Dominant sources of dietary carbon and nitrogen for shrimp reared in extensive rice-shrimp ponds

Stable isotope analysis was used to determine the sources of dietary nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) for shrimp during the rearing phase in extensive rice‐shrimp ponds in My Xuyen and Gia Rai districts, Vietnam. Farm‐made feed was added as a food source in shrimp ponds in My Xuyen district, and based on stable isotope analyses, was generally a poor dietary source. The commercial formulated feed used in Gia Rai also appeared to contribute little directly to the nutritional needs of the shrimp. In contrast, the natural biota in all ponds appeared to contribute substantially. In particular, biota from beam trawls and benthic organic matter were the most likely sources of nutrition in My Xuyen ponds, while benthic organic matter was the main source in Gia Rai ponds. δ¹⁵N ratios in the natural biota in My Xuyen farms decreased over the growing season, suggesting increased N fixation in the case of the benthic organic matter reaching values as low as 1‰. This suggests N‐limitation in the ponds and that natural biota become increasingly dependent on N fixed by algae and/or other microorganisms. There is the potential to promote the growth of the plankton and hence, the other natural biota, by the judicious addition of fertilizer.     

A new primer for 16S rDNA analysis of microbial communities associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Porphyra yezoensis</Emphasis>

To construct high-quality 16S rDNA clone libraries for microbial communities associated with Porphyra yezoensis and to minimize the detection of rDNA from leafy gametophytes of P. yezoensis, we designed a new 16S rDNA universal primer (75F). Of the clones prepared using 75F, which was designed to distinguish between bacteria and P. yezoensis, 95% were classified into four groups, namely, β-proteobacteria, γ-proteobacteria, Lentisphaerae, and Flavobacteria. PCR-based analysis of the 16S rDNA primer constructed in this study can be used to implement 16S rDNA-based methodologies for the investigation of microbial community composition and diversity related to the Porphyra group.     

Estimation of genetic parameters for growth traits of Japanese flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paralichthys olivaceus</Emphasis> using an animal model

To estimate genetic parameters of growth traits in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, full-sib and half-sib families were produced in three consecutive years at the Beidaihe Central Experiment Station in China. Each year 8–28 families were produced. The body weight, body length and body depth at 180, 240, and 360 days of age were measured for 5,224 individuals. Four animal models were used to examine the phenotypic variation of growth traits and were compared using the likelihood ratio test. The results showed that estimates for additive genetic effect heritabilities varied greatly depending on the model, trait and age. The maternal effect had a significant impact on phenotypic variation only for body depth at 180 days of age, which explained 49% of the phenotypic variance. The ratio of full-sib effect to phenotypic variation ranged from 0.09 to 0.22. Growth traits all exhibited low heritability (0.13–0.39), indicating that there is the potential for family selection breeding for these traits in Japanese flounder. Using the full model with the fixed, full-sib family, additive and maternal genetic effects, genetic correlations among the three traits for fish of the same age were estimated to be more than 0.80. Generally, the genetic correlations gradually increased as age increased.     

Dietary formic acid enhances apparent digestibility of minerals in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

The effect of dietary formic acid on the availability of phosphorus (P) from a fishmeal-based diet by rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), reared in brackish water (5–6 g L⁻¹) was determined. Diets containing a low amount of P (6.0 mg P g⁻¹ dry matter) were acidified with 0, 4 and 10 mL kg⁻¹ formic acid and fed to trout (average weight, 520 g) for 4 weeks. The measured pH of the diets were 6.3, 5.8 and 5.3, respectively. The intestinal solubility of P and the digestibility of P were measured by stripping the faecal matter from the fish. The apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of P significantly ( P < 0.05) increased from 69.5% to 75.0% of the basal diet in fish fed diets containing 10 mL kg⁻¹ formic acid. The solubility of P in the intestine was highly variable within each treatment, and the differences were not significant. The pH of intestinal content increased with the increase in dietary formic acid concentration. The ADC of magnesium and calcium also showed a significant ( P < 0.05) increase with the acidification of diet by formic acid.     

n‐3 and n‐6 fatty acid bioconversion abilities in Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) at two developmental stages

The aim of this work was to study the fatty acid (FA) bioconversion ability in Eurasian perch fed with diets differing in their polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from n‐3 and n‐6 series content at two development stages: adults in exogenous vitellogenesis, and juveniles during the on‐growing phase. Duplicate groups of adults and juveniles were fed for 12 weeks with four diets: D1 and D2, two diets prepared with fish oil partially or totally as the lipid source, and so containing long‐chain PUFA (LC‐PUFA). Those two diets differed by their n‐3/n‐6 FA dietary ratio (0.2 and 7.0, respectively), D1 being characterized by a high n‐6 LC‐PUFA level, while D2 had a high level of n‐3 LC‐PUFA. D3 and D4 were constituted only with vegetable oils, and were therefore devoid of LC‐PUFA. D3 was characterized by a high level of 18:2 n‐6 (n‐6/n‐3 ratio of 0.3), while D4 was characterized by a high level of 18:3 n‐3 (n‐3/n‐6 ratio of 1.9). Both groups of fish were able to elongate and desaturate the 18:3 n‐3 precursor into eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, regarding the FA profile of livers. Furthermore, total elongation/desaturation from [1‐¹⁴C]18:3 n‐3 of LC‐PUFA was higher in fish fed with the high dietary 18:3 n‐3 level compared to the diet rich in n‐3 LC‐PUFA. By opposition, the bioconversion of 18:2 n‐6 into LC‐PUFA was limited, regarding the elongation/desaturation activity of LC‐PUFA from [1‐¹⁴C]18:2 n‐6. In view of the great ability for bioconversion of n‐3 FA, linseed oil is a promising alternative to fish oil in formulating feed for juveniles perch as there were no differences in terms of specific growth rate between the treatments, but adults undergoing maturation should have at least partially LC‐PUFA in their diet, particularly arachidonic acid (ARA) which is important during maturation, as breeders are not able to bioconvert 18:2 n‐6 into ARA.     

Design and validation of a RT‐qPCR procedure for diagnosis and quantification of most types of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus using a single pair of degenerated primers

Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is an important virus which affects the salmonid aquaculture industry worldwide; therefore, it is important to develop rapid and reliable methods of diagnosis to detect the disease at early stages. Nowadays, RT‐qPCR is replacing other methods because it provides additional information on the viral load, which is important to have a better understanding of the virus replication level and of the stage of the infection and its risk level. The main problem stems from the high diversity of this virus, which can compromise the reliability of the diagnosis. In this study, we have designed an RT‐qPCR procedure for diagnosis and quantification of IPNV based on a single pair of primers targeted to segment B. The procedure has been validated, in vitro and in vivo, testing two different types of standards against seven reference strains and 23 field isolates from different types. The procedure is reliable for the detection of any type, with a detection limit of 31 TCID₅₀ mL^?1, 50 pfu mL^?1 or 66 RNA copies mL^?1, depending on the standard. All the standard curves showed high reliability (R² > 0.95). The results support the high reliability of this new procedure for the diagnosis and quantification of IPNV.     

Growth performance and metabolic utilization of diets with native and waxy maize starch by gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) juveniles

The effect of dietary starch source and level on growth performance, feed utilization, apparent digestibility coefficients and liver enzyme activities involved in intermediary metabolism of gilthead sea bream juveniles was studied. Five isonitrogenous (47% crude protein) and isolipidic (15% crude lipids) diets were formulated to contain 10% native (diet NS10) or waxy (diet WS10) maize starch; 20% native (diet NS20) or waxy (diet WS20) maize starch or no starch (control). Diets were adjusted with α-cellulose. Another diet was formulated without carbohydrates, and contained 70% crude protein and 15% crude lipids (diet HP). Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of 30 fish (initial weight: 20 g) for 12 weeks. The HP group was fed to near satiation and the other 5 groups were fed on a pair-feeding scheme according to the group that ingested less feed (control diet group). The reduction of dietary protein level from 70% to 47% by the incorporation of 20% starch did not significantly affect gilthead sea bream growth performance or feed efficiency. Compared to the control diet, neither the level nor the nature of starch had any measurable effect on growth performance and feed efficiency. Digestibility of starch was unaffected by source or dietary inclusion level. Diet had no effect on plasma glucose levels, but liver glycogen was higher in diet groups NS20, WS20 and HP. Dietary carbohydrates increased GK and G6PD enzyme activities and decreased ALAT and GDH enzyme activities while had only a minor effect on FBPase activity. The nature of dietary starch tested (native or waxy) had little influence on performance criteria.     

Non-specific immunity parameters and the formation of advanced glycosylation end-products (AGE) in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), fed high levels of dietary carbohydrates

The effects of long-term hyperglycaemia (5 months), through feeding high levels of dietary carbohydrates, on the non-specific immunity parameters of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), was assessed. Fish were fed one of three diets composed of a basal diet containing ≈ 14% digestible carbohydrate which was progressively diluted with gelatinized potato starch in the following ratios of basal diet to supplemental carbohydrate (gelatinized potato starch): 65:00, 65:20, 65:35. The three diets were pair-fed based on the feed intake of the fish fed the diet containing the highest level of starch (65:35) and representing 100% intake. The other diets were then fed at different levels in a manner that allowed all the groups of fish in the same block to receive the same amount of the basal diet [e.g. the basal diet (undiluted, 65:00) was fed at 65% of the dietary intake of the 65:35 diet]. Blood glucose concentrations and relative liver-to-body size increased with increased dietary carbohydrate intake. Feeding supplemental carbohydrates resulted in a small increase in weight gain of the fish at both supplemental levels. Pronephros tissue lysozyme activity and pronephros macrophage superoxide production were not affected by the dietary treatments. The results suggest the presence of advanced glycosylation end-products in muscle tissue collagen, but were not significantly different between treatments. No substantial effect of long-term feeding of a high carbohydrate diet on the non-specific immunity of rainbow trout was observed. However, the results suggest that dietary carbohydrates may have a slight stimulatory effect on phagocytosis at low–moderate levels.