Using ecological trajectories to track long-term taxonomic and functional changes in benthic shallow soft-bottom communities (Bay of Saint-Brieuc,English Channel)

1. Taxonomic and functional trajectories of benthic assemblages were studied in shallow soft-bottom sediments in the bay of Saint-Brieuc (Western English Channel). Changes were assessed at different spatial and temporal scales using a macrobenthic dataset based on 38 stations sampled in 1987 and 2019, coupled with data from one station sampled annually between 2005 and 2019 as part of the European Water Framework Directive monitoring programme.
2. Taxonomic trajectories indicated 1) changes in the structure and distribution of benthic assemblages, 2) an homogenization of the assemblages, and 3) significant functional shifts.
3. Fishing activities and nutrient enrichment are probably strong drivers of the observed changes, as suggested by the higher mortality rate of fragile, flexible, tubiculous and burrowing species, and the increase in the abundance of opportunistic species in the assemblages. Certain populations of macroinvertebrates seem jointly controlled by climate change and by the aforementioned local factors of disturbance.
4. The Community Trajectory Analysis framework appears as a new and interesting method to track ecological changes in marine ecosystems by measuring change with respect to a baseline state, to help define ecological recovery (station returning to the initial ecological state) and departure (station presenting increased changes over time), and to analyse trajectory similarity.
5. According to the degradation of habitat over time, we identify the need for the implementation of knowledge-based conservation strategies, especially within Natura 2000 sites.

     

Ditch communities: a major contributor to floodplain biodiversity

• 1. Chalk stream floodplains are extensively managed and the high degree of connectivity associated with water meadows has been severely reduced. The main contributor to aquatic biodiversity is perceived to be the river itself. Ditches in these areas have been largely ignored as a contributor to total diversity.
• 2. Separate surveys of instream, bankside and ditch macroinvertebrates in a small area of floodplain provided a unique opportunity to assess the relative contribution of each locality to total aquatic diversity. The fauna and flora of a ditch on the lower River Frome floodplain was examined and compared with studies of adjacent bankside and instream habitat. A total of 145 macroinvertebrate taxa and 61 plant species were recorded from the ditch. Faunal abundance and richness were positively related to the diversity of aquatic plants. The ditch showed a clear linear trend in community type that appeared to be partly related to the acidic seepage from tertiary deposits at the source and percentage cover of vegetation.
• 3. There were large differences in the numbers of taxa collected in ditch, bankside, instream mesohabitat and RIVPACS surveys. Of the total 202 taxa recorded in the four surveys, the ditch contributed 59 unique taxa with 25 from the bankside and two and three from the mesohabitat and RIVPACS surveys, respectively.
• 4. The large contribution of the Rushton Ditch to aquatic biodiversity on the floodplain is due to three main factors: the chemically different and slow‐flowing environment, the connection to the main river, and a management regime which has halted hydroseral succession at a point where vegetation structure is for the most part open and able to support a wide range of ecological niches. The maintenance of these conditions requires sensitive management and further knowledge of the needs and interactions of faunal communities with vegetation.

Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tyrosine hydroxylase activity and dopamine turnover of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) brain: the special status of the hypothalamus

The dynamics of catecholamine (CA)-synthesis enzymes have been poorly studied in fish. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme of CA synthesis has been only studied inin vitro conditions. In the present report thein vivo CA synthesis and the CA metabolism were studied in different regions of the forebrain of the rainbow trout. Levels of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and the rate of accumulation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) were determined by HPLC following a treatment with hydroxybenzylhydrazine (NSD), a potential inhibitor of DOPA decarboxylase. Kinetics of the accumulation of DOPA and of the decline of DOPAC were in agreement with those found in rat, evidencing that the accumulation of DOPA following NSD can be used in trout to quantify thein vivo enzymatic activity of tyrosine hydroxylase. Experiments using treatment with NSD or with methyl-p-tyrosine reached a same conclusion: the DA neuronal activity in trout is much higher than NE neuronal activity. However, the hypothalamus had high DA levelsvs. lowin vitro andin vivo TH activities and exhibited a low CA turnover.     

Genetic characterization of 2 novel feline caliciviruses isolated from cats with idiopathic lower urinary tract disease

Feline caliciviruses (FCVs) are potential etiologic agents in feline idiopathic lower urinary tract disease (I-LUTD). By means of a modified virus isolation method, we examined urine obtained from 28 male and female cats with nonobstructive I-LUTD, 12 male cats with obstructive I-LUTD, and 18 clinically healthy male and female cats. All cats had been routinely vaccinated for FCV. Two FCVs were isolated; I (FCV-U1) from a female cat with nonobstructive I-LUTD, and another (FCV-U2) from a male cat with obstructive I-LUTD. To determine the genetic relationship of FCV-U1 and FCV-U2 to other FCVs. capsid protein gene RNA was reverse transcribed into cDNA, amplified, and sequenced. Multiple amino acid sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees were constructed for the entire capsid protein, hypervariable region E, and the more conserved (nonhypervariable) regions A, B, D, and F. When compared to 23 other FCV isolates with known biotypes, the overall amino acid sequence identity of the capsid protein of FCV-U1 and FCV-U2 ranged from 83 to 96%; identity of hypervariable regions C and E ranged from 58 to 85%. Phylogenetically, FCV-U1 clearly separated from other FCV strains in phenograms based on nonhypervariable regions. In contrast, FCV-U2 consistently segregated with the Urbana strain in all phenograms. Clustering of isolates by geographic origin was most apparent in phenograms based on nonhypervariable regions. No clustering of isolates by biotype was apparent in any phenograms. Our results indicate that FCV-UI and FCV-U2 are genetically distinct from other known vaccine and field strains of FCV.     

Spatial scale effects on conservation network design: trade-offs and omissions in regional versus local scale planning

Ecological patterns and processes operate at a variety of spatial scales. Those which are regional in nature may not be effectively captured through the combination of conservation plans derived at the local level, where land use planning frequently takes place. Conversely, regional conservation plans may not identify resources important for conservation of intraregional ecological variation. We compare modeled conservation networks derived at regional and local scales from the same area in order to analyze the impact of scale effects on conservation planning. Using the MARXAN reserve selection algorithm and least cost corridor analysis we identified a potential regional conservation network for the Central Valley ecoregion of California, USA, from which we extracted those portions found within five individual counties. We then conducted the same analysis for each of the five counties. An overlay of the results from the two scales shows a general pattern of large differences in the identified networks. Especially noteworthy are the trade-offs and omissions evident at both scales of analysis and the disparateness of the identified corridors that connect core reserves. The results suggest that planning efforts limited to one scale will neglect biodiversity patterns and ecological processes that are important at other scales. An intersection of results from the two scales can potentially be used to prioritize areas for conservation found to be important at several spatial scales.     

Growth and Feed Utilization of Captive Wild Subadult Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata Fed Practical Diets in a Recirculating System

The effects of four practical diets on growth, feed utilization, and body composition of wild‐caught juvenile and subadult black sea bass Centropristis striata (316 ± 113 g =±± SD) were compared for 221 d in a recirculating tank system consisting of 12 2,660‐L tanks. Salinity averaged 33.5 ppt and temperature averaged 20.9 C but vaned from 12 to 27.1 C. Diets differed in crude protein (CP) and crude lipid (CL) as follows: 1) low CP (44.0%), low CL (11.4%) trout diet; 2) low CP (44.8%), high CL (15.0%) trout diet; 3) midlevel CP (47.9%), midlevel CL (12.8%) Bounder diet; and 4) high CP (53.9%), high CL (15.1%) marine finfish diet. Energy: protein ratios (E: P) were 44.6, 45.3, 41.8, and 39.1 W/g. Survival to 221 d on all diets was 100%. Significant (P < 0.05) differences in growth rates were observed among diets. Final weights were higher for midlevel and high CP diets 3 and 4 (1,051 and 1,013 g) than for low CP diet 1 (873 g). Relative growth rate (RGR, % total increase in weight), specific growth rate (SGR, % increase in body weight/d), and daily weight gain (DWG, g/d) were higher for higher CP diets 3 and 4 (RGR = 223 and 221; SGR = 0.53; DWG = 3.28 and 3.16), than for low CP diet 1 (RGR = 181; SGR = 0.47; DWG = 2.54). There were no significant differences between initial and final whole body protein and fiber content among diets. Lipid and gross energy levels significantly increased (P < 0.0001) in all treatments while moisture levels significantly decreased (P < 0.001). Although these differences were not significant, feed conversion ratio (FCR = dry weight fed/wet weight gain) was lower for fish given midlevel CP diet 3 (1.49) and high CP diet 4 (1.52) than for those fed low CP diets 1 and 2 (1.60 and 1.62). Protein efficiency ratios (PER = weight gain/weight protein fed) (1.43 to 1.24), apparent net protein retention (ANPR = weight protein gain/weight protein fed) (20 to 25%), and apparent net energy retention (ANER = energy gain/energy fed) (53.3 to 56.8%) were not significantly different among treatments. The midlevel CP (50%), midlevel CL (12%) diet maximized growth rates and was also significantly less expensive per kg fish weight produced ($1.40) than the high CP diet ($1.94) which produced the second highest growth rates. These results demonstrated that wild‐caught black sea bass can be successfully reared in recirculating tanks from juvenile to marketable sizes with high survival and with good feed conversion and growth on commercially prepared diets with a wide range of protein and lipid levels.     

Castanea sativa Mill. leaves as new sources of natural antioxidant: an electronic spin resonance study

The antioxidant potential of Castanea sativa Mill. leaf (sweet chestnut) was explored as a new source of active extracts. The capacity of the different fractions issued from aqueous, methanol, and ethyl acetate extracts to inhibit the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-pycryl-hydrazyl, superoxide anion, and hydroxyl radical was measured by electronic spin resonance. Their scavenging potential was analyzed versus their amount of phenolic compounds. Among the active fractions, the most effective one was A6, an ethyl acetate fraction, which contained a high level of total phenolic compounds (29.1 g/100 g). Thus, a different extraction procedure was performed to concentrate the active compounds of A6 in the new C. sativa leaf extract (CSLE). Compared to reference antioxidants (quercetin and vitamin E) and standard extracts (Pycnogenol, from French Pinus maritima bark, and grape marc extract), it was observed that A6 and CSLE have high antioxidant potentials, equivalent to at least those of reference compounds.     

Evaluation of the nutritional characteristics of a finger millet based complementary food

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana), kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), peanuts (Arachis hypogoea), and mango (Mangifera indica) were processed separately and then combined, on the basis of their amino acid scores and energy content, into a complementary food for children of weaning age. The finger millet and kidney beans were processed by germination, autoclaving, and lactic acid fermentation. A mixture containing, on a dry matter basis, 65.2, 19.1, 8.0, and 7.7% of the processed finger millet, kidney beans, peanuts, and mango, respectively, gave a composite protein with an in vitro protein digestibility of 90.2% and an amino acid chemical score of 0.84. This mixture had an energy density of 16.3 kJ.g(-1) of dry matter and a decreased antinutrient content and showed a measurable improvement in the in vitro extractability for calcium, iron, and zinc. A 33% (w/v) pap made from a mix of the processed ingredients had an energy density of 5.4 kJ.g(-1) of pap, which is sufficient to meet the energy requirements of well-nourished children of 6-24 months of age at three servings a day and at the FAO average breast-feeding frequency.