EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL SUBSTRATES TO MONITOR RESPIRATORY NITRATE REDUCTASE ACTIVITY IN SOILS

Different inorganic ions were tested for their ability to replace nitrate as the terminal oxidant for bacterial respiration in anaerobic soils. Chlorate, bromate. selenate. tellurite and ferric ions were all unsuitable substitutes, lodate reduction in soils was similar to nitrate reduction because it required anaerobic conditions, was increased by glucose amendment and decreased by phenylmercuric acetate. Amendment of soils with iodate and measurement of iodide production can be used to measure nitrate reductase activity in a soil and so give a qualitative indication, and possibly a quantitative estimate, of the denitrification capacity of soils.     

Immunohistochemical study on changes in gill Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit during smoltification in the wild masu salmon, Oncorhynchus masou

Changes in immunoreactivity of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase -subunit in gill sections of wild masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) during the parr-smolt transformation (smoltification) were compared with changes in gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase specific activity. Gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase specific activity increased from April and peaked in May. Immunohistochemical analysis, using an antiserum against a synthetic oligopeptide based on the conserved region of the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase -subunit, revealed that immunoreactivity was confined to chloride cells in the surface layer of primary lamellae and the proximal end of secondary lamellae. The size and number of these cells increased gradually from February to May; however, the number of chloride cells of the secondary lamellae decreased in May. These data suggest that the synthesis of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and the proliferation of chloride cells occur prior to the elevation of enzyme activity. Moreover, it is likely the proliferation and hypertrophy of chloride cells on primary lamellae prepare smolts for entry into seawater and migration in the ocean.     

Insulin and IGF-I receptors and tyrosine kinase activity in carp ovaries: changes with reproductive cycle

Insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) receptors from carp ovaries were semipurified with wheat germ agglutinin at different moments of the reproductive cycle and their binding characteristics and tyrosine kinase activity were studied. Specific receptors for insulin and IGF-I were found. IGF-I receptors presented higher binding (23.8 ± 1.5%), number of receptors (965 ± 20fm/mg) and affinity (K_D 0.24 ± 0.03nM) than those shown for insulin receptors (4.1 ± 1%, 530 ± 85fm/mg and 0.85 ± 0.1nM, respectively). Insulin and IGF-I receptors have a tyrosine kinase activity which is not different from that found in muscle of the same species. Seasonal changes were found in binding, with maximum values for insulin and IGF-I reached at the end of pre-spawning period (June). However, while IGF-I binding was observed in all stages, insulin binding decreased in autumn and disappeared in winter, which suggests a different role for the two peptides in ovarian physiology.     

Development and characterization of a cell line TTCF from endangered mahseer Tor tor (Ham.)

Tor tor is an important game and food fish of India with a distribution throughout Asia from the trans-Himalayan region to the Mekong River basin to Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. A new cell line named TTCF was developed from the caudal fin of T. tor for the first time. The cell line was optimally maintained at 28°C in Leibovitz-15 (L-15) medium supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The propagation of TTCF cells showed a high plating efficiency of 63.00%. The cytogenetic analysis revealed a diploid count of 100 chromosomes at passage 15, 30, 45 and 60 passages. The viability of the TTCF cell line was found to be 72% after 6 months of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen (-196°C). The origin of the cell lines was confirmed by the amplification of 578- and 655-bp sequences of 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) respectively. TTCF cells were successfully transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter plasmids. Further, immunocytochemistry studies confirm its fibroblastic morphology of cells. Genotoxicity assessment of H?O? in TTCF cell line revealed the utility of TTCF cell line as in vitro model for aquatic toxicological studies.     

Fish-based methods for assessing European running waters: a synthesis

Abstract  The European Union, Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires monitoring of riverine fish fauna. When the WFD came into force in 2000, most of the EU member states did not have fish-based assessment methods compliant to WFD requirements. Therefore, the objectives of FAME ( http://fame.boku.ac.at ), a project under the fifth R&D Framework Programme of the European Commission were to develop, evaluate and implement a standardised fish-based method for assessing the ecological status of European running waters. This paper synthesises the outputs of FAME and defines future research needs. Two different methodologies were used: the so-called spatially based modelling and the site-specific modelling, the latter leading to the European Fish Index (EFI). The advantage of the EFI is that, despite being a single index, it is applicable to a wide range of environmental conditions across Europe precluding the need for inter-calibration. The EFI will support the WFD towards harmonised/standardised assessment and management of running waters in Europe, thus enabling comparative analyses of the ecological status of running waters across Europe.     

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.     

Method for Determining Apparent Digestibility of Carbohydrate and Protein Sources for Artificial Diets for Juvenile Sea Cucumber,Australostichopus mollis

Effective nursery diets can greatly reduce the cost of producing juvenile sea cucumbers for release to aquaculture or restocking programs. However, methods for systematically testing the bioavailability of artificial diet ingredients for sea cucumbers are poorly developed, and consequently, there has been little research in this field. The current study presents methods developed to test the suitability of common carbohydrate and protein sources for inclusion in artificial diets for juvenile Australostichopus mollis. Apparent digestibility of carbohydrates was moderate and did not exceed 50% for any carbohydrates assayed. Wheat starch and carrageenans showed the highest digestibility amongst carbohydrates. Differences in apparent digestibility were not reflected in growth performance of juvenile A. mollis fed carbohydrate diets; overall growth performance was poor for all diets. Artificial protein sources consistently exhibited higher apparent digestibility, ranging from 75.1% for fish meal to 98.1% for casein. Low‐cost protein sources, like meat meal, show promise for future use in artificial diet formulation. However, delivering high protein content may reduce ingestion rates and thereby lower overall digestive efficiency in juveniles. Results show that artificial carbohydrate sources have some potential as diet constituents for juvenile sea cucumbers but are unsuitable as primary energy sources. Future testing of artificial carbohydrate sources for A. mollis may require predigestion to improve digestibility.     

Evaluation of Streptocephalus dichotomus nauplii as a larval diet for freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii

This study was performed to assess the nutritional value of Streptocephalus dichotomus nauplii and compared with standard larval diet and parthenogenetic strain of Artemia nauplii. The effectiveness of live feed was determined by feeding freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii postlarvae. Results on the growth rate, weight gain, survival, fatty acid and amino acid composition show a significant variation between the dietary treatments. Mean larval growth was significantly different ( P  < 0.001) between control diet (13.5 ± 0.5 mm) and live feeds ( Streptocephalus nauplii; 18.4 ± 0.5 mm and Artemia nauplii 18.7 ± 0.2 mm). The weight of larvae-fed Streptocephalus (41.1 ± 1.44 mg) and Artemia nauplii (41.7 ± 0.2 mg) was not significantly different; however, treatment with live feeds was significantly higher than the control (16.3 ± 0.5 mg) ( P  < 0.001). Proximate composition on the fairy shrimp reveals that they are rich in protein, lipid, essential amino acids (EAA) and essential fatty acids (EFA). The polyenoic unsaturated fatty acid (18 : 2 n-6 and 18 : 3 n-3) and highly unsaturated fatty acid (20 : 4 n-3 and 20 : 5 n-3) show a dramatic increase in larval tissue relative to its proportional composition in the live diets. Amino acid composition in the live feeds, Streptocephalus and Artemia nauplii, perfectly reflects on the amino acid proportions in the larvae-fed diets which confirm its utilization.     

Growth of Juvenile Crayfish Procambarus llamasi (Villalobos 1955) Fed Different Farm and Aquaculture Commercial Foods

In this study, a range of commercially available animal and fish feeds were tested in the production of juveniles of the crayfish Procambarus llamasi, an endemic species of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. A randomized block design was implemented to observe the effect of commercial shrimp (Crude Protein, CP = 38%), trout (CP = 43.2%), tilapia (CP = 31.8%), rabbit (CP = 16.1%), turkey (CP = 18%), and pig (CP = 15.2%) diets in a recirculating aquaculture system. Shrimp food showed the best results in terms of growth performance, while lowest growth values (P<0.05) were obtained with farm animal diets. Trout and tilapia diets were intermediate. Pig feed was the most cost-effective at US$ 0.44 per kg of crayfish growth. Where no feeds specifically for crayfish are available, terrestrial animal feeds have the advantage of low price, ready availability in the market, and acceptable performance.