Role of large‐ and fine‐scale variables in predicting catch rates of larval Pacific lamprey in the Willamette Basin,Oregon

Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus is an anadromous fish native to the Pacific Northwest of the USA. That has declined substantially over the last 40 years. Effective conservation of this species will require an understanding of the habitat requirements for each life history stage. Because its life cycle contains extended freshwater rearing (3–8 years), the larval stage may be a critical factor limiting abundance of Pacific lamprey. The objective of our study was to estimate the influence of barriers and habitat characteristics on the catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE) of larval Pacific lamprey in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon, USA. We sampled lampreys at multiple locations in wadeable streams throughout the basin in 2011–13 and used an information theoretic approach to examine the relative influence of fine‐ and large‐scale predictors of CPUE. Pacific lamprey was observed across the basin, but its relative abundance appeared to be limited by the presence of natural and artificial barriers in some sub‐basins. Lower velocity habitats such as off‐channel areas and pools contained higher densities of larval lamprey; mean Pacific lamprey CPUE in off‐channel habitats was 4 and 32 times greater than in pools and riffles respectively. Restoration and conservation strategies that improve fish passage, enhance natural hydrologic and depositional processes and increase habitat heterogeneity will likely benefit larval Pacific lamprey.     

Partial and total replacement of fish meal with soybean meal and brewer's grains with yeast in practical diets for Australian red claw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus

Three feeding studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of total replacement of fish meal (FM) with a combination of soybean meal (SBM) and brewer's grains with yeast (BGY) in diets for two separate strains of juvenile Australian red claw crayfish. In Experiment 1, three practical diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (40% protein) and isocaloric (4.0 kcal available energy/g diet) and contained either 25%, 10%, or 0% fish meal. Variable percentages of SBM (35%, 46.8%, and 79.8%, respectively) and BGY-35 (0%, 30%, and 5%, respectively) replaced the fish meal. In Experiments 2 and 3, four practical diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (40% protein) and isocaloric (4 kcal available energy/g diet) containing 24% or 0% fish meal. Diet 1 contained 24% fish meal, 23% SBM, and 0% BGY-35. A variable percentage of SBM (56.75%, 47.75%, and 40.75%, respectively) and BGY-35 (10%, 20%, and 30%, respectively) replaced the fish meal in the remaining three diets.

In Experiment 1, after 8 weeks, juvenile red claw fed all three diets had no significant difference (P>0.05) in final weight, percentage weight gain, or survival, which averaged 7.90 g, 3848%, and 83%, respectively. In Experiment 2, after 8 weeks, juveniles fed all four diets had no significant difference in final weight, percentage weight gain, or specific growth rate which averaged 11.46 g, 977%, and 3.08%/day, respectively. Percentage survival was not significantly different among treatments and averaged 79%. In Experiment 3, after 8 weeks, juvenile red claw fed all four diets had no significant difference in final weight, percentage weight gain, or specific growth rate which averaged 16.22 g, 457%, and 2.34%/day, respectively. Percentage survival was not significantly different among treatments and averaged 98%.

These results indicate that fish meal and shrimp meal can be totally replaced with soybean meal and BGY in diets for juvenile red claw crayfish. This may allow for less expensive diets by red claw producers, which may increase profitability.     

Effects of environmental stressors on lymphocyte proliferation in Florida manatees, Trichechus manatus latirostris

The health of many Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is adversely affected each year by exposure to cold weather or harmful algal blooms (red tide; Karenia brevis). Exposures can be sublethal, resulting in stressed animals that are rescued and taken to authorized facilities for rehabilitation, or lethal if exposures are prolonged or unusually severe. To investigate whether sublethal environmental exposures can impair immune function in manatees, rendering animals vulnerable to disease or death, mitogen-induced proliferation was assessed in lymphocytes from manatees exposed to cold temperatures (N=20) or red tide (N=19) in the wild, and compared to lymphocyte responses from healthy free-ranging manatees (N=32). All animals sampled for this study were adults. Lymphocytes were stimulated in vitro with either concanavalin A (ConA) or phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and proliferation was assessed after 96 h using incorporation of the thymidine analog, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), into newly synthesized DNA. Proliferation of lymphocytes from manatees rescued from exposure to red tide or cold-stress was approximately one-third that of lymphocytes from healthy free-ranging manatees. To examine the direct effects of red tide toxins on lymphocyte function, mitogen-induced proliferation was assessed following co-culture of lymphocytes with K. brevis toxin extracts. Stimulation indices decreased with increasing toxin concentration, with a significant decrease in proliferation occurring in the presence of 400 ng red tide toxins/ml. When lymphocytes from cold-stressed manatees were co-cultured with red tide toxin extracts, proliferative responses were reduced even further, suggesting multiple stressors may have synergistic effects on immune function in manatees.     

Neuronal activity related to reward value and motivation in primate frontal cortex

In several areas of the macaque brain, neurons fire during delayed-response tasks at a rate determined by the value of the reward expected at the end of the trial. The activity of these neurons might be related to the value of the expected reward or to the degree of motivation induced by expectation of the reward. We describe results indicating that the nature of reward-dependent activity varies across areas. Neuronal activity in orbitofrontal cortex represents the value of the expected reward, whereas neuronal activity in premotor cortex reflects the degree of motivation.     

Influence of methabenzthiazuron on ATP-level and protein synthesis in wheat

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. “Kolibri”) was grown in vermiculite treated with the photosynthesis inhibiting herbicide methabenzthiazuron (1-(benzothiazol-2-yl)-1,3-dimethylurea) either before germination or when the plants were 13 days old. The plants were analyzed from 2 days before until 11 days after treatment or up to a plant age of 23 days.The results are interpreted to fit the concept of a “shade adaptation reaction” caused by a herbicidal photosynthesis inhibition. Soluble reducing sugars have been found to decrease 4 hr after treatment and to stay at a low level throught the experiment. The ATP level was decreased 1 day after treatment but increased above control values 4 days later. This increase was accompanied by a decrease of the chlorophyll $\text{a}\text{b}$ ratio. The explanation is given that the ATP level was first decreased because of a lowered carbohydrate supply for substrate and oxidative phosphorylation, and was afterwords increased as a result of an increased cyclic photophosphorylation activity.The soluble protein content and the incorporation of [¹⁴C]leucine into protein were increased 4 days after herbicidal treatment. The total protein was slightly decreased beginning 1 day after treatment. The nitrate concentration and the in vitro nitrate reductase activity were both increased 1 day after treatment. The increase of the nitrate concentration occurred in two phases: a first increase by 50% 1 and 2 days after treatment and a second, much stronger increase beginning on the third day. The first increase is interpreted as the result of a decreased in vivo nitrate reductase activity. The second increase possibly was the result of an increased rate of nitrate uptake.     

Synthesis and Mosquito Repellent Properties of 2,2-Dialkyl- and 2-Alkyl-4,4-dimethyl-N-acetyloxazolidines

Nineteen novel N-acetyl-2,2-dialkyloxazolidines ( 2 ) and N-acetyl-2-alkyl-4,4-dimethyloxazolidines ( 3 ) were synthesized from commercially available carbonyl compounds and ethanolamine or 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol. Their bioactivity against laboratory-reared mosquitoes was compared in patch tests to known N-acetyl-2-alkyloxazolidines ( 1 ) and N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (deet insect repellent). Isomeric composition measurements by [¹³C]NMR spectroscopy favoured the Z rotational isomer for samples of 2 (91–96% Z) and the E rotational isomer for samples of 3 (66–71% E), in agreement with molecular mechanics calculations on rotational isomers of model oxazolidines. Samples of 1 were previously shown to exist in solution mostly as the Z isomer (60–70% Z). Within the optimal molecular weight range for these experimental chemicals, the duration of repellency against Aedes aegypti (L.), Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say and Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann generally followed the order: 1 > 2 >deet> 3 . Bioassay data are discussed in relation to the equilibrium populations of rotational isomers for substituted N-acetyloxazolidines.