General combining ability and heterosis regarding the phytochemical properties in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) hybrids

Strawberries are a common and important fruit in human diet because of their high content of essential nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals, which have relevant biological activity in human health. In this study, six cultivars and 15 selected F₁ hybrids between S₄ inbred lines and tester (cv. ‘Dukat’) were evaluated in a field trial over a period of two consecutive years. The amounts of total anthocyanin, phenolics and vitamin C in fruits and antiradical activity were analysed. General combining ability (GCA) and mid‐parent heterosis were also determined for those characteristics. Among all the genotypes tested, the inbred lines of ‘Senga Sengana’ 17 showed the highest breeding value based on GCA for all studied traits. Estimated heterosis varied among genotypes tested. The highest heterosis in terms of vitamin C occurred in the offspring of clone 1387 18‐15 × ‘Dukat’, but with regard to phenols and antiradical activity in hybrid ‘Teresa’ 18‐15 with cv. ‘Dukat’. This study revealed that the differentiation in chemical composition of strawberry fruits between genotypes is clearly dependent on individual genotype combinations and demonstrated the presence of heterosis in phytochemical contents in some specific genotypic combinations.     

Listening to the unseen: Passive acoustic monitoring reveals the presence of a cryptic fish species

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Evaluation of dried macrophytes as an alternative diet for the rearing of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816)

The aim of this work was to assess the potential use of different dried macroalgae as food in the rearing of Paracentrotus lividus. Growth, consumption and food conversions were compared in adult sea urchins fed with fresh or dried thalli of four macroalgae species. Six experimental diets were tested: (a) fresh Palmaria palmata; (b) fresh Saccharina latissima; (c) dry P. palmata; (d) dry S. latissima; (e) dry Laminaria digitata and (f) dry Grateloupia turuturu. Linear growth rates were similar for all treatments. Specific growth rate was higher in sea urchins fed with fresh P. palmata, but no difference was found between animals fed with fresh S. latissima and those fed with dried diets. Regarding daily food consumption (DFC), sea urchins consumed the same amount of dried macroalgae as fresh but exhibited a higher food conversion efficiency (FCE) when fed with fresh P. palmata. However, this FCE was only significantly higher when compared to sea urchins fed with dry L. digitata. Dried G. turuturu is not a suitable diet due to its rapid degradation after rehydration. The results suggest that P. lividus adults can be reared on dried macroalgae thalli without detriment to their somatic growth, especially over short periods. The low cost of feeding sea urchins with this diet could help small shellfish farmers to diversify their production into echinoculture.     

Proteins of some legumes with reference to environmental factors and nutritional value

Storage globulins contribute 80–90% of the seed protein of many legumes and consist principally of two proteins called vicilin and legumin in peas. The relative proportions of the two proteins has been shown to differ in different legumes by gel-electrophoresis. The essential amino acid composition of vicilin and legumin ofPisum andVicia differ and the possible significance of these findings to screening strategies for improved legume programmes was discussed.Cowpeas were grown in growth cabinets under standard environmental conditions. Seeds were shown to have the same percentage nitrogen and sulphur on a dry-weight basis, irrespective of the position of the pod on the plant, indicating that legume seeds may have a conservative biochemistry.Paper presented at the conference of the International Association for Quality Research on food Plants (CIQ) held in common with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Qualitätsforschung (Pflanzliche Nahrungsmittel) e.V. (DGQ) in Berlin on 6th October 1972     

Strong fisheries management and governance positively impact ecosystem status

Fisheries have had major negative impacts on marine ecosystems, and effective fisheries management and governance are needed to achieve sustainable fisheries, biodiversity conservation goals and thus good ecosystem status. To date, the IndiSeas programme (Indicators for the Seas) has focussed on assessing the ecological impacts of fishing at the ecosystem scale using ecological indicators. Here, we explore fisheries ‘Management Effectiveness’ and ‘Governance Quality’ and relate this to ecosystem health and status. We developed a dedicated expert survey, focused at the ecosystem level, with a series of questions addressing aspects of management and governance, from an ecosystem‐based perspective, using objective and evidence‐based criteria. The survey was completed by ecosystem experts (managers and scientists) and results analysed using ranking and multivariate methods. Results were further examined for selected ecosystems, using expert knowledge, to explore the overall findings in greater depth. Higher scores for ‘Management Effectiveness’ and ‘Governance Quality’ were significantly and positively related to ecosystems with better ecological status. Key factors that point to success in delivering fisheries and conservation objectives were as follows: the use of reference points for management, frequent review of stock assessments, whether Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) catches were being accounted for and addressed, and the inclusion of stakeholders. Additionally, we found that the implementation of a long‐term management plan, including economic and social dimensions of fisheries in exploited ecosystems, was a key factor in successful, sustainable fisheries management. Our results support the thesis that good ecosystem‐based management and governance, sustainable fisheries and healthy ecosystems go together.     

A framework for results‐based management in fisheries

We present a framework for results‐based management (RBM) of commercial fisheries. The core idea of RBM is to reduce micromanagement by delegating management responsibility to resource users. The RBM framework represents an industrial organization approach to co‐management and comprises three defining processes, conducted by three independent “agents”: (i) an “authority” defines specific and measurable and achievable objectives (outcome targets, OTs) for the utilization of fisheries resources, (ii) resource user organizations (termed “operators”) take responsibility for achieving these OTs and provide documentation that (iii) allows independent “auditors” to evaluate the achievement of OTs. Using incentive mechanisms, notably deregulation, RBM grants operators the flexibility to develop and implement innovative and cost‐effective ways to achieve OTs. The feasibility of implementing RBM in five European fisheries was investigated in cooperation with relevant stakeholders through artificial planning processes and computer simulations. The operators involved were enthusiastic, and new management plans were drafted based on the framework. These included socioeconomic OTs in addition to traditional stock objectives, encompassing an ecosystem approach. Several issues are in need of further research to consolidate the approach and prepare the ground for practical implementation, including: the specification of the legal and regulatory framework required to underpin RBM, details of transitional arrangements when shifting towards RBM (including cost‐sharing) and the development of necessary organizational capacity for operators. Initially, we therefore envisage the framework being applied to high‐value single‐species fisheries, with a limited number of participants, which are adequately represented by a competent organization.     

Whistle variability of the Mediterranean short beak common dolphin

1. The short-beaked common dolphin is a highly vocal species, with a wide distribution in all oceans, including the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. In the Mediterranean Sea, the short-beaked common dolphin inhabits both pelagic and neritic waters.
2. Osteological collections and the literature show that short-beaked common dolphins were widespread and abundant in much of the Mediterranean Sea until the late 1960s. During recent decades the species has declined in the whole basin, and, in 2003, it was listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
3. Genetic studies strongly suggest that the Mediterranean and the Eastern North Atlantic populations are isolated from each other. Genetic differentiation within the Mediterranean Sea, between the Eastern Mediterranean (Ionian Sea) and Western Mediterranean populations, is also reported.
4. The aim of this study was to investigate the geographical variation in the characteristics of whistles of free-ranging short-beaked common dolphins living in the Mediterranean Sea, and to evaluate if whistle acoustic structure is the result of adaptation to local environment characteristics or of a possible genetic diversification.
5. Recordings were collected from 1994 to 2012 throughout the basin, employing multiple platforms. Twenty-six independent acoustic detections were made, and 704 whistles were extracted and considered for statistical analysis.
6. Whistle analysis enabled the identification of distinct geographical units of short-beaked common dolphin within the Mediterranean Sea. Genetic isolation is probably the major cause of the geographic variance of the Mediterranean short-beaked common dolphin whistle structure, which may reflect some evolutionary adaptations to particular ecological conditions or may be the by-product of morphological evolution.
7. The results of the present study show that intra-Mediterranean variability of whistle structure reflects the path of genetic studies, highlighting the possible use of acoustic data in combination with other sources of data (genetic, morphological, etc.) to identify geographic areas where discrete management units occur.

     

Growth performance,feed utilization and body composition of Dentex dentex fed on different macronutrient combinations

Determining an adequate macronutrient balance is essential to guarantee the production success. As protein is the limiting component for fish food, the utilization of lipids or carbohydrates as partial substitutes of this nutrient is a challenge to improve its use. In order to get an approximation of the maximum levels of utilization for carbohydrates and/or lipids and determine the most adequate macronutrient to partly replace protein as the main energy source of diets for dentex (91.7 ± 1.4 g mean weight), four experimental diets with different protein:lipid:carbohydrate percentages (43/16/28, 43/24/4, 38/19/28 and 38/24/13) were tested for 13 weeks. The results indicated the possibility of using 38% of dietary protein without affecting growth performance, under the experimental conditions. There were no differences among the four diets either in most of the nutritive utilization indicators or in the body composition and haematological parameters. The influence of dietary composition was only observed in the feed intake, being higher with more dietary carbohydrates, and the hepatosomatic index and protein efficiency ratio, showing more elevated values in diets with a higher lipid level. The dentex capacity of using both carbohydrates and lipids efficiently to obtain the necessary energy for its correct growth, as well as to compensate the energetic ‘vacuum’ caused by the dietary protein reduction, under the assayed conditions, was confirmed.     

Pinger affects fish catch efficiency and damage to bottom gill nets related to bottlenose dolphins

There is some evidence that the presence of Tursiops truncatus in fishing areas represents a real economic threat to fishermen due the dolphin feeding on the entangled fish, damaging the nets and reducing the fish catch. We have carried out experiments to assess the efficiency of a pinger in decreasing the interaction between the dolphins and fishing nets, in a fishing area off the coast of southern Italy, where Tursiops truncatus is frequently observed to interact with bottom gill nets. Two identical monofilament bottom gill nets (900 m long), one equipped with pingers and the other without, were used to measure the effect of these pingers on the abundance of the catch and net damage. For each haul (58 in total), data on dolphin sightings near the nets, damage judged to have been done by dolphins, weight and species composition of the catch were collected. All damage to the nets were recorded at the end of each haul. Dolphins in the fishing area were sighted 11 times out of 29 fishing activities (38%). The net equipped with pingers contained 28% more fish (biomass) than the net without pingers (t test, P < 0.04) and was less damaged (−31%, t test, P < 0.01). To assess whether the efficacy of these pingers remain constant over long period, long-term experiments should be carried out.