Post-stocking behaviour of hatchery-reared European grayling, Thymallus thymallus (L.), and brown trout, Salmo trutta L., in a semi-natural stream

Hatchery-reared, juvenile European grayling, Thymallus thymallus (L.), and brown trout, Salmo trutta L., were each stocked six times into an area of a semi-natural stream. The order in which the two species were released was switched after every second experimental stocking. Temporal and spatial post-stocking dispersal, effects of previously stocked species, feeding behaviour and the influences of sex and size were studied. During each 48-h experimental release period, some fish were recaptured in a trap situated 200 m downstream from the stocking site, and fish remaining in the stream after each experimental release were caught by electric fishing. Significantly more grayling than trout moved downstream and left the semi-natural stream. Proportions of stocked grayling recaptured in the trap within 2 h and from 2 to 48 h post stocking in the stream were 36.4% and 10.0%, respectively. Corresponding recapture rates for brown trout were both 1.5%. Most of the grayling and brown trout that did not leave the stream early were recaptured in deep, slow-moving water at low velocities in the release area. The presence of grayling at the time that the brown trout were stocked resulted in significantly fewer brown trout staying in the upper part of the stream. Within 48 h of their release, 33.3% and 22.8% of the grayling and brown trout, respectively, had eaten natural food items. The mean length of brown trout recaptured in the upper part of the stocking area was significantly lower than that of fish recaptured in the lower part and in the trap. Among brown trout, males showed a significantly greater propensity to eat and to stay in the upper part of the stream near the stocking site compared with females . Brown trout with natural food items in their stomachs had significantly lower mean length than trout without such items. No sex- or size-related differences were found in the spatial distribution or feeding activity of grayling.     

Antibiotic Resistance in Staphylococci Isolated from Pigeons

Résumé— La flore microbienne du nez de 45 pigeons voyageurs a été examinée selon la présence de bactéries virtuellement pathologiques. La plupart de bactéries isolées sont Staphylococcus intermedius et S. lentus, qui montrent une grande résistance envers les antibiotiques qui arrêtent la synthèse des proteines. Ces gènes de résistance sont localisés chez S. lentus sur les petits plasmides et chez S. intermedius surtout sur le chromosome. Ce fait correspond a l'état de S. intermedius des chiens, mais il y a une grande différence en comparison avec les autres espèces pathologiques des staphylocoques des bêtes et des êtres humains. La différence concerne non seulement le schème de l'antibiorésistance, mais aussi la localisation inhabituelle des gènes de résistance. Ces observations indiquent qu'il y aurait peut-être un échange de S. intermedius entre le pigeon et le chien, de sorte que le pigeon représenterait une source d'infection pour le chien. [Schwarz, S., Werckenthin, C. Antibiotic resistance in staphylococci isolated from pigeons (Résistance antibiotique aux souches de Staphylococcus intermedius isolées de pigeons). Zusammenfassung— Die mikrobielle Nasenflora von 45 Brieftauben wurde hinsichtlich des Vorkommens potentiell pathogener Bakterien untersucht. Staphylococcus intermedius und S. lentus Isolate wurden am häufigsten nachgewiesen und zeigten in hohem Maße Resistenzen gegenüber Anibiotika, die die bakterielle Proteinbiosynthese hemmen. Die entsprechenden Resistenzgene wurden bei S. lentusüberwiegend auf kleinen Plasmiden nachgewiesen, während sie bei S. intermedius ausschließlich chromosomal kodiert waren. Diesbezüglich entsprachen die S. intermedius Stämme von Tauben denen von Hunden, unterschieden sich aber deutlich von anderen pathogenen Staphylokokkenspezies von Tieren und Menschen sowohl in ihrem Resistenzmuster, als auch in der für Staphylokokken unüblichen subzellulären Lage der Resistenzgene. Diese Beobachtungen deuten auf einen möglichen Austausch von S. intermedius Stämmen zwischen Tauben und Hunden hin, wobei Tauben eine potentielle Infektionsquelle für Hunde darstellen könnten. [Schwarz, S., Werckenthin, C. Antibiotic resistance in staphylococci isolated from pigeons (Antibiotikaresistenz bei Staphylococcus intermedius von Tauben). Resumen— La flora bacteriana nasal de 45 palomas mensajeras fuera investigado respecto a la presencia de bacilos potencialamente patogenos. Isolaciones de Staphylococcus intermedius y S. lentus fueran probado lo mas frecuente y monstraban resistencias muy altas contra antibióticos lo que inhiben la biosintesis bacteriana de proteinas. Los genes de resisténcia adecuados de S. lentus fueran probado preponderantemente en plasmidos pequeños, mientras que en S. intermedius estaban codificado solamente cromosomal. En estas caracteristicas las cepas de S. intermedius de palomas conformen con aquellos de perros, pero se diferenciaban claramente de otras espécies patogenes de Staphylococcus de animales y de humanos no sólo en sus modelos de resisténcia sino también en la localisatión inusitado subcellular de los genes de resisténcia en los staphylococces. Estos obeservaciónes sugieran un intercambio posible de cepas de S. intermedius entre paloma y perro a los quales la paloma podria ser un fuente infeccioso para perros. [Schwarz, S., Werckenthin, C. Antibiotic resistance in staphylococci isolated from pigeons (Resisténcia de antibióticos de Staphylococcus intermedius de palomas). Abstract— A total of 45 carrier pigeons were investigated for the nasal carriage of potentially pathogenic bacteria. Strains of Staphylococcus intermedius and S. lentus were frequently isolated and most were resistant to one or more antibiotics which inhibit bacterial protein biosynthesis. In S. lentus, the respective resistance genes could be detected on small plasmids, whereas they were carried on the chromosome in S. intermedius. Thus, S. intermedius from pigeons appeared similar to S. intermedius from dogs, but differed from other pathogenic staphylococci of human and animal origin not only in its resistance pattern, but also in the location of the resistance genes. This observation might indicate a possible exchange of S. intermedius strains between pigeons and dogs and consequently identify pigeons as a potential source of infection for dogs.     

Influence of water flow velocity, water depth and colony distance on distribution and foraging patterns of terns in the Wadden Sea

Surface-feeding seabirds, such as Common ( Sterna hirundo ) and Arctic Terns ( Sterna paradisaea ) in the German Wadden Sea, are dependent on biological and physical processes that affect prey availability close to the water surface. We proposed the following four hypotheses: (i) relationships should exist between high water flow velocity and foraging activity of terns, as turbulence should enhance prey availability at the surface; (ii) the areas of highest foraging success should be located within areas of low water depth, due to enhanced biological productivity; (iii) as terns are known to have small foraging radii, the location of their breeding grounds should be related to the location of their foraging grounds; (iv) terns should forage intensely in river estuaries, as these should hold ample food supplies. The time between terns leaving the colony and their first foraging attempt differed significantly among different tidal stages: the time was shortest during flood and ebb tides (i.e., highest water flow velocities). Modelling of a long-term data set revealed the highest probability of foraging activity in conditions of high water currents, in both shallow areas and in areas of around 15–20 m depth. Foraging activity was negatively correlated with distance from colony. The distance to the closest estuary had no significant effect on foraging behaviour. Our findings emphasize the physical–biological coupling in the Wadden Sea and highlight the overall importance of small-scale physical processes in directly influencing prey availability for surface-feeding seabirds.     

Impacts of in-stream acclimatization in post-stocking behaviour of European grayling in a Swedish stream

Abstract The post-stocking behaviour of hatchery-reared juvenile European grayling, Thymallus thymallus (L.), with in-stream acclimatization in a pool for 4, 8, and 12 days before release was compared with fish released directly into a 370-m long seminatural stream during 1995 and 1996. The behaviour of these groups was compared with fish acclimatized for 16 h in a holding pen (0.7 m³) in a more fast-flowing part of the stream. All fish were released in the experimental stream at the same time. Initially groups of 30 individuals were compared, but this was reduced because of the mortality during acclimatization. Temporal and spatial distribution, feed intake in relation to sex and size of fish were followed for 7 days after release. Between 33 and 59% of all groups of fish released into the pool left the experimental area and were recaptured in a trap at the downstream end of the experimental stream. The acclimatization period had no significant influence on the percentage of fish moving downstream. Significantly more grayling left the stream from the holding pen (76.7%) than fish released in the pool (47.2%). Of the recaptured fish, 77% had been feeding. Fish recaptured within a week had lost more than 10% of their initial weight measured at the hatchery. Fish recaptured more than 2 weeks after release had lost a significantly smaller percentage of their initial weight compared with fish recaptured in the first 2 weeks. No differences were found in spatial distribution or feeding activity between sexes.     

Plant parasitic nematodes as pests of potatoes in Poland1

Only two plant parasitic nematode species have practical importance in potato crops in Poland. They are Ditylenchus destructor and Globodera rostochiensis pathotype Ro1. Control of D. destructor is done permanently by the elimination of infested seed potatoes and sowing of cereals in the infested fields. Damage to potatoes is observed rather seldom. G. rostochiensis is widely distributed throughout Poland. It is controlled by non-host crops and by resistant potato cultivars. Chemical control of potato nematodes is not put into practice in Poland.     

Reconstructing migrations of individual cod (Gadus morhua L.) in the Baltic Sea by using electronic data storage tags

A new methodology is presented to reconstruct migration pathways of individual fish inhabiting ecosystems with moderate‐to‐strong gradients in temperature or salinity. The method uses measurements of ambient pressure, temperature and salinity obtained from electronic data storage tags attached to individual fish and is particularly applicable in areas with negligible tides. We demonstrate the method with Baltic cod. Hydrographic fields obtained from hydrodynamic modelling were used as a geolocation database to identify daily positions of Baltic cod by comparison with the environmental data collected by the tags. Using randomly distributed individual parameter perturbations in the range of the instrument precision of the tag we simulated a cod migrating through the Baltic Sea. The distance between the prescribed and geolocated positions of this artificial cod was on average 2.9 ± 4.7 (SD) km. Subsequently, the method was used to reconstruct migration routes of 10 real cod tagged in the Bornholm Basin of the Baltic Sea in early spring 2003. Differences were compared between the tag data and the geolocation database. The uncertainty in geolocation at recapture day was on average 75 ± 23 (SD) km, as shown by comparison between geolocated position and recapture position.