Length-based Beverton and Holt spawning stock biomass per-recruit-models, with application to the Lates stappersii (Boulenger) stock in Lake Tanganyika

Two kinds of length-based Beverton and Holt spawning stock biomass per-recruit ( SSB/R )-models are presented. The first allows the computation of the absolute value of SSB/R . The second estimates the index of SSB/R , also called 'relative SSB/R '. Both models are extensions of the original age-based Beverton and Holt SSB/R -models. The SSB/R and its index can be assessed with reference to variations in the exploitation characteristics. These models were applied to the Lates stappersii (Boulenger) stock in Lake Tanganyika using fishing mortality as the independent variable. They produce an absolute value of SSB/R of 12.95 g, representing 22.4% of that of the 'virgin' stock for the 1993–1994 equilibrium-fishing regime. This level is indicative of an unsafe state of the stock in question. Moreover, the SSB for L. stappersii seems to be fragile under increased fishing pressure as, for example, doubling or tripling the current fishing regime would reduce the current SSB/R by 57.3 and 77.4%, respectively. In general, the use of length-based Beverton and Holt SSB/R -models is handicapped by underlying hypotheses and sub-models which are restrictive.     

Weight–length relationships of 33 demersal fish species from Azores archipelago

Weight–length relationships are presented for 33 fish species of Azores archipelago. This work is the first reference on weight–length parameters of 16 species. Samples were collected between the years of 1999 and 2003 using longline at depths ranging from a few meters to 1200 m. The parameters of a and b of the equation W = aL^b were estimated. The b values of the species caught ranged from 2.701 for Lepidopus caudatus to 3.677 for Centroscymnus crepidater. Whenever possible, the b values for the species obtained both in this study and some of the previously reported in the Portuguese waters were compared.     

思茅松容器苗嫁接技术试验研究

2012~2013年,在普洱市林科所开展了思茅松嫁接试验,对砧木采用容器育苗,穗条采自优树收集圃,嫁接方法为侧劈接法。分析认为,在嫁接削面长度试验中,成活率最高的是8 cm,成活率达94%;月份嫁接试验中,成活率最高的月份是5月份和10月份,成活率分别为93%和92%。     

Age-specific patterns in density-dependent growth of white crappie, Pomoxis annularis

The relationship between growth in white crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, and climate, lake morphometry and population density was studied in 103 Texas reservoirs. Growth of age‐0 through age‐3 white crappie was significantly (P≤0.05) related to latitude, growing season and surface area. Growth of age‐1 through age‐5 white crappie also was related to annual precipitation. Multiple linear regression models with precipitation and mean catch per unit effort (CPUE) of white crappie as independent variables explained 14–22% of the variation in growth of age‐0, ‐1 and ‐2 white crappie. By contrast, growth of age‐3, ‐4 and ‐5 white crappie was unrelated to CPUE. Apparently, between age 2 and 3, the density of white crappie in Texas reservoirs falls below a density‐dependent growth threshold beyond which growth is no longer related to density. This density‐dependent threshold was most likely related to angler harvest of larger, older white crappie.     

Effects of cryptic mortality and the hidden costs of using length limits in fishery management

Fishery collapses cause substantial economic and ecological harm, but common management actions often fail to prevent overfishing. Minimum length limits are perhaps the most common fishing regulation used in both commercial and recreational fisheries, but their conservation benefits can be influenced by discard mortality of fish caught and released below the legal length. We constructed a computer model to evaluate how discard mortality could influence the conservation utility of minimum length regulations. We evaluated policy performance across two disparate fish life‐history types: short‐lived high‐productivity (SLHP) and long‐lived low‐productivity (LLLP) species. For the life‐history types, fishing mortality rates and minimum length limits that we examined, length limits alone generally failed to achieve sustainability when discard mortality rate exceeded about 0.2 for SLHP species and 0.05 for LLLP species. At these levels of discard mortality, reductions in overall fishing mortality (e.g. lower fishing effort) were required to prevent recruitment overfishing if fishing mortality was high. Similarly, relatively low discard mortality rates (>0.05) rendered maximum yield unobtainable and caused a substantial shift in the shape of the yield response surfaces. An analysis of fishery efficiency showed that length limits caused the simulated fisheries to be much less efficient, potentially exposing the target species and ecosystem to increased negative effects of the fishing process. Our findings suggest that for overexploited fisheries with moderate‐to‐high discard mortality rates, reductions in fishing mortality will be required to meet management goals. Resource managers should carefully consider impacts of cryptic mortality sources (e.g. discard mortality) on fishery sustainability, especially in recreational fisheries where release rates are high and effort is increasing in many areas of the world.     

The effect of stocking size on the first winter survival of whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus (L.), in the Gulf of Bothnia, Baltic Sea

The anadromous whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus (L.), is the most numerous fish species stocked in the Gulf of Bothnia, Baltic Sea. One-summer-old-whitefish fingerlings are mostly 8–10 cm long when released annually in September–October, whereas the wild whitefish are 10–12 cm at that time. About 6 million, one-summer-old, spray-marked, whitefish were released in the northern and central parts of the Gulf in 1995–1998. To study the effect of the stocking length on the survival of the marked fish, the length of the recaptured whitefish as 1-year-olds was back-calculated. Altogether 1106 whitefish recaptured in the Gulf of Bothnia were analysed. The back-calculated length was slightly greater than the stocking length but not as large as the length of the wild fish. In the central part of the Gulf of Bothnia, where the mean stocking length was more than 10 cm, the back-calculated length was 10.5–11.1 cm. In the northern part of the Gulf the mean stocking length varied between 8.8 and 10.0 cm annually, and the corresponding back-calculated mean lengths were 9.3–9.7 cm. It also seemed that bigger fingerlings started their feeding migration earlier or they migrated faster than the smaller ones to the southern parts of the Gulf of Bothnia.     

A pilot study of sexual dimorphism in the head morphology of domestic dogs

The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) displays more morphological diversity than any other species. It is a direct descendant of the gray wolf (Canis lupus), but shows remarkable behavioral and morphological differences. It has been suggested that differences in skull shape that relate to brain shape and retinal ganglion cell distribution may predict behavioral differences. The aim of this pilot study was to assess head morphology in common breeds for evidence of sexual dimorphism in head length, head width, and the ratio of the 2: cephalic index (CI). When males of 80 breeds studied were compared with females, sexual dimorphism (differences in a t-test at the level of P < 0.01) emerged for head length in 5 breeds, for head width in 10 breeds and in CI for 2 breeds. The 2 breeds that showed sexual dimorphism in CI showed no difference (at the level of P < 0.01) in either length or width. These results suggest that all 3 types of dimorphism in head morphometrics must be considered separately. Although the longer and wider heads in males may be predicted because, within a breed, they are expected to be generally bigger animals, the sexual dimorphism in CI is of interest. It may belie differences in brain shape and even predict differences in health, welfare, and behavior.     

Variability in pattern and hydrogen isotope composition (δ2H) of long-chain n-alkanes of surface soils and its relations to climate and vegetation characteristics: A meta-analysis

The average chain length (ACL), carbon preference index (CPI), and hydrogen isotope composition (δ²H) of long-chain n-alkanes in sediments have been used to retrieve information about the paleoclimate. Despite their importance as in-between media from leaves to sediments, n-alkanes of surface soils have not been systematically analyzed at large scale. Such an investigation of the spatial variation of n-alkane properties in soil and their dependence on climatic and botanic (e.g., vegetation type) factors could provide a rationale for a better estimation of the past environment. We synthesized the patterns and δ²H of long-chain n-alkanes in soil (δ²H^n-alkanes) with regard to vegetation types (cropland, grassland, shrubland, and woodland) and environmental factors using data from peer-reviewed papers. Our results showed that the ACL and CPI of soil C₂₇–C₃₃ n-alkanes were not suitable indicators for differentiating vegetation types at large scale; instead, ACL significantly correlated with water conditions such as mean annual precipitation (MAP) and Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), and CPI significantly correlated with temperature without significant influence of vegetation type. The variation (i.e., standard deviation) of fractionation between the δ²H values in annual precipitation and in soil n-alkanes (ε_rain-soil) was smaller than that reported in leaves; therefore, soils were better suited to quantifying the general growing conditions of plants at a certain site. The fractionation ε_rain-soil correlated with climatic conditions as described by the PDSI and relative humidity (RH). This correlation agreed with the change in leaf water enrichment with changing RH taken from the literature and was independent of the vegetation type at large scale. This meta-analysis may provide useful information for the variations of the patterns and δ²H_n-alkanes values in surface soils.