Artificial Propagation of Mutton Snapper Lutjanus analis, A New Candidate Marine Fish Species for Aquaculture

Abstract Wild-caught mutton snapper Lutjanus analis , a high-value marine food fish species, matured in flow-through seawater (36 g/L) tanks after 3 yr in captivity. On 31 May 1995, a female with a mean oocyte diameter of 382 μm was injected with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) (500 IU/kg body wt.) followed 24 h later by a second injection (1,000 IU/kg body wt.). At the time of the second injection, three males were injected with HCG (500 IU/ kg body wt.). Voluntary spawning occurred 33 h after the first injection, with a total of 534, 781 eggs released. Fertilization rate was 75.7%, while average diameter of fertilized eggs was 783 μm. Embryos were stocked in a 30-m³ outdoor tank at a density of 10.5/L. On day 2 post-hatching (d2ph), larval density was 8.61 larvae/L, and average notochord length was 2.6 mm. Larvae were fed ss-type rotifers from dl-d28ph, Artemia nauplii from 0–08ph, and artificial diets (52–48% protein) from d24-d38ph. On d38ph, fish averaged 0.308 g and 22.2 mm standard length. Survival (from d2ph) was 14.3%, with a total of 36,900 post-metamorphic juveniles produced. On d97ph, 1,390 hatchery-reared juveniles (avg. wt. = 10.5 g) were stocked into two 14.5-m³ recirculating seawater tanks (695 fish/tank; 48 fish/m³) and fed a 56% protein pellet. After 168 d, fish averaged 140.8 g, with a survival rate of 97.8% and a feed conversion ratio (dry wt./wet wt.) of 1.2. These preliminary results reveal the mutton snapper to be a prime, new candidate species for commercial cultivation.     

Plant transposable elements,with an emphasis on grass species

Transposable elements are presents in all known genomes so far, and have the faculty of changing their genomic location and/or number of copies within the genome. They are mobile endogenous genetic elements, with a large variety of structure and transposition mechanism. In crops, they compose the major part of the nucleic DNA, up to 80% in some cereals like maize and wheat. Despite their omnipresence, they are largely unknown and uncharacterized within the Poaceae family. In this review, we describe a possible classification of the elements present in this family, some of their known transposition mechanism, their known activity and possible action in crops, and their possible origin.     

Terrestrial Ecotoxicity of Eight Chemicals in a Systematic Approach (7 pp)

Background and Objective   Terrestrial ecotoxicity data are required for many research purposes. The data are derived either from the literature or elaborated by own investigations. As the terrestrial toxicity tests are usually time-consuming and labour intensive, the experiments are performed with a limited number of test organisms and soils. In the context of a project sponsored by CEFIC-LRI (European Chemical Industry Council – Long-Range Research Initiative), EC50-values were systematically elaborated for eight chemicals with a wide range of logKow-values (CdCl2, Trinitrotoluene, 3,4-dichloroaniline, 2,4-dichlorophenol, Tributyltinchloride, Pentachlorophenol, Benzo(a)pyrene, p,p-dichloro-2,2-diphenyl-1,1,1-trichloroethane). The substances were selected covering a broad range of physico-chemical and ecotoxicological properties. As toxicity endpoints, microbial activities, plant germination and growth as well as reproduction of earthworms and collembola were determined. As such systematic investigations are rarely performed and for some substances no data existed, the data pool is made available to the scientific community.Methods   All toxicity tests were conducted on three different soil types (sandy soil, silty soil, loamy soil), according to ISO and OECD guidelines Results, Discussion, Conclusion and Outlook   The different toxicities of the chemicals, the influence of soil properties on bioavailability as well as different sensitivities of test organisms and test parameters are reflected by the EC50-values. The results showed that the EC50-values calculated on the basis of nominal concentrations can significantly vary from EC50-values derived from analytical concentrations for some substances. To avoid false conclusions, this has to be considered especially when concentrations determined in the field are compared with toxicity data obtained from the literature or calculated on the basis of nominal concentrations. Moreover, the results indicate that terrestrial ecotoxicological tests should be accompanied by chemical analyses, to be sure to derive sound EC50-values. As the tests were performed according to international guidelines, the comprehensive data pool relevant for the terrestrial ecotoxicity of eight chemicals is considered to be of great value for further research and discussions dealing with the habitat function of soils.     

Inorganic and organic carbon dynamics in forested soils developed on contrasting geology in Slovenia—a stable isotope approach

Purpose

Soil carbon dynamics were studied at four different forest stands developed on bedrocks with contrasting geology in Slovenia: one plot on magmatic granodiorite bedrock (IG), two plots on carbonate bedrock in the karstic-dinaric area (CC and CD), and one situated on Pleistocene coalluvial terraces (FGS).

Materials and methods

Throughfall (TF) and soil water were collected monthly at each location from June to November during 2005–2007. In soil water, the following parameters were determined: T, pH, total alkalinity, concentrations of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and Cl^? as well as δ¹³C_DIC. On the other hand, in TF, only the Cl^? content was measured. Soil and plant samples were also collected at forest stands, and stable isotope measurements were performed in soil and plant organic carbon and total nitrogen and in carbonate rocks. The obtained data were used to calculate the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and DOC fluxes. Statistic analyses were carried out to compare sites of different lithologies, at different spatial and temporal scales.

Results and discussion

Decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) controlled by the climate can explain the ¹³C and ¹⁵?N enrichment in SOM at CC, CD, and FGS, while the soil microbial biomass makes an important contribution to the SOM at IG. The loss of DOC at a soil depth of 5 cm was estimated at 1 mol m^?2 year^?1 and shows no significant differences among the study sites. The DOC fluxes were mainly controlled by physical factors, most notably sorption dynamics, and microbial–DOC relationships. The pH and pCO₂ of the soil solution controlled the DIC fluxes according to carbonate equilibrium reactions. An increased exchange between DIC and atmospheric air was observed for samples from non-carbonate subsoils (IG and FGS). In addition, higher δ¹³C_DIC values up to ?19.4?‰ in the shallow soil water were recorded during the summer as a consequence of isotopic fractionation induced by molecular diffusion of soil CO₂. The δ¹³C_DIC values also suggest that half of the DIC derives from soil CO₂ indicating that 2 to 5 mol m^?2 year^?1 of carbon is lost in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon at CC and CD after carbonate dissolution.

Conclusions

Major difference in soil carbon dynamics between the four forest ecosystems is a result of the combined influence of bedrock geology, soil texture, and the sources of SOM. Water flux was a critical parameter in quantifying carbon depletion rates in dissolved organic and inorganic carbon forms.

     

Mushroom picking does not impair future harvests - results of a long-term study in Switzerland

Forest fungi not only have important functions within the forest ecosystem, but picking their fruit bodies is also a popular past time, as well as a source of income in many developing and developed countries. The expansion of commercial harvesting in many parts of the world has led to widespread concern about overharvesting and possible damage to fungal resources. In 1975, we started a field research project to investigate the effects of mushroom picking on fruit body occurrence. The three treatments applied were the harvesting techniques picking and cutting, and the concomitant trampling of the forest floor. The results reveal that, contrary to expectations, long-term and systematic harvesting reduces neither the future yields of fruit bodies nor the species richness of wild forest fungi, irrespective of whether the harvesting technique was picking or cutting. Forest floor trampling does, however, reduce fruit body numbers, but our data show no evidence that trampling damaged the soil mycelia in the studied time period.     

Apple and pear peel and pulp and their influence on plasma lipids and antioxidant potentials in rats fed cholesterol-containing diets

The aim of this study was to assess the bioactive compounds of apple and pear peel and pulp in vitro and their influence on plasma lipids and antioxidant potentials in vivo. The antioxidant potentials measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), beta-carotene bleaching (beta-carotene), and nitric oxide inhibition radical scavenging (NO) tests in apple peel and pulp were significantly higher than in pear peel and pulp, respectively. The ethanol extract of apple peels showed the strongest inhibition of lipid peroxidation as a function of its concentration and was comparable to the antioxidant activity of butylated hydroxyanisole. The pear pulp extract had the weakest antioxidant ability, whereas other extracts such as apple pulp and pear peel were nearly equal. The antioxidant activities comprised contributions from polyphenols, phenolic acids, and flavonoids and correlated well with polyphenols and flavonoids. The correlation coefficients between polyphenols and antioxidant activities by DPPH, beta-carotene, and NO were as follows: 0.9207, 0.9350, and 0.9453. Contrarily, the correlation coefficient between the content of dietary fiber and the antioxidant activities test was low. The content of all studied indices in apple and pear peel was significantly higher than in peeled fruits (p < 0.05). Diets supplemented with fruit peels exercised a significantly higher positive influence on plasma lipid levels and on plasma antioxidant capacity of rats than diets with fruit pulps.     

How well does a log decay-class system capture the ecology of decomposition? - A case-study from Tasmanian Eucalyptus obliqua forest

The use of decay-class systems in characterising the state of decomposition of a forest’s complement of rotting logs is widespread. While most systems are based on an assessment of logs’ external characteristics, there is an implicit assumption that doing so captures important information on the underlying processes of internal decomposition. However, the validity of this remains largely untested. We explored the relationship between decay-class and internal state of decomposition in logs of Eucalyptus obliqua in the lowland wet eucalypt forests of Southern Tasmania, Australia. We examined rotten-wood samples from a large population of logs across a wide range of diameters. From this we determined that smaller-diameter (<60 cm: regrowth-sized) logs differ from larger-diameter (>60 cm: mature-sized) logs in their pathways of internal decomposition. Decomposition in regrowth-sized logs is characterised by greater activity of surface rots, with white rot-types predominating. Decomposition in mature-sized logs is more concentrated in the interior of the log, with brown rot-types tending to dominate. These differences probably both reflect and help shape the communities of organisms inhabiting logs of different origins. Despite these differences, regrowth and mature-sized logs show the same general progression of internal decomposition across the five decay-classes, to the extent that each class represents logs that have lost a predictable proportion of their original mass. We conclude that a decay-class system that is restricted to a single dimension, such as the five-class system used for E. obliqua, will be quite able to capture the main trajectory of biomass loss, but will not be able to characterise the complexity of the ecological processes giving rise to this loss. Studies that employ single-dimension decay classes, and which aggregate decay-class data across logs, can be given added ecological meaning by first partitioning logs into diameter-classes that reflect the underlying differences in the maturity of the trees giving rise to the logs. For E. obliqua logs, a cut-off diameter of 60 cm offers an appropriate distinction between regrowth-aged and mature-aged trees.     

Assessment of sugar maple tree growth in relation to the partitioning of elements in xylem along a soil acidity gradient

Partitioning of elements in tree xylem is being increasingly studied, as it suggests that elements are potentially mobile within the xylem long after their uptake. A recent study revealed that only the most mobile xylem fraction (water-soluble) of base cations (calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg], and potassium [K]) increased at higher soil acidity, while the two mobile fractions (water- and acid-soluble) of acidic metals—potentially phytotoxic aluminium (Al), cadmium (Cd) and manganese (Mn)—were significantly enhanced on very acid soils. The current paper presents an investigation of soil-wood chemistry relationships with basal area tree growth. It was hypothesized that the growth of sugar maple would be reduced by low base cation and high acidic metal concentrations in the xylem mobile fractions. Sugar maple trees (n = 55) from six watersheds in southern Quebec, Canada were analysed by sequential chemical extractions for the water-soluble, acid-soluble and residual fractions of base cations (Ca, K, Mg) and acidic metals (Al, Cd, Mn) in xylem. Generally, tree growth was positively correlated to concentrations of base cations in wood (ρ = 0.27-0.50) and soil (ρ = 0.41-0.67), and negatively correlated to concentrations of acidic metals in wood (ρ = −0.33 to −0.52) and soil (ρ = −0.67). However, these relations differed depending on the element fraction considered. Water- and acid-soluble xylem concentrations of base cations and Al were among the best predictors of growth trends (R² = 0.46-0.51). The relationship between acidic metals and tree growth is further discussed.     

Zum jahreszeitlichen Nitratgehalt und zur Nitratauswaschung von landwirtschaftlich genutzten Böden in Baden-Württemberg

Seasonal nitrate content in, and nitrate leaching from, agricultural soils of Baden-Wuerttemberg The behavior of soil nitrate was investigated at five field locations in the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg between 1984 and 1987. It was found that the amount of nitrate in the upper 90 cm of soil was not a constant, but fluctuated throughout the year with maxima in the spring and in the fall. Additionally, it was found that the amount of nitrate leaching during winter (from November through April) was correlated to, but not identical with the mineral nitrogen content of the previous fall. It further appeared that nitrate leaching in light sandy soils is mainly a mixing process, whereas in heavy soils it seems to be more a miscible displacement phenomenon.