Nitrogen Application Rate and the Change in Carbohydrate Concentration in Leaves,Fruit, and Canes of Gold Kiwifruit

Gold kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch. var. chinensis ‘Hort16A’) is an important crop for New Zealand. In this trial, all nutrients, except nitrogen (N), were applied at levels comparable to commercial practice. The control treatment received approximately 145 kg N/ha/y, a conservative rate of N application for kiwifruit. The zero-N treatment vines received all nutrients except N, and the high-N treatment received double the control levels of N. Carbohydrate concentrations in the leaves, fruit and canes of zero-N and high-N vines were determined periodically through the season for two years. There were lower total sugar concentrations in the leaves of the zero-N vines however total carbohydrate concentration content was higher in the zero-N fruit. Vegetative vigor was reduced in the zero-N vines when compared to the high-N vines. By reducing N, the partitioning of carbon to fruit appears favored. This effect may be due to modified sink strength under reduced N.     

Energetics of swimming in fishes using different methods of locomotion: I. Labriform swimmers

The patterns relating rates of oxygen consumption to steady sustained and prolonged swimming at different speeds were determined in adults or near adults of two species of marine fishes that use the labriform mode of swimming (labriform swimmers). Effects of acute temperature changes on these patterns were measured. Species were the shiner surfperch,Cymatogaster aggregata and the señorita wrasse,Oxyjulis californica.Metabolic data were analyzed three different ways. The first (method of Brett) was based upon mass specific oxygen uptake and length specific swim speed; data in this form were analyzed both as best-fit power functions and as the mathematically equivalent least squares linear regressions for semi-log plots. The second and third methods were based upon drag based hydromechanical theory concerning power requirements for swimming in fishes: total metabolic ratesvs. absolute swimming speeds, analyzed both as best-fit power functions and least squares linear regressions for log-log plots.The main finding, demonstrated by all three methods of calculation, was that the slopes of all regression lines (both semi-log and log-log) and the exponents of almost all power functions (five out of six) were very low. The Brett method applied to subcarangiform swimmers usually produces slopes averaging 0.36 (using base-10 logarithms). The slopes calculated by that method in the present study were 0.02–0.08. Low slope values could result from the interactions of many factors. Additional data are needed to determine which combinations of factors actually produced them. On this basis metabolic rate data on intact labriform swimmers, by themselves, appear unusable as empirical tests of theory based predictions concerning power requirements for fish swimming.     

Phenotypic differences between hatchery-reared and wild mud crabs, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scylla Serrata</Emphasis>, and the effects of conditioning

Hatchery-reared animals for stock enhancement should be competent to survive and grow at rates equivalent to those of wild conspecifics. However, morphological differences are often observed, and pre-conditioning steps may be required to improve the fitness of hatchery-reared juveniles prior to release. In the present study, hatchery-reared Scylla serrata juveniles were reared either individually (HR-solitary) or groups in tanks (HR-communal), the latter group being exposed to intraspecific competition and foraging for food. After 21 days, both groups were compared to similar size wild-caught juveniles in terms of morphometric measurements of carapace spination, abnormalities and carapace colouration. There were some limited significant differences between HR-communal crabs and HR-solitary crabs in terms of length of 8th and 9th lateral spines and in body-weight-carapace width ratio, but both treatments differed from wild crabs, which were heavier and had longer carapace spines for their size. In contrast, both HR treatments exhibited common abnormalities including deformities in the shape of the abdomen, in particular occurrence of an asymmetrical telson or a deeply folded telson. In all cases, abnormalities persisted through moulting. Initially, carapace colour differed in all measures of colour between HR and wild crabs. However, these differences reduced after a period of 4–8 days of conditioning on coloured tank backgrounds or dark sand or mud backgrounds, without moulting. Similarly, hatchery-reared crabs exhibited very limited burying behaviour on first exposure to sediment, but this increased to levels observed in wild crabs within 2–4 days. Thus, short-term conditioning of hatchery-reared crabs on dark sediments may be effective in increasing predator avoidance and survivorship in released animals, and present results suggest that this can be achieved after relatively short periods of 1 week or less.     

Phaffia rhodozyma as an astaxanthin source in salmonid diets

The red yeast Phaffia rhodozyma has possible application as a component of diets for use in aquaculture. Its primary value lies in its content of astaxanthin, which is much higher (5–50 times) than that found in crustacean meals. When fed to rainbow trout, the deposition of astaxanthin in the fish flesh was dependent on the proper preparation of yeast cells before their inclusion into the feed. No astaxanthin was nutritionally available from intact yeast. If P. rhodozyma was mechanically ruptured its pigments were transferred to the flesh of rainbow trout, coloring it salmon-pink. The most efficient deposition of astaxanthin in trout occurred when the cell wall of P. rhodozyma was partially removed by enzymatic digestion.The proxiamte composition, amino acid content, fatty acid profile, and astaxanthin content were determined for P. rhodozyma. When grown under the conditions used in this study, P. rhodozyma has a low protein content (～25%) and a high total lipid content (～17%) compared with most other microorganisms. Its amino acid profile is well balanced but is deficient in methionine. The predominant fatty acids present in the yeast are oleic, linoleic and palmitic acids.     

Reciprocating biofilter for water reuse in aquaculture

The reciprocating biofilter is automatically dewatered at regular and frequent intervals, in contrast to the conventional upflow submerged biofilter which is continually inundated. Reciprocating biofilters were compared with submerged biofilters in terms of ability to maintain water quality in small-scale fish holding units. In the first trial the reciprocating filter systems averaged 35% more fish in terms of numbers, 59% more fish in terms of weight, and a 45% greater feeding rate. In the second trial the reciprocating filter systems averaged 29% more fish in terms of numbers, 33% more fish in terms of weight, and a 29% greater feeding rate. Superior performance of the reciprocating filters appeared to be the results of resistance to clogging and improved aeration of the filter substrate.     

Induced ovulation of female chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) at a production hatchery

A simple, low-cost method for inducing ovulation in hatchery-held adult chinook salmon was developed. Use of this method resulted in an increase in the number of eggs collected, by circumventing losses due to prespawning mortality.One hundred and twenty 4-year-old chinook salmon which had returned to the Capilano hatchery prior to 1 October were used as a stock population. Three weeks before the peak spawning period, 36 fish were divided into two groups. The control group received two injections of 0.65% saline spaced 3 days apart. The test group received a 0.1-mg/kg SG-G100 (salmon gonadotropin) injection, followed on the third day by a 2.5-mg/kg SG-G100 injection. By Day 8, 73% of the treated group and 0% of the control group had ovulated. Prespawning mortality accounted for 22% of the treated fish and 83.4% of the control fish. Treatment resulted in a net gain of 16,000 eggs over the control. The second experiment began 3 days before the peak spawning period. The 32 fish which remained in the stock population were divided into three groups and received two injections 3 days apart. The two treatment groups received either 0.1 mg SG-G100/kg followed by 2.0 mg SG-100/kg, or 0.1 mg SG-G100/kg followed by 50.0 mg salmon pituitary extract (SPE)/kg. The control group was injected with 0.65% saline. By Day 8, 73% of the SPE group, 82% of the SG-G100 group, and 40% of the control group had ovulated. Treatment resulted in a net gain of 16,000 eggs for the SG-G100 group and 19,000 eggs for the SPE group over the control. No significant differences in egg size or percent survival to the eyed stage were found between test and control groups. The misjudgment of maturity led to the stripping of several fish before their eggs were completely ovulated. The factors leading to these partial ovulations are discussed.     

Hidden neotropical diversity: greater than the sum of its parts

The diversity of tropical herbivorous insects has been explained as a direct function of plant species diversity. Testing that explanation, we reared 2857 flies from flowers and seeds of 24 species of plants from 34 neotropical sites. Samples yielded 52 morphologically similar species of flies and documented highly conserved patterns of specificity to host taxa and host parts. Widespread species of plants can support 13 species of flies. Within single populations of plants, we typically found one or more fly species specific to female flowers and multiple specialists on male flowers. We suggest that neotropical herbivorous insect diversity is not simply a function of plant taxonomic and architectural diversity, but also reflects the geographic distribution of hosts and the age and area of the neotropics.     

Phosphoproteomic analysis identifies Grb10 as an mTORC1 substrate that negatively regulates insulin signaling

The evolutionarily conserved serine-threonine kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a critical role in regulating many pathophysiological processes. Functional characterization of the mTOR signaling pathways, however, has been hampered by the paucity of known substrates. We used large-scale quantitative phosphoproteomics experiments to define the signaling networks downstream of mTORC1 and mTORC2. Characterization of one mTORC1 substrate, the growth factor receptor-bound protein 10 (Grb10), showed that mTORC1-mediated phosphorylation stabilized Grb10, leading to feedback inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and extracellular signal-regulated, mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK-MAPK) pathways. Grb10 expression is frequently down-regulated in various cancers, and loss of Grb10 and loss of the well-established tumor suppressor phosphatase PTEN appear to be mutually exclusive events, suggesting that Grb10 might be a tumor suppressor regulated by mTORC1.     

Therapies from fucoidan; multifunctional marine polymers

Published research on fucoidans increased three fold between 2000 and 2010. These algal derived marine carbohydrate polymers present numerous valuable bioactivities. This review discusses the role for fucoidan in the control of acute and chronic inflammation via selectin blockade, enzyme inhibition and inhibiting the complement cascade. The recent data on toxicology and uptake of fucoidan is detailed together with a discussion on the comparative activities of fractions of fucoidan from different sources. Recent in vivo, in vitro and clinical research related to diverse clinical needs is discussed. Targets include osteoarthritis, kidney and liver disease, neglected infectious diseases, hemopoietic stem cell modulation, protection from radiation damage and treatments for snake envenomation. In recent years, the production of well characterized reproducible fucoidan fractions on a commercial scale has become possible making therapies from fucoidan a realizable goal.