Evidence of cormorant‐induced mortality,disparate migration strategies and repeatable circadian rhythm in the endangered North Sea houting (Coregonus oxyrinchus): A telemetry study mapping the postspawning migration

Life history theory predicts a trade‐off between migration and residency where migration is favoured when it infers elevated fitness. Although migration to more favourable environments may offer higher growth rates, migrants often experience increased mortality due to predation. Here, we investigated mortality and migration behaviour of the North Sea houting (Coregonus oxyrinchus), an anadromous salmonid endemic to the Wadden Sea. We used acoustic telemetry to map the migration of the only remaining indigenous population by applying stationary hydrophones combined with manual tracking. Data suggested a total mortality of 26%, with 30% of the total mortality attributed to predation by great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis), highlighting that North Sea houting conservation could be jeopardised by increased cormorant predation. Risk of cormorant predation was size‐dependent, with smaller fish suffering higher risk of predation. The study found North Sea houting to exhibit disparate migration strategies and identified a lentic area in the estuary as an important habitat. Two newly established artificial lakes within the river system significantly reduced the migration speeds, possibly indicating constrained navigation through the lakes. The migration into the Wadden Sea correlated with temperature perhaps indicating osmoregulatory constraints of sea entry. Unlike many salmonid species, migration occurred both day and night. Moreover, fish exhibited repeatable individual differences in diel activity patterns, suggesting that individuals differ consistently in their migratory activity throughout the 24‐hr period. Our study provides novel information on salmonid migration, which is crucial for the development of science‐based conservation strategies.     

Heavy Metal Content of Coho Oncorhynchus kisutch and Chinook Salmon O. tschawytscha Reared in Deep Upwelled Ocean Waters in Hawaii1

Coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and chinook salmon (O. tschawyrscha) were reared in seawater pumped from the 600 m depth at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii. Fish were reared in either 100% deep water at 11 C, or a mixture of 55% deep and 45% surface waters at 17 C. Salmon flesh was analyzed for mercury, zinc, cadmium and lead. Mercury concentration in coho salmon reared at 11 C was significantly lower than the concentration in coho reared at 17 C (P < 0.05), but other heavy metal concentrations in tissue did not differ between the two species or between the two rearing temperatures. Compared with wild salmon from the northwest Pacific Ocean, salmon reared in Hawaii had significantly lower concentrations of mercury and lead (P < 0.05), but significantly higher concentrations of zinc and cadmium. These differences in heavy metal concentration between wild and cultured salmon were most readily explained by differences in the heavy metal content of diets and the lack of heavy metal concentrations in rearing water. The concentration of mercury in salmon tissue was at least 20 times less than the 1.0 μ/g U.S. Food and Drug Administration action level for mercury. Action levels have not been established for zinc, cadmium, and lead.     

Tolerance of Snakehead Channa striatus to Ammonia at Different pH

Tolerance of snakehead Channa striatus to ammonia was tested at three pH levels (8.0, 9.0. and 10.0) in experimental tanks. At pH 8.0, ammonia LC50 estimates for snakehead at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h were >205.7, >203.5, 152.6, and 107.3 mg total ammonianitrogen (TAN)/L (or >10.3, >10.2, 7.6, and 5.4 mg NH₃-N/L), respectively. At pH 9.0, ammonia LC50 estimates at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h were >52.4, 62.8, 56.1, 43.4 mg TAN/L (or >18.0, 21.6, 19.3, and 14.9 mg NH₃-N/L), respectively. At pH 10.0, ammonia LC50 estimates at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h were 25.7, 21.6, 20.3, and 18.7 mg TAN/L (or 21.6, 18.1, 17.1, and 15.7 mg NH₃-N/L). respectively. Our data indicate that the tolerance of snakehead to ammonia was associated with pH. Thus, we recommend that snakehead should not be subjected to prolonged exposures of NH₃-N concentration more than 0.54 ma at pH 8.0, more than 1.49 mg/L at pH 9.0, or more than 1.57 mg/L at pH 10.0.     

Sperm Quality of Pond-Reared and Wild-Caught Penaeus monodon in Thailand1

Sperm quality, as determined by visual examination and by reaction with “egg-water” was not significantly different (P > 0.05) for sperm obtained by electro-ejaculation from ablated or non-ablated pond-reared Penaeus monodon. Nor was sperm quality different between pond-reared and wild-caught prawns. Normal sperm, determined by appearance, ranged from 17.1 to 21.0%, while reactive sperm ranged from 1.5 to 3.0%. There were, however, significant correlations (P < 0.01) between spermatophore weight and prawn weight (r= 0.73, N= 434). Male prawns weighing 4150 g produced on average spermatophores weighing 22.7 mg and containing 0.8 million sperm, while prawns weighing 61-90 g produced on average spermatophores weighing 56.6 mg with 2.5 million sperm. Ablation did not increase spermatophore size or sperm quality, although it significantly increased mortality of ablated males. Male prawns could be re-ejaculated at about weekly intervals with no change in sperm quality. Wild-caught female prawns artificially inseminated with spermatophores from electro-ejaculated males produced normal spawns with 51% average egg fertilization, and 41% nauplii hatch success. Nauplii hatch success following spawning increased from >60% for newly inseminated females to near zero after 30 days post-insemination, indicating spermatophore depletion and/or deteriorated sperm quality during spermatophore storage in the thelycum. The findings of the present study indicate that electro-ejaculation and artificial insemination are relatively simple and practical methods for improving captive reproduction performance of closed-thelycum prawns such as P. monodon, and that pond-reared and wild-caught males produced sperm of similar quality.     

Renal lesions in MRL mice

Female MRL-Mp-lpr/lpr mice spontaneously develop autoimmune disease at three to five months of age and die most commonly from immune complex glomerulonephritis. Kidneys of two-month-old females appeared nearly normal by electron microscopy, and glomerular deposits of IgG an complement component 3 (C3) barely were detectable. In five-month-old females, immunofluorescence revealed numerous deposits of IgG and C3; glomerular mesangial cells were hypertrophic and hyperplastic and contained electron-dense material. There were subepithelial and subendothelial deposits of electron-dense material with swelling of epithelial cell cytoplasm. This disease has many features similar to the immune complex glomerulonephritis observed in New Zealand Black and White hybrid mice and in man.     

Induced Maturation and Spawning of the Chinese Catfish Clarias fuscus

Chinese catfish ( Clarias fuscus ) were successfully spawned in Hawaii using human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) at dosage rates of two and four international units (IU) per gram body weight. Fish not injected with HCG did not produce viable eggs. Successful spawns with HCG occurred between May and October. Hatch rates of up to 80% were obtained during June, July, and August for those fish given either a 2 or 4 IU per gram body weight injection of HCG. Fish spawned in either May or October yielded significantly higher hatch rates when injected with 4 rather than 2 IU per gram body weight. Fish held at elevated temperatures (28 to 30 C) prior to the normal spawning season developed significantly larger oocyte diameters, 60 days earlier than fish held under ambient temperature conditions (21.5 to 24 C). Photoperiod manipulation at ambient temperature conditions was associated with earlier oocyte maturation, but photoperiod effects were much less important than temperature.     

Comparative Growth of Diploid and Triploid Asian Catfish Clarias macrocephalus in Thailand

Wild caught Asian catfish were spawned manually following HCG injection, and a portion of the eggs were subjected to cold-shock at 4 C for 15 min within 2-min post-fertilization. Nuclear diameter measurements of cold-shocked fish revealed that 96% were triploids (3N), while non-shocked fish were all diploids (2N). During larval and fry culture (first 26 d), triploid fish mortality was =50%, while diploid mortality was =25%. Following 8-mo culture in tanks at three stocking densities, triploid fish survival was significantly greater ( P < 0.05), than diploids, with 84.0% and 57.3%, respectively. Triploid live weight was also significantly greater than diploids, with 69.2 and 45.9 g averages, respectively. Ninety-two percent of diploids had welldeveloped gonads after 8 mo; whereas none of the triploids had mature gonads. Gonads were undifferentiated with 31% of the triploids. These sexually undifferentiated fish had greater growth rates than male or female triploids, and greater growth than all diploids. Carcass weight (gutted) of triploids was 95.8% of live weight, compared with 92.5% for diploids. Lastly, triploids had very few deformities compared with diploids, with 1.3% and 17.6%, respectively. Deformities included curved spines, and humped backs just posterior of the head.     

Aminopyralid soil residues affect rotational vegetable crops in Florida

BACKGROUND: Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flueggé) is a poor host of several soilborne pests of vegetable crops; therefore vegetable crops are commonly grown in a rotation with bahiagrass pastures in Florida. The herbicide aminopyralid provides foliar and soil residual weed control and increases forage production in bahiagrass pastures; however, the soil residual activity of aminopyralid makes carryover injury likely in subsequent sensitive vegetable crops. Field research was conducted to determine the sensitivity of five vegetable crops to soil residues of aminopyralid. RESULTS: At an aminopyralid soil concentration of 0.2 µg kg^?1 (the limit of quantitation for aminopyralid in this research), crop injury ratings were 48% (bell pepper), 67% (eggplant), 71% (tomato), 3% (muskmelon) and 3% (watermelon), and fruit yield losses (relative to the untreated control) at that concentration were 61, 64, 95, 8 and 14% in those respective crops. CONCLUSIONS: The crops included in this research were negatively affected by aminopyralid at soil concentrations less than the limit of quantitation (0.2 µg kg^?1). Therefore, it was concluded that a field bioassay must be used to determine whether carryover injury will occur when these crops are planted on a site where aminopyralid has been previously applied. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

亚麻快速生物脱胶发酵条件研究

通过对亚麻快速脱胶菌株Ym68′不同的发酵温度、接种量、浴比和脱胶助剂的脱胶试验，研究了亚麻快速生物脱胶的发酵条件。结果表明，亚麻快速生物脱胶的适宜条件为：温度30℃～35℃、浴比1：10—1：15、接种量15％-20％、脱胶助剂0．5‰CO（NH2）2或复合肥。温度对亚麻快速生物脱胶的影响最大，其次是浴比，而脱胶助剂和接种量的影响较小。