Determination of origin of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): the use of multiprobe and multielement isotopic analyses in combination with fatty acid composition to assess wild or farmed origin

Variability within the stable isotope ratios in various lipidic fractions and the fatty acid composition of muscle oil has been analyzed for a large sample (171 fish) of wild and farmed Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) from 32 origins within Europe, North America, and Tasmania. Sampling was extended over all seasons in 2 consecutive years and included fish raised by different practices, in order to maximize the range of variation present. It is shown that two readily measured parameters, delta 15N measured on choline and delta18 O measured on total oil, can be successfully used to discriminate between fish of authentic wild and farmed origin. However, the certainty of identification of mislabeling in market-derived fish is strengthened by including the percentage of linoleic acid C18:2n-6 in the lipidic fraction. Thus, several apparent misidentifications were found. The combination of these three analytical parameters and the size of the database generated makes the method practical for implementation in official laboratories as a tool of labeling verification.     

Assessing the phenotypic and genotypic diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</Emphasis> in France

White mould caused by the ascomycete Sclerotinia sclerotiorum affects the production of many economically important crops. The incidence of this disease has recently increased in France, especially in melon crops, which were not affected much in the past. One possible explanation for this situation is the emergence of strains with particular characteristics, including increased aggressiveness to melon. To test this hypothesis, 200 isolates of S. sclerotiorum were collected from six host crops (bean, brassica oilseed rape, carrot, lettuce, melon, witloof chicory) in different regions. They were genotyped with 16 microsatellites markers. A subsample of 96 isolates were assessed for their aggressiveness on melon leaves. Overall, the isolates from melon did not show higher aggressiveness on melon leaves than those which originated from other host plants. Moreover, the melon isolates did not present distinctive genetic characteristics in comparison with those from other crops and shared several of the 128 identified multilocus haplotypes with isolates collected from carrot, witloof chicory and oilseed rape. Furthermore the Bayesian analysis of the genetic structure indicated that the host plant is not a structuring factor of the three genetic clusters identified, and it suggested instead the occurrence of an isolation-by-distance process. Possible consequences of these results for the management of white mould and alternative hypotheses to explain the recent changes in disease incidence are presented.     

167 individuals versus millions of hooks: bycatch mitigation in longline fisheries underlies conservation of Amsterdam albatrosses

1. Industrial fisheries represent one of the most serious threats worldwide to seabird conservation. Death of birds in fishing operations (i.e. bycatch) has especially adverse effects on populations of albatrosses, which have extremely low fecundity. 2. The single population worldwide of Amsterdam albatross (Diomedea amsterdamensis) comprises only 167 individuals and risks considerable decline over the mid‐term from additional mortality levels potentially induced by fisheries. The priority actions listed in the current conservation plan for this species included characterizing the longline fisheries operating within its range, dynamically analysing the overlap between albatrosses and these fisheries, and providing fisheries management authorities with potential impact estimates of longline fisheries on the Amsterdam albatross. 3. During all life‐cycle stages and year quarters the birds overlapped extensively with fishing effort in the southern Indian and Atlantic oceans. Fishing effort, and consequently overlap score (calculated as the product of fishing effort and time spent by the birds in a spatial unit) was highest in July–September (45% of the hooks annually deployed). Just three fleets (Taiwanese, Japanese and Spanish) contributed to >98% of the overlap scores for each stage (72% from the Taiwanese fleet alone, on average). Daily overlap scores were higher for the non‐breeding versus the breeding stages (3‐fold factor on average). 4. Based on previous bycatch rates for other albatross species, this study estimated that longline fisheries currently have the potential to remove ~2–16 individuals (i.e. ~5%) each year from the total Amsterdam albatross population, depending on whether bycatch mitigation measures were or were not systematically employed during the fishing operations. 5. Recent bycatch mitigation measures may be instrumental in the conservation of the Amsterdam albatross. This study suggests three further key recommendations: (1) to focus conservation efforts on the austral winter; (2) to require all operating vessels to report ring recoveries; and (3) to allocate special regulation of fishing operations in the areas of peak bycatch risk for the Amsterdam albatrosses. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

E-commerce development in rural and remote areas of BRICS countries

E-commerce plays an essential role in modern trade today. It is expected that e-commerce volume amounted to 29 trillion USD in the world in 2017, and would grow with the spread of the Internet and information and communication technologies(ICTs). Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa(BRICS), together with many others, consider e-commerce a means to facilitate rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, improving the living standards and alleviating poverty. This article examines areas for potential cooperation by BRICS countries in e-commerce development across rural and remote areas to fight poverty. It analyses the current state of e-commerce development in rural and remote areas in each of the BRICS countries, including cases of public and private initiatives to support it. The article also defines the opportunities which e-commerce brings to people living in rural and remote areas. Moreover, it evaluates the existing challenges and risks. The article concludes that despite the rapid e-commerce development in BRICS countries, and significant opportunities created, there are still issues of disproportionate e-commerce in varied regions and the lack of BRICS cooperation in this sphere. Based on a comparative and normative in-depth, systematic analysis, the article develops a set of recommendations for deepening BRICS countries' cooperation in the following areas: infrastructure in rural and remote regions; education; consumer protection; online dispute resolution; coordinated policy in the international scene, including representation of BRICS countries in international indexes, such as the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index(STRI).     

Fish community response to environmental variations in an impacted Neotropical basin

Fish communities’ organisation is a challenging task due to global, local and temporal variations related to biotic and abiotic factors, highlighting anthropic activities. The Verde River Basin (VRB) was chosen as a model to the fish community study due to its complexity, presenting a longitudinal gradient of degradation. The ichthyofauna and abiotic factors were sampled during twelve months in four sites. Analyses employed rarefaction curves with Hill numbers estimators and canonical correspondence analysis. The endemic Apareiodon sp. (not described), Hypostomus albopunctatus, H. strigaticeps, Oligosarcus paranensis, Neoplecostomus yapo and Trichomycterus diabolus were associated with structurally complex and well‐preserved environments. In contrary, Astyanax aff. fasciatus, Corydoras ehrhardti, Geophagus brasiliensis, H. ancistroides and Phalloceros harpagos showed tolerance to impacted environments. The methods here employed allowed to identify and explain differences in the ichthyofauna structure, distinguishing the influence of spatial, temporal and human effects on the fish communities.     

Effects of hypoxia on respiratory physiology of turbot, Scophthalmus maximus

Variations in respiratory and acid-base status were studied in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) during progressive severe hypoxia followed by recovery under normoxic conditions. The first behavioural strategy of turbot under hypoxia was an increase in amplitude and frequency of ventilation. Consequently, standard O₂ consumption remained unchanged over a broad range of O₂ tensions, until a low critical level of 30 mmHg. The hyperventilation induced a moderate blood alkalosis, compensated by a lactic acidosis. The fact that blood pH did not decrease below control values could be explained by the retention in white muscle of most of the lactate produced and by a high capacity for H⁺ excretion. During the recovery period, the marked increase in O₂ uptake corresponding to an oxygen debt repayment, was partly related to the lactate elimination. When total energy contributions of aerobic and anaerobic processes were assessed in terms of ATP, the anaerobic contribution, estimated at the deepest hypoxia level, was higher than 20% of the total energy budget and appeared to totally compensate for the decline in aerobic metabolism. Moreover, the high value of O₂ tension in arterial blood in normoxia and during recovery from hypoxia showed high diffusing capacity of gills in turbot. Our results explain the high tolerance of turbot for O₂ deficient waters.     

Design of Division Specific Primers of Ralstonia solanacearum and Application to the Identification of European Isolates

A PCR diagnostic test for detection of Ralstonia solanacearum at the infraspecific level was developed, based on polymorphisms within the 16S rRNA gene sequence. Partial sequences of this gene were determined for three French isolates which showed the characteristics of R. solanacearum subdivision 2a described by Taghavi et al. (1996). Oligonucleotide primers were designed to incorporate the nucleotide triplet (at positions 458–460 of the 16S rRNA gene) which differs between divisions 1 and 2 16S rRNA sequences of R. solanacearum isolates. A simple PCR test unambiguously revealed the division of each isolate. The PCR test was useful for identification of isolates of R. solanacearum from Europe.     

Trophic control of bud break in peach (Prunus persica) trees: a possible role of hexoses

Vegetative buds of peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch.) trees act as strong sinks and their bud break capacity can be profoundly affected by carbohydrate availability during the rest period (November-February). Analysis of xylem sap revealed seasonal changes in concentrations of sorbitol and hexoses (glucose and fructose). Sorbitol concentrations decreased and hexose concentrations increased with increasing bud break capacity. Sucrose concentration in xylem sap increased significantly but remained low. To clarify their respective roles in the early events of bud break, carbohydrate concentrations and uptake rates, and activities of NAD-dependent sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), sorbitol oxidase (SOX) and cell wall invertase (CWI) were determined in meristematic tissues, cushion tissues and stem segments. Only CWI activity increased in meristematic tissues shortly before bud break. In buds displaying high bud break capacity (during January and February), concentrations of sorbitol and sucrose in meristematic tissues were almost unchanged, paralleling their low rates of uptake and utilization by meristematic tissues, and indicating that sorbitol and sucrose play a negligible role in the bud break process. Hexose concentrations in meristematic tissues and glucose imported by meristematic tissues correlated positively with bud break capacity, suggesting that hexoses are involved in the early events of bud break. These findings were confirmed by data for buds that were unable to break because they had been collected from trees deprived of cold. We therefore conclude that hexoses are of greater importance than sorbitol or sucrose in the early events of bud break in peach trees.