Ontogeny of the digestive tract in shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa L.) reared using the mesocosm larval rearing system

Histological changes of the digestive tract were studied in shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa) from hatching until 41 days post hatching (dph), when the fry had a mean (±S.D.) total length (TL) of 32 ± 2 mm and wet weight (WW) of 0.42 ± 0.07 g. Larvae were reared using the mesocosm technique, the most natural among commercially employed rearing methods for marine larvae. Shi drum opened their mouth at 2 dph (2.78 ± 0.09 mm TL), at which time 90% of the larvae already had an inflated swim bladder. The differentiation of the digestive tract into buccopharynx, esophagus, and anterior and posterior intestine was completed by 3 dph (2.82 ± 0.07 mm TL), 1 day after the onset of exogenous feeding. The alimentary canal started coiling and formed its first loop at 2 dph, while the pancreas and liver were differentiated at 3 dph. Yolk sac reserves lasted until 7 dph (4.3 ± 0.1 mm TL), suggesting a brief period of endogenous and exogenous feeding. The first esophageal goblet cells appeared at 7 dph containing acid mucins and at 8 dph taste buds appeared on the buccopharyngeal epithelium. The stomach was morphologically differentiated at 9 dph (5.5 ± 0.1 mm TL) when gastric glands became abundant in the cardiac region, and the first pyloric caeca appeared at 14 dph (10.1 ± 0.9 mm TL). Supranuclear eosinophilic vacuoles were observed in the posterior intestine between 3 and 11 dph (6.3 ± 0.9 mm TL). Their number decreased as the stomach differentiated, suggesting a change in the protein digestion mechanism. The results of the study suggest a rapid development of shi drum and its digestive system and underline the possibility of weaning larvae to artificial feed even earlier than the 12 dph employed in the present study.     

The effect of different carotenoid sources on skin coloration of cultured red porgy (Pagrus pagrus)

This study presents data on the effect of carotenoid sources on skin coloration of red porgy (Pagrus pagrus). Three experiments were conducted: in the first, fish were fed an astaxanthin (Naturose^®)‐supplemented diet, while the second fish received diets supplemented with β‐carotene (Rovimix β‐caroten^®) or lycopene (Lyc‐O‐Mato^®): Carotenoids were added to the level of 100 ppm in each diet, while a non‐carotenoid‐supplemented diet served as a control. In the third experiment, the effect of dietary protein/carbohydrate ratio on melanin content in the skin was investigated. For this experimentation, four diets were formulated to contain 50/23, 40/32, 30/48 and 20/59 protein/carbohydrate ratio. Naturose^® astaxanthin increased total carotenoid content in the dorsal skin area while β‐carotene and lycopene seem to have had no significant effect. Naturose^® was the only carotenoid source that had a significant effect on skin hue, promoting a reddish coloration to the dorsal skin area and a ventral hue similar to wild red porgy. No apparent effect of carotenoid source on skin melanin content was observed. In contrast, dietary protein/carbohydrate ratio affected melanin content in the skin. The fish fed the 50/23 diet showed significantly higher values. Farmed red porgy had eight times higher dorsal‐skin melanin content than wild ones.     

First data on growth of cultured brown meagre Sciaena umbra using diets with different protein and fat contents

ABSTRACT:   Brown meagre Sciaena umbra Linnaeus 1758 is a demersal species living at depths of 0–200 m with a wide distribution in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. It exhibits nocturnal behavior and occupies bottom caves and seabeds covered with vegetation. This study presents the first data on brown meagre growth under culture conditions and contributes some basic information on its dietary protein requirement by feeding isoenergetic diets with different protein–lipid ratios by means of self-feeders. Fish with 78.8 ± 15.8 g (mean ± standard deviation) body weight were divided into four groups and subjected to four different feeding regimes with three replications for 77 days. In the first group, fish were supplied with a high protein and low fat diet (HPLF, 52 : 8 w/w fat–protein ratio), the second one a medium protein and medium fat diet (MPMF, 42 : 14), the third with a low protein and high fat diet (LPHF, 31 : 23). In the fourth group, fish had access to both HPLF and LPHF diets. Fish fed on HPLF and MPMF diets showed significantly better growth and feed conversion ratios than fish fed on the LPHF diet. Fish with access to HPLF and LPHF diets exhibited comparable growth to the HPLF group but their feed conversion ratio was significantly higher. The condition factor and hepatosomatic index revealed no significant differences between dietary regimes. The liver of brown meagre may serve as a depository organ for energy, judging from its relatively high lipid content (39–43%).     

Hybridization success of three common European cyprinid species, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rutilus rutilus,Blicca bjoerkna</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abramis brama</Emphasis> and larval resistance to stress tests

ABSTRACT:   Hybridization success at early developmental stages and larval resistance to osmotic, thermal and fasting tests in roach Rutilus rutilus , silver bream Blicca bjoerkna , common bream Abramis brama and their F1 hybrids were investigated. Results revealed that hybrid survival rates were similar to parents. At the eyed embryo stage, however, a maternal effect was observed as a general trend during hatchling and larval stages. After these stages, hybrids displayed a higher survival rate than their parents. Under stress tests, no survival was observed after 40 min for osmotic and thermal shocks and after 24 days for the prolonged fasting test in these species and their F1 hybrids. The median survivals of hybrids were intermediate between the two parents. For total mortality, hybrids were also affected by a maternal effect but to the advantage of the hybrids.     

Chalara fraxinea is an invasive pathogen in France

Decline induced by Chalara fraxinea is an emerging disease that severely affects ash stands in Europe. The disease appears to have an invasive spread from East to West of Europe in the last decade. The teleomorphic stage, Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus, that occurs as apothecia on ash rachis in the litter was recently described. The origin of ash decline remains unclear as a cryptic species, H. albidus, a long-established fungus in Europe, could be present in the same niche, and as in Switzerland, H. pseudoalbidus was shown to have been present long before the recent epidemic outbreak. In France, the emerging disease is very recent and clearly restrained to Northeastern France. We thus collected isolates from infected hosts and from apothecia/ash rachis both inside and outside the infected area in France in order to compare them on the basis of pathogenicity towards ash seedlings and sequences of the ITS regions and of three single-copy genes. We showed that two population types exhibiting about 2% base pair polymorphism in the sequences analysed were present in Northern France. The first type, corresponding to H. pseudoalbidus, was present on rachis and infected hosts only in Northeastern France and showed strong pathogenicity towards ash seedlings in inoculation tests. By contrast, the second type, which corresponds to H. albidus, was present throughout Northern France and showed no pathogenicity towards ash seedlings. Our study confirms the results of Queloz et al. (2010) who presented molecular evidences for the existence of two cryptic species, H. albidus and H. pseudoalbidus. The results strongly suggest that Chalara fraxinea/H. pseudoalbidus is a recent invader in France.     

Temporal and spatial patterns of denitrification enzyme activity and nitrous oxide fluxes in three adjacent vegetated riparian buffer zones

The aim of this study was to investigate temporal and spatial patterns of denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes in three adjacent riparian sites (mixed vegetation, forest and grass). The highest DEA was found in the surface (0–30 cm) soil and varied between 0.7±0.1 mg N kg^–1 day^–1 at 5°C and 5.9±0.4 mg N kg^–1 day^–1 at 15°C. There was no significant difference (P >0.05) between the DEA in the uppermost (0–30 cm and 60–90 cm) soil depths under different vegetation covers. In the two deepest (120–150 cm and 180–210 cm) soil depths the DEA varied between 0.0±0.0 mg N kg^–1 day^–1 at 5°C and 4.4±0.9 mg N kg^–1 day^–1 at 15°C and was clearly associated with the accumulation of buried organic carbon (OC). Two threshold values of OC were observed before DEA started to increase significantly, namely 5 and 25 g OC kg^–1 soil at 10–15°C and 5°C, respectively. In the three riparian sites N₂O fluxes varied between a net N₂O uptake of –0.6±0.4 mg N₂O-N m^–2 day^–1 and a net N₂O emission of 2.5±0.3 mg N₂O-N m^–2 day^–1. The observed N₂O emission did not lead to an important pollution swapping (from water pollution to greenhouse gas emission). Especially in the mixed vegetation and forest riparian site highest N₂O fluxes were observed upslope of the riparian site. The N₂O fluxes showed no clear temporal trend.     

What are the limits of the drilosphere? An incubation experiment using Metaphire posthuma

The near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) method was used in the present study to compare earthworm-made soil aggregates to aggregates found in the surrounding bulk soil. After initially assessing the daily cast production of Metaphire posthuma, boxes with soil incubated with M. posthuma and control soils were subjected to wetting in order to reorganize the soil structure. After two months of incubation, soil aggregates produced by earthworms (casts and burrows), soil aggregates that were appeared to be unaffected by earthworms (bulk soil without visible trace of earthworm bioturbation from the earthworm treatment) and soil aggregates that were entirely unaffected by earthworms (control – no earthworm – treatment) were sampled and their chemical signatures analyzed by NIRS. The production of below-ground and surface casts reached 14.9 g soil g worm^?1 d^?1 and 1.4 g soil g worm^?1 d^?1, respectively. Soil aggregates from the control soils had a significantly different NIRS signature from those sampled from boxes with earthworms. However, within the earthworm incubation boxes the NIRS signature was similar between cast and burrow aggregates and soil aggregates from the surrounding bulk soil. We conclude that the high cast production by M. posthuma and the regular reorganization of the soil structure by water flow in and through the soil lead to a relatively homogenous soil structure. Given these results, we question the relevance of considering the bulk soil that has no visible activity of earthworm activity as a control to determine the effect of earthworms on soil functioning.     

Swine infection with Trichinella spiralis: Comparative analysis of the mucosal intestinal and systemic immune responses

The immune protective response developed by swine against Trichinella spiralis is not yet fully understood, particularly at the mucosal level. This study aimed to characterise intestinal immunity to T. spiralis by comparison with the systemic response in specifically pathogen-free pigs. For this purpose, the kinetics of cytokine and antibody production were assessed in the intestinal mucosa and serum of swine infected with T. spiralis for up to 60 days post-infection (dpi). An ex vivo model of jejunum mucosa culture was used to collect the supernatant as a source of antibodies (Abs). Mucosal antibodies were observed by Western blot from 15 dpi, while serum antibodies were expressed from 20 dpi. Both sources of antibodies initially recognized a 110 kDa protein, followed by the identification of 35, 43/46 and 55/59 kDa proteins. IgG1 and IgA antibodies were strongly expressed within the mucosa. The expression levels of Type 1 (IFN-gamma, IL-12), Type 2 (IL-4, IL-6), pro-inflammatory (TNF-alpha) and regulatory (IL-10, TGF-beta) cytokines were assessed by RT-PCR in the intestinal mucosa and spleen. Both IL-10 and IFN-gamma mRNA levels were increased in mucosa, whereas IL-6 and IL-12 mRNA were expressed in spleen. Taken together, these results demonstrated a mixed Type 1/Type 2 profile, the Type 2 profile being dominant in the mucosa.