殖细胞移植到同种或异种受体体内,供体生殖细胞嵌合到受体性腺,经过增殖、分化并最终发育为功能性配子的过程。作为辅助生殖技术,它不仅为珍稀濒危动物的繁育和保护提供了新途径,同时也为生殖干细胞的功能研究提供了有效手段。鱼类生殖细胞移植研究首先在模式鱼类斑马鱼中开展,经过十多年的发展,取得了一系列突破性的进展:主要包括先后建立了以胚胎、仔鱼和成鱼为受体的生殖细胞移植体系,精原和卵原干细胞的发现拓宽了供体生殖细胞的选择,受体的选择与制备方法的完善。该技术在缩短鱼类性成熟周期、性控育种、珍稀濒危鱼类保护等方面具有巨大的应用前景,已成功在多种淡水和海水鱼类中开展了研究和应用。本文结合作者的研究实践和经验,系统地梳理和总结了鱼类生殖细胞移植的研究进展,指出了该技术实践应用的关键问题,并探讨了其应用前景。     

花期低温对水稻叶鞘生理及结实率的影响

盆栽条件下，以耐冷性不同的2个水稻（Oryza sativa L.）品种龙稻5（耐冷型）和龙粳11（冷敏型）为材料，于开花期在人工气候室进行低温（15℃，分别持续1，2，3，4，5 d）处理，研究开花期低温对不同耐冷性水稻结实率及叶鞘膜透性、抗氧化酶等生理指标的影响。结果表明：低温处理2 d时，龙稻5和龙粳11的花粉活力分别下降了8.21%和16.10%，差异达极显著水平；低温处理3 d后，龙稻5的结实率下降到99.90%，与CK相比差异达到显著水平；低温处理1 d后，龙粳11的结实率下降到60.04%，与对照相比差异达到极显著水平。低温处理提高了水稻叶鞘相对电导率和脯氨酸、可溶性蛋白含量，处理5 d时各指标达最大值，与CK相比，龙稻15和龙粳11分别提高了38.01%和20.77%、25.06%和84.85%、25.82%和23.63%。同时低温处理也提高了叶鞘超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化物酶（POD）和过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性，处理3 d时酶活性达最大值，龙稻15和龙粳11分别较CK提高了10.57%和14.90%、86.26%和68.71%、17.73%和28.25%。综上所述，开花期低温引起水稻叶鞘膜脂过氧化程度升高，但也诱导水稻叶鞘抗氧化系统开启、保护酶活性上升以抵御低温伤害；开花期低温导致水稻花粉活力降低并引起结实率降低，耐冷品种较冷敏品种抵御能力强。     

不同基因型燕麦苗期耐盐碱性分析 及其鉴定指标的筛选

为探讨不同基因型燕麦苗期的耐盐碱性，筛选适宜松嫩平原种植的燕麦品种，本研究采用Hoagland营养液水培法，以250 mmol·L^-1高浓度NaHCO₃胁迫模拟松嫩平原盐碱环境，对49份来自国内外不同地区的主栽燕麦品种进行研究。试验测定了250 mmol·L^-1 NaHCO₃胁迫下燕麦的株高（X₁）、根长（X₂）、地上部鲜重（X₃）、地下部鲜重（X₄）、地上部干重（X₅）、地下部干重（X₆）、地上部含水量（X₇）、地下部含水量（X₈）、根冠比（X₉）9个指标，以各单项指标的耐盐碱系数(SATC) 作为衡量耐盐碱性的依据，利用多元分析方法对不同燕麦品种耐盐碱能力进行了综合评价。结果表明：通过对各指标的耐盐碱系数进行主成分分析，得到X₄、X₇、X₈ 3个综合指标，涵盖了全部数据86.155%的信息量；通过隶属函数分析和聚类分析将49份燕麦品种分为3类，其中草莜1号、张燕7、T7等3个品种为耐盐碱品种，HLJ 1、白燕2号等41个品种为中度耐盐碱品种，三分三、坝莜13号等5个品种为盐碱敏感品种。     

The future of genetic engineering to provide essential dietary nutrients and improve growth performance in aquaculture: Advantages and challenges

Advancements in gene technology in recent years have been driving the aquaculture industry forward. Improvements in growth performance, feed efficiency, and omega‐3 content are goals of the industry that could capitalize on applications of genetic engineering. One of the major challenges in the industry is to reduce the use of fish meal and oil, to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of aquaculture. The recent development of genetically engineered feed ingredients is one potential solution to the looming problem of fish meal and oil dependency. Furthermore, the development of transgenic fish has potential to improve production efficiency and other future desirable characteristics that relate to feed utilization and product quality. New gene technologies are beginning to revolutionize how we produce our food, and in aquaculture, will ultimately reduce pressure on wild fish stocks, help to preserve natural aquatic ecosystems, and improve nutritional profiles of farmed fish for human consumption. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the current applications of genetic engineering technology to improve aquaculture through nutrition, including the development and use of transgenic feed ingredients, transgenic fish, and ultimately their impacts on nutrition, product quality, and consumers.