Changes in soil nitrogen availability due to stand development and management practices on semi‐arid sandy lands,in northern China

Soil nitrogen (N) availability is one of the limiting factors for plant growth on sandy lands. Little is known about impacts of afforestation on soil N availability and its components in southeastern Keerqin sandy lands, China. In this study, we measured N transformation under sandy Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv.) plantations of different ages (grassland, young, middle‐aged, close‐to‐mature) and management practices (non‐grazing and free‐grazing) during the growing seasons using the ion exchange resin bag method. Results showed that, for all plots and growing season, soil NH‐N, NO‐N, mineral N, and relative nitrification index, varied from 0·18 to 1·54, 0·96 to 22·05, 1·23 to 23·58 µg d⁻¹ g⁻¹ dry resin, and 0·76 to 0·97, respectively, and NO‐N dominated the available N amount due to intense nitrification in these ecosystems. In general, the four indices significantly increased in the oldest plantation, with corresponding values in non‐grazing sites lower than those in free‐grazing sites (p < 0·05). Our studies indicated that it is a slow, extended process to achieve improvement in soil quality after afforestation of Mongolian pine in the study area. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accuracy of a machine-vision pellet detection system

Video cameras are employed on net pen fish farms for monitoring food pellet levels near the cage bottom. Herein, the accuracy of a new machine-vision system for the identification of a feed-wastage event and its response time are reported. Research involved novel tests and definitions, video footage recorded under different stocking and environmental conditions, and numerical filters to reduce the effects of misclassifications and patchiness of the pellet wastage record on overall system accuracy. Single-frame food pellet detection accuracy was based on the difference between computer-generated and actual frame counts of pellets greater than 30 pixels in size. A pellet wastage event was defined as a median of three or more visible pellets per frame. During tests on still video frames from different feeding events, the system missed 0.1±0.1 to 1.3±0.4 pellets frame⁻¹, and miss-classified as pellets 0±0.1 to 2.3±0.5 objects frame⁻¹ (n=264). Most missed pellet images were on top of fish images. Waste matter accounted for 65% of the misclassifications, while particles associated with poor camera maintenance accounted for approximately 24%. The average response time to a pellet wastage event was 5.1 and 11.4 s for sampling rates of 2 frames s⁻¹ and 0.5 frames s⁻¹, respectively (n=20 different pellet wastage events). The longest response time (26 s) occurred when fish were amassed against the camera and/or covering pellets. Using appropriate camera lens, camera positioning and/or ‘warning’ software can address fish-interference problems.     

Blue sucker stock characteristics in the upper Yazoo River basin, Mississippi, USA

Blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus (L.) in the upper Yazoo River basin, Mississippi, USA was studied using overnight hoop net sets (n = 4093) during 1988 and 1990–1998 to determine the influence of channel dredging. There were 264 blue suckers captured, ranging from 3 to 11 years of age. Length ranged from 265 to 700 mm and weight from 120 to 4700 g. Concurrent studies with smaller mesh hoop nets failed to capture any juvenile blue suckers. Catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE: fish net^?1) declined throughout the study in the Yalobusha River, a river subjected to channel dredging during 1988 and 1994. With the exception of limited hydraulic dredging in the Tallahatchie River, there was no dredging in the other Yazoo River tributaries, nor were there declines in blue sucker catch rates in these rivers. Throughout the upper Yazoo River basin, blue sucker stocks were dominated by adult fish, and there was little evidence of reproduction or recruitment. Conservation of the blue sucker in the upper Yazoo River basin should include actions that ensure the functional integrity of this floodplain river ecosystem and elimination of channel dredging throughout the basin.     

Prey selectivity and diel feeding chronology of juvenile chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho (O. kisutch) salmon in the Columbia River plume

We studied salmon feeding selectivity and diel feeding chronology in the Columbia River plume. Juvenile chinook and coho salmon were caught by trawling at 2–3 h intervals throughout a diel period on three consecutive days (21–23 June 2000) at stations located 14.8 and 37 km offshore from the mouth of the Columbia River. A total of 170 chinook salmon were caught at the inshore and 79 chinook and 98 coho salmon were caught at the offshore station. After each trawl, potential prey were sampled at different depths with 2–3 different types of nets (1‐m diameter ring net, bongo net, neuston net). Despite the variability in zooplankton abundance, feeding selectivity was surprisingly constant. Both salmon species fed selectively on larger and pigmented prey such as hyperiid amphipods, larval and juvenile fish, various crab megalopae, and euphausiids. Hyperiid amphipods were abundant in the salmon diets and we hypothesize that aggregations of gelatinous zooplankton may facilitate the capture of commensal hyperiid amphipods. Small copepods and calyptopis and furcilia stages of euphausiids dominated the prey field by numbers, but were virtually absent from salmon diet. Juvenile chinook salmon, with increasing body size, consumed a larger proportion of fish. Stomach fullness peaked during morning hours and reached a minimum at night, suggesting a predominantly diurnal feeding pattern. In general, both chinook and coho salmon appear to be selective, diurnal predators, preying mostly on large and heavily pigmented prey items, in a manner consistent with visually oriented, size‐selective predation.     

Spermatogenesis in teleost: insights from the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) model

The morphometric study of spermatogenic cysts in sexually mature tilapias, during the evolution of spermatogenesis, showed a dramatic increase in both number of germ cells and cyst volume. However, the opposite trend was observed for germ cell size. Nevertheless, the number of Sertoli cells increased gradually up to leptotene/zygotene cysts, stabilizing thereafter. Based on the number of spermatids supported by each Sertoli cell and compared to mammals, Sertoli cell efficiency in tilapias is remarkably high. Sertoli cell proliferation was frequently observed, mainly in spermatogonial cysts, and probably is the major factor related to the testis growth and the increase in sperm production that normally occurs in adult tilapias. The combined duration of spermatocytes (5 days) and spermiogenic (5–6 days) phases of spermatogenesis in fish kept at 25 °C was 10–11 days. Mainly due to acceleration in meiosis, these two phases lasted a total of 6 days in tilapias kept at 30 °C, in the opposite way, at 20 °C spermatogenesis was arrested at pachytene spermatocytes. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive investigation performed up to date on testis morphometry and function in adult tilapias.     

Fast growth, protein turnover and costs of protein metabolism in yolk-sac larvae of the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

In fish larvae the costs of rapid growth may be accommodated by a decrease in the rate of protein turnover or by a reduction in the costs of protein synthesis. Protein growth, synthesis and degradation were measured in yolk-sac larvae of Clarias gariepinus and the costs of protein synthesis and protein growth were estimated. Growth rates were over 100% protein weight day^-1. Protein synthesis retention efficiency (retained protein per unit of synthesis) was estimated to be 69.6%, a value comparable to that of larger fish. The larvae used 43% of their oxygen consumption for protein synthesis. Nevertheless, protein synthesis costs were close to theoretical minima. Therefore, the high growth rates of catfish yolk-sac larvae seem to be possible through minimisation of the costs of protein synthesis. These low costs are associated with high rates of protein synthesis (138%protein weight day^-1), and elevated RNA concentrations (107 µg RNA mg^-1protein), which together suggest very high RNA efficiencies (12.9 g protein synthesized g^-1RNA day^-1).     

Influence of stock levels, fishing effort and environmental factors on anglers' catches of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., and sea trout, Salmo trutta L.

Abstract. Monthly catches of Atlantic salmon, Salmosalar L., and sea trout, Salmo trutta L., by anglers in a west of Ireland fishery were analysed. Data were available for 50 months from the years 1971 to 1981. The most important single determinant of catch was found to be fishing effort measured in boat-days. An additional 10 boat days were found to correspond to a catch of almost 6 salmon and 23 sea trout. The relationship between catch and stock was weaker, though a relatively high catchability of sea trout at low stock levels was recorded. Slock levels, fishing effort and environmental factors accounted for much, but not all, of the variation in catch from month to month and from year to year. Most of the effect of rainfall, sunshine and water level was attributable to variations in fishing effort associated with these factors.     

Intensification of redclaw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus culture: II. Growout in a separate cell system

In the process of exploring ways to intensify crayfish culture, a growout system of individual cages (cells) was designed to determine the effects of gender and cell size on the growth of the red claw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. Cells of three different diameters—large (25 cm), medium (20 cm) and small (16 cm)—were used. When crayfish were stocked at a mean weight of approximately 10 g, growth rate of males was significantly higher than that of females. The growth rate of the males in the large cells was 0.31±0.14 g/day, while that of the females was 0.18±0.09 g/day. The size of the cell had significant influence on the weight of males. Male crayfish in the large and medium cells grew better than those in the small cells. When males were stocked at a higher mean weight (about 23 g), their mean weight after 206 days was higher in the large cells (69.28±15.72 g) than in the small cells (58.11±12.66 g), suggesting that the growth of large males was also affected by cell size. Regardless of cell size, male animals of this species grew faster than females under conditions of individual cells. This intensive culture method appears to present a powerful improvement in yields, by as much as two orders of magnitude, in comparison with communal cultures.     

Experimental oral transmission of largemouth bass virus

Largemouth bass virus (LMBV) is a recently discovered iridovirus that causes a fatal disease of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède). Fish can become infected by waterborne LMBV, but oral transmission of this virus has not been demonstrated previously. Largemouth bass were gavaged with guppies, Poecilia reticulata Peters, which had been injected with LMBV, and then sampled periodically during a 7‐week observation period. The dose of LMBV averaged 10^5.6 tissue culture infectious doses – 50% cytopathic endpoint (TCID₅₀) per largemouth bass. Five of 24 largemouth bass exposed to LMBV became infected with the virus, but none of the fish had clinical signs typical of LMBV disease. Virus titres in largemouth bass were highest in swim bladder (10^5.5–9.5 TCID₅₀ g^?1) and were 10^5.2 TCID₅₀ g^?1 or lower in cutaneous mucus, head kidney, trunk kidney, spleen, gonad and intestine. These results indicate that LMBV can be transmitted orally to largemouth bass, but further study is needed to determine the factors affecting pathogenicity of the virus.     

Water column production and nutrient characteristics in mangrove creeks receiving shrimp farm effluent

Water column processes in undisturbed mangrove creeks and in creeks receiving effluent from shrimp farms in North Queensland, Australia, were studied. Small scale discharges into tidal creeks did not elevate dissolved nutrient concentrations compared with non‐impacted creeks, but did elevate concentrations of particulate nutrients, chlorophyll and suspended solids proximal to the site of the effluent discharge. Rates of primary and bacterial production downstream from the discharge exceeded rates in the shrimp ponds because of the synergistic effects of turbulent mixing and eutrophication. In the lower reaches of the mangrove creeks and immediately offshore, standing stocks of particulate material and rates of primary and bacterial production were within the range of values found in non‐discharge areas. Our results suggest that water column production by phytoplankton and bacteria strips nutrients from shrimp farm effluent and repackages them in more bioavailable forms.