Effect of temperature increase on the embryonic development of Patagonian red octopus Enteroctopus megalocyathus in controlled culture

One of the major problems involved in the controlled cultivation of Patagonian red octopus (Enteroctopus megalocyathus) is its long embryonic period ranging between 150–176 days, after which the hatching of planktonic paralarvae is achieved. The effect of temperature on the incubation of E. megalocyathus eggs was studied with the aim of establishing if a temperature higher than 12°C is effective to accelerate the embryonic development without altering their morphological and physiological conditions. Fertilized eggs obtained under controlled conditions at 11°C ± 0.1 were randomly distributed in 12 water baths of 30 L at 4 temperatures: 12, 14, 15 and 16°C ± 0.1°C. The experiment lasted until egg hatching occurred.The embryo growth rate was accelerated at 15–16°C, so the time spent in embryonic development can be reduced in 15% when compared with embryo development obtained from eggs incubated at 12°C. The embryos showed no significant differences in the final survival and were morphometrically similar in all stages of development at all temperatures. The increase in temperature from 12 to 16°C, even if it allowed a better growth, had high metabolic costs for embryos of E. megalocyathus. The activities of lipases and proteases were affected by interaction between temperature and the embryo stage, with high lipase activity observed in embryos of stage XV incubated at high temperatures and the highest levels of trypsin and chymotrypsin in stage XX at 14°C. The results suggest that 15°C could be the limit temperature to increase growth.     

Mapping aboveground biomass by integrating geospatial and forest inventory data through a k-nearest neighbor strategy in North Central Mexico

As climate change negotiations progress,monitoring biomass and carbon stocks is becoming an important part of the current forest research.Therefore,national governments are interested in developing forest-monitoring strategies using geospatial technology.Among statistical methods for mapping biomass,there is a nonparametric approach called k-nearest neighbor(kNN).We compared four variations of distance metrics of the kNN for the spatially-explicit estimation of aboveground biomass in a portion of the Mexican north border of the intertropical zone.Satellite derived,climatic,and topographic predictor variables were combined with the Mexican National Forest Inventory(NFI)data to accomplish the purpose.Performance of distance metrics applied into the kNN algorithm was evaluated using a cross validation leave-one-out technique.The results indicate that the Most Similar Neighbor(MSN)approach maximizes the correlation between predictor and response variables(r=0.9).Our results are in agreement with those reported in the literature.These findings confirm the predictive potential of the MSN approach for mapping forest variables at pixel level under the policy of Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation(REDD+).     

Application of different doses of calcium hydroxide in the farming shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei with the biofloc technology (BFT)

The reduction in alkalinity and pH occurs due to the consumption of inorganic carbon by bacteria present in the biofloc. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of different doses of calcium hydroxide on the water quality and growth performance of the Litopenaeus vannamei in a biofloc system. The experiment consisted of four treatments with three repetitions for each treatment: Control treatment (TC), in which the pH maintained above 7.2 due to the application of 0.05 g L^?1 of calcium hydroxide, and treatments T10, T20 and T40, in which daily doses of calcium hydroxide equivalent to 10, 20 and 40 % of the total amount of feed offered to the shrimp, respectively, were added to the environment. Twelve experimental units (150 L) were stocked with 85 juveniles of L. vannamei (0.18 ± 0.06 g), corresponding to a density of 425 shrimp m^?3, and cultivated for 56 days. The values of alkalinity and pH for treatments TC and T10 were similar and significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those for treatments T20 and T40, which differed (p < 0.05) between each other. In terms of growth performance, TC, T10 and T20 performed significantly better (p < 0.05) than T40. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the survival rates. The results obtained indicate that doses of 0.05 g L^?1 of calcium hydroxide or daily applications between 10 and 20 % of the total amount of feed offered to the shrimp can be used for the correction of alkalinity and pH.