Body shape variation in two species of darters (Etheostoma,Percidae) and its relation to the environment

Environmental variation can shape phenotypic variation in organisms, but most evidence for trait differentiation comes from analyses of dichotomous habitat types that differ in only one or few key environmental factors. In reality, environmental variation is often more subtle, gradual and multifarious. Here, we investigated geographic variation in body shape of two darter species (Etheostoma spectabile and Etheostoma flabellare; Percidae) that occur along river gradients. This study addressed three specific questions: Is there intraspecific geographic variation in the two species across different sites in the Ozark Highlands of Oklahoma (USA)? Is phenotypic variation across sites correlated with abiotic environmental conditions? Do the two species share site‐specific (i.e. convergent) phenotypic variation in areas where they occur together? Our results indicated significant body shape variation in both species. Population differences in body shape were particularly correlated with variation in substrate composition. The combined analysis of both species indicated a small but significant effect of convergence on body shape wherever they are sympatric; shared variation, however, was not related to any environmental variables included in the analysis. While it remains unclear whether phenotypic variation in these species is due to heritable differentiation or environmentally induced plasticity, our results indicate that even subtle and gradual environmental variation can induce substantial variation in phenotypes on a relatively small spatial scale.     

杂交旱稻丰产节水栽培关键技术研究与集成应用

针对安徽沿淮地区气候特点,通过试验筛选出适宜沿淮地区旱种旱管栽培,丰产性和稳产性较好的旱稻品种5个,节水耐旱型水稻品种7个;明确了沿淮地区以旱优73为代表的杂交旱稻的丰产节水栽培技术:播种期6月5-12日,播种量2.0 kg/667 m~2左右,氮肥用量10~14 kg/667 m~2;在施肥过程中适当降低基蘖肥用量、增施穗粒肥,基、蘖、穗肥比例以4∶4∶2较好。     

闽江流域表层沉积物硫化物及重金属生物毒性研究

根据2012—2013年福建省闽江流域富屯溪、建溪和沙溪等支流以及干流7个站位表层沉积物调查数据,对硫化物(AVS)、有机碳及重金属(SEM)等物质进行了研究。结果表明,各站位硫化物两年平均含量在0.461 0~1.814 0μmol·g~(-1)之间,有机碳平均含量在0.76%~1.51%之间,尤溪S5站位硫化物含量明显高于其他站位,与此对应有机碳含量也较高,这与沿岸人类活动的强度有关;闽江干流S7站位硫化物含量最低,主要受水动力特征影响。各站位沉积物重金属(Cu、Pb、Cd、Hg和As)含量基本呈现CuPbAsHgCd的趋势,其中Cu和Pb是主要污染重金属。SEM平均含量在0.47~3.58μmol·g~(-1)之间,金溪S2、古田溪S6站位SEM/AVS(摩尔比值)小于1,重金属潜在生态危害风险较小;其他站位SEM/AVS大于1,生物有效性高,具有潜在的毒性效应。与水体沉积物中金属元素对底栖生物产生毒性效应的阈值比较,单个重金属中Pb和Cd可能产生的生物有效性高于Cu,具有对底栖生物产生毒性效应的潜力。     

基于PSR模型的黄河陕西段鱼类增殖放流生态安全评价

基于压力、状态、响应模型(PSR)和层次分析法(AHP),确定17项指标通过数据的标准化处理,指标权重赋值、权重一致性检验、评价等级确定以及评价模型的构建,用生态安全评价黄河陕西段鱼类增殖放流效果,分析生态安全所面临的主要问题。结果表明:黄河陕西段2013年增殖放流生态安全度(ESI)评价等级为Ⅱ级,为良好状态;2014年评价等级为Ⅲ级,处于一般状态;2015年评价等级为Ⅳ级,处于较差状态,属于临界不安全状态以下水平。生态安全形势呈现出逐年下降局势。不安全状态受到影响较大的前3个指标是:黄河径流量变化影响、重要生境保持率和公众资源环境保护意识的影响,3个指标下降值占到下降ESI值的64.93%。其次还受到污水排放达标率、鱼类增殖放流量、政策和管理水平、鱼类生物多样性指数、保护区建设、水质综合污染指数、群落结构等诸多因素影响。研究显示,现阶段增殖放流对黄河生态安全有一定影响,还存在一定提升空间。     

Polymerisation of gluten proteins in developing wheat grain as affected by desiccation

The breadmaking quality of wheat is affected by the composition of gluten proteins and the polymerisation of subunits that are synthesised and accumulated in developing wheat grain. The biological mechanisms and time course of these events during grain development are documented, but not widely confirmed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to monitor the accumulation of gluten protein subunits and the size distribution of protein aggregates during grain development. The effect of desiccation on the polymerisation of gluten proteins and the functional properties of gluten were also studied. The results showed that the size of glutenin polymers remained consistently low until yellow ripeness (YR), while it increased during grain desiccation after YR. Hence, this polymerisation process was presumed to be initiated by desiccation. A similar polymerisation event was also observed when premature grains were dried artificially. The composition of gluten proteins, the ratios of glutenin to gliadin and high molecular weight-glutenin subunits to low molecular weight-glutenin subunits, in premature grain after artificial desiccation showed close association with the size of glutenin polymers in artificially dried grain. Functional properties of gluten in these samples were also associated with polymer size after artificial desiccation.     

Disulphide structure of high-molecular-weight (HMW-) gliadins as affected by terminators

This study aimed at elucidating SS-bonds of HMW-gliadins (HGL) from wheat with the focus on terminators of glutenin polymerisation. HGL from wheat flour extracts non-treated or treated with the S-alkylation reagent N-ethylmaleinimide (NEMI) were compared. HGL from wheat flour Akteur were isolated, hydrolysed with thermolysin and the resulting peptides pre-separated by gel permeation chromatography and analysed by liquid chromatography/mass-spectrometry using alternating electron transfer dissociation/collision-induced dissociation. Altogether, 22 and 28 SS-peptides from samples without and with NEMI treatment, respectively, were identified. Twenty-six peptides included standard SS-bonds of α- and γ-gliadins, high-molecular-weight and low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits. Eleven SS-bonds were identified for the first time. Fifteen peptides unique to HGL contained cysteine residues from gliadins with an odd number of cysteines (ω5-, α- and γ-gliadins). Thus, gliadins with an odd number of cysteines, glutathione and cysteine had acted as terminators of glutenin polymerisation. Decisive differences between samples without and with NEMI treatment were not obvious showing that the termination of polymerisation was already completed in the flour. The two HGL samples, however, were different in the majority of ten peptides that included disulphide-linked low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiols such as glutathione and cysteine with the former being enriched in the non-treated HGL-sample.     

A rapid extensigraph protocol for measuring dough viscoelasticity and mixing requirement

The extensigraph is particularly useful in characterizing dough viscoelastic properties; however, testing throughput for standard method is low due to the prerequisite for farinograph water absorption, long dough resting and milling to prepare large amounts of flour. Therefore, a rapid extensigraph method was developed that reduced sample size (165 g wheat) for milling and more than tripled throughput. Wheat is milled in Quadrumat Junior mill with a modified sieving system. The resulting flour (100 g) was mixed with a pin mixer at constant water absorption to allow the evaluation of wheat genotypes at the absorption level they are expected to perform. Dough was subsequently stretched by an extensigraph after 15 min of floor time and 30 min resting. Strong correlations for extensigram R_max (r > 0.93), extensibility (r > 0.64) and area (r > 0.88) were found for the proposed method compared to the standard method. Mixing parameters (time and energy) obtained during dough preparation provided further information about dough strength and mixing requirement. By significantly reducing sample size requirement and increasing testing throughput, this rapid extensigraph method can be widely adopted in milling and baking industry and meets the need for a fast evaluation of dough strength in breeding trials.     

Otolith chemistry indicates walleye movement and entrainment in a large serial reservoir system

Understanding fish movement in impounded river systems is important for fisheries management. Otolith chemistry was used to examine walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) intra‐ and inter‐reservoir movement in four Missouri River impoundments. Age‐0 individuals were reclassified with 75%–93% accuracy to known natal sites, allowing for reliable evaluation of movement patterns of age‐1 and older fish. Nearly half of walleye occupied the same location annually (i.e. site residency) between 2009 and 2010. In 2011, during the largest flood on record since 1898, downstream movement (49% of age‐1 and older fish) exceeded upstream movement (7%) and site residency (33%) across the study area. After the flood, most walleye moved downstream within reservoirs (45%) or were site residents (37%). Entrainment occurred most frequently during the flood year and was proportionally greatest in downstream reservoirs. Otolith chemistry is useful for understanding walleye movement and entrainment and is a tool for fisheries management with applications such as informing reservoir water releases, harvest regulations and habitat protection and rehabilitation within and outside the Missouri River reservoir system.     

Pansteatitis in polluted Olifants River impoundments: nutritional perspectives on fish in a eutrophic lake,Lake Loskop,South Africa

This study compares the aetiology of pansteatitis in Lake Loskop, relative to two other impoundments along the Olifants River. Macroscopic and microscopic pathology, age determination and analysis of stomach content, fatty acids and stable isotopes explain the high prevalence of pansteatitis in Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters) and several other species in Lake Loskop. All the dietary indicator comparisons between pansteatitis‐affected and healthy fish fail to support a systemic cause. Pansteatitis in Lake Loskop was linked to size and weight of O. mossambicus, but not to ontogenic age. Fish in Lake Loskop showed abnormally high omega‐3 to omega‐6 fatty acid ratios normally only found in marine fish with no significant difference in degree of assimilation of these fatty acids between pansteatitis‐affected and healthy fish. This explains the vulnerability to, but not the occurrence of, pansteatitis. As a cause for the pansteatitis, these results point towards sporadic vitamin E‐depleting trigger events, known sporadic fish die‐off occurrences that provide surviving fish with a rich source of rancid fats on which to scavenge. The mechanism ties pansteatitis to eutrophication and trophic cascade effects, the intrinsic drivers of the disease and suggests an adaptive management strategy that might be applied by relevant conservation authorities.     

Variation in prey selection and foraging success associated with early‐life ontogeny and habitat use of American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)

Many fishes are planktivorous during early life and switch to piscivory or consume larger food items as ontogeny progresses. In contrast, paddlefish start as particulate feeders and later become filter feeders. Few studies have identified food items essential for paddlefish growth, survival and recruitment surrounding this ontogenetic diet shift. The objectives of this study were to investigate (i) prey types consumed by paddlefish, (ii) variability in prey selection surrounding an ontogenetic diet shift and (iii) whether habitat affected paddlefish prey selection or foraging success. We analysed gut contents of 189 wild age‐0 paddlefish from the middle Mississippi River (MMR) and also conducted a laboratory experiment to address these objectives. We found that paddlefish primarily foraged on benthic macroinvertebrates in the MMR, which differed from previous studies in lentic systems, suggesting young paddlefish prey selection may be labile depending on habitat (i.e., lotic versus lentic). Dominant prey of wild‐caught and experimental age‐0 paddlefish were caddisfly larvae (Trichoptera), followed by hemipterans and amphipods. We found little evidence that habitat attributes affected foraging success, but the most common prey items consumed were associated with wing dike habitat and the upstream and downstream tips of alluvial islands. Our experimental study revealed that if provided a mixture of organisms, age‐0 paddlefish will primarily consume macroinvertebrates while age‐1 paddlefish will mainly filter zooplankton. Overall results suggest young paddlefish prey selection can be highly variable, but also heavily reliant on a narrow group of prey resources.