Distribution patterns of five pleuronectid species on the continental slope off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu,Japan

Information on the distributions of demersal and benthic fishes is fundamental for stock assessment and management. Spatiotemporal changes in the distribution patterns of five pleuronectid species (flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius, Kamchatka flounder Atheresthes evermanni, roughscale sole Clidoderma asperrimum, slime flounder Microstomus achne, and Korean flounder Glyptocephalus stelleri) off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu, Japan, at depths of 150–900 m, were examined using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). Densities of flathead and Korean flounder were highest in the southernmost area, where the fish were small. The body lengths of both of these species increased from 2003 to 2008, suggesting that an abundant year class was recruited in 2003. The density of Kamchatka flounder was highest in the northern area. In roughscale sole and slime flounder, there were no distinctive annual and latitudinal trends in the density distributions. The density distribution of Korean flounder was bimodal; the peaks were at depths of 210 and 410 m. The body length increased as the depth increased from 150 to 410 m, and then decreased from 410 to 550 m. Moreover, “bigger–deeper” trends were observed in flathead, Kamchatka and slime flounder.     

Spatiotemporal variations in nutritional status and feeding habits of immature female bighand thornyhead <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sebastolobus macrochir</Emphasis> off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu,Japan

Nutritional status and feeding habits of immature female bighand thornyhead Sebastolobus macrochir were assessed based on Fulton’s condition factor K, hepatosomatic index (HSI), and stomach observations. Fish were obtained from bottom trawl samples taken seasonally during 2006/2007 in the Tohoku area, off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu, Japan. Results of the generalized linear model (GLM) indicated that fish condition deteriorated with depth, and small fish had a lower K, HSI, and percent stomach content index (SCI) than larger specimens. The empty stomach rate was higher in deeper waters in northern Tohoku (except for small fish from spring to autumn) and in southern Tohoku (spring/summer). Changes in the index of relative importance (%IRI) showed that the main prey items changed from nutritionally high to low prey items with depth. This suggests that deeper waters, where fish with the lowest condition values occur, are a poorer quality habitat for immature bighand thornyhead and that small fish are subordinate to larger fish. The effect on growth, due to variations in nutritional status and feeding habits, produced by the distributional changes in bighand thornyhead is also discussed.     

Locus-specific EPIC-PCR primers for four distinct calmodulin genes of the Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844)

International Aquatic Research - Nucleotide sequences of four distinct calmodulin genes (designated as CaM-A to -D) of the Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) were compared. Nucleotide...     

New phenolic grape skin products from Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot Noir

Anthocyanins and their related compounds were extracted from grape skins of Pinot noir, using 50% aqueous methanol, and purified by solid phase extraction chromatography using XAD-7 resin to obtain a pigment-rich fraction. This fraction was subjected to multilayer coil countercurrent chromatography (MLCCC) using a quaternary solvent system consisting of tert-butyl methyl ether/n-butanol/acetonitrile/water acidified with 0.01% trifluoroacetic acid (2:2:0.1-1.8:5) (v/v/v/v) in a step gradient elution to separate anthocyanin oligomers from grape anthocyanins. In the process of the characterization of the MLCCC fractions by electrospray mass spectrometry, two noncolored anthocyanin derivatives were found and characterized on the basis of their mass spectral data. As a result, these compounds have been tentatively identified as coupling products between both hydrated malvidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-glucoside, with 2-S-glutathionyl caffeoyl tartaric acid (GRP). It is therefore proposed that grape skins contain this new class of coupling product, and a possible chemical pathway for their formation is suggested.     

Genotyping‐by‐sequencing for construction of a new genetic linkage map and QTL analysis of growth‐related traits in Pacific bluefin tuna

Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) has high market value, but its wild populations have decreased in recent years. The broodstock of Pacific bluefin tuna that were hatched artificially and reared under aquaculture conditions is beginning to be used for production. The creation of broodstock with commercially valuable traits, such as rapid growth, is therefore of great interest. Genetic linkage map‐based identification of markers associated with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) facilitates marker‐assisted selection (MAS) breeding and allows efficient genetic improvement of broodstock. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐based genetic linkage map construction using the genotyping‐by‐sequencing method can expand the number of mapped markers and help identify growth‐related QTLs. In this study, we constructed sex‐specific maps for 24 linkage groups consisting of 677 SNP and 651 microsatellite markers. The total lengths of 93 progenies in the mapping population followed normal distribution, with an average length of 9.4 mm. We performed composite interval mapping in the mapping population. QTL analysis revealed one significant QTL in LG10 on the female linkage map. The genetic linkage map—the second such map generated for Pacific bluefin tuna—and the growth‐related QTLs detected in this study will be useful for tuna aquaculture MAS programs.     

Improvement of ovulation induction by additive injection of 17,20β‐Dihydroxy‐4‐pregnen‐3‐one after human chorionic gonadotropin administration in a pelagic egg spawning marine teleost,nibe croaker Nibea mitsukurii (Jordan & Snyder)

This study aimed to develop the consistent ovulation induction method in a pelagic egg spawning marine teleost, nibe croaker Nibea mitsukurii. Attempts to induce oocyte maturation and ovulation in nibe croaker using human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; 0.5 IU g^?1) resulted in the normal progression of oocyte maturation and hydration, but a failure to induce ovulation in many individuals. This ovulation disorder was similarly observed even when the dose of hCG was increased 10 times (5 IU g^?1) or decreased to one tenth (0.05 IU g^?1), indicating that it cannot be completely overcome solely by hCG administration. However, this ovulation disorder could be completely overcome by subsequent administration of 17,20β‐dihydroxy‐4‐pregnen‐3‐one (DHP) at the appropriate dose (0.5 μg g^?1) and time (20 h after hCG administration). An increase in the number of individuals that ovulated due to DHP administration led to an increase in individuals producing larvae, resulting in an approximately threefold increase in the estimated number of larvae produced compared with the group of fish administered hCG alone. Thus, this ovulation induction method using DHP administration after hCG was demonstrated to overcome the ovulation disorder in nibe croaker and could be applicable to commercially important species with similar ovulation problems.     

Screening for potential pigments derived from anthocyanins in red wine using nanoelectrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Red wine extracts were screened for potential wine pigments derived from anthocyanins, using a combination of nanoelectrospray tandem mass spectrometry techniques. Fourteen aglycons were considered to be of anthocyanidin origin on the basis of their MS/MS spectra. The proposed structures of the aglycons were anthocyanidin C-4 substituted with vinyl linkage between C-4 and the hydroxy group at C-5. The anthocyanidin derivatives identified in the wine extracts were vinyl, vinylmethyl, vinylformic acid, 4-vinylphenol, 4-vinylguaiacol, and vinylcatechin adducts of malvidin as well as vinylformic acid and 4-vinylphenol adducts of peonidin and petunidin. The presence of vinyl alcohol, 4-vinylcatechol, and 4-vinylsyringol adducts of malvidin was also proposed.     

Growth response of cabbage plants to lithium,sodium, and rubidium under water culture conditions

Cabbage (B. oleracea L. var. capitata L.) plants wore grown for 79 days in cuture solutions obtaining 4 levels of lithium, 0, 0.1, 1. 10 mel) sodium (0, 0.2. 2, 20, or rubidium , 0, 0.05, 0.5) combined with a low or high supply of potassium(0.2 or 2 mcf/l, and the effects of the cations supplied on the growth and ration composition of the plants were studied.

The total dry weight of the plants decreased at higher levels of the cations, especially Li in the culture solution, concurrent with an increaie in the contents of each cation in the plants. The decrease in the dry weight at higher levels was smaller in the high K supply, than in the low supply, causing a decrease in the contents of the cations. The critical contents of Li, Na, and which resulted in a 50° decrease in the dry weight or inner leaves due to excess injury were estimated to be about 0.07, 2.5, and 3.0% on a dry basis in the outer leaves and 0.05, 2.0, and 3.0% in the roots, respectively, regardless of the K supply.     

Growth response of cabbage plants to arsenic and antimony under water culture conditions

Recently some attention has been paid to arsenic and antimony because these elements are polluting our environment (1, 2). The responses of crops to arsenic have been studied mainly from the view point of reduced growth due to arsenic toxicity (3). However little information on plant-antimony relations is available, although the chemical properties of arsenic are analogous to those of antimony. Thus, the present experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of widely graded-levels of arsenic an antimony in a culture solution on the growth of cabbage plants, which were selected as the experimental plant because their inner leaves are eaten by human beings.