Effects of dietary lipids on body composition and liver function in juvenile red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of dietary lipids on body composition and liver function in juvenile red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus. Diets were formulated to contain 40% crude protein from solvent-extracted menhaden fish meal and 0, 7, 14 or 21% lipid from menhaden fish oil. The basal diet, without supplemental fish oil, contained lipid at 0.4% of dry weight. The diets were fed to groups of 25 juvenile red drum initially averaging 7.3 ± 0.18 g fish^–1 in a recirculating culture system for 8 weeks and weight gain was recorded. After an additional 8 weeks, 16 fish from each treatment were sacrificed and the following measurements were recorded: hepatosomatic index (HSI), intraperitoneal fat (IPF) ratio, and liver -tocopherol, malondialdehyde (MDA) formation, and cytochrome P-4501A activity (measured as 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity). The activity of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases and concentrations of -tocopherol also were measured in plasma.Weight gain was significantly (p<0.05) affected by dietary lipid concentration, with values ranging from 361% of initial weight for fish fed the basal diet to 527% of initial weight for fish fed the diet containing 7% lipid. The HSI and IPF ratio values also were significantly affected by lipid with the lowest values recorded for fish fed the basal diet and the highest values observed in fish fed the diet containing 21% lipid. Increasing dietary lipid significantly increased oxidative stress as reflected in reduced -tocopherol in liver and plasma and increased MDA formation in the liver, although no overt pathological signs were observed. These findings suggest that lipid concentrations between 7 and 14%, when the diet contains 60 IU vitamin E kg^–1, are likely to limit oxidative stress and result in normal physiological responses of red drum.     

Effect of dietary oxidized oil and vitamin E on growth performance,lipid peroxidation and fatty acid profile of Labeo rohita fingerlings

A 3 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted on Labeo rohita fingerlings to evaluate the effect of dietary oxidized oil and vitamin E. Nine experimental diets were made, based on three degrees of oil oxidation (fresh oil, low oil oxidation and high oil oxidation), and each level of oxidation was further supplemented with three levels of vitamin E (0, 100 and 1,000 mg/kg). Weight gain% and specific growth rate (SGR) of fish fed fresh fish oil and low oil oxidation level were significantly higher than highly oxidized oil. Moreover, vitamin E supplemented fish also showed better growth performance. Oil oxidation caused a significant reduction in the concentrations of α‐tocopherol and increase in TBARS level and antioxidant enzyme activities in fish liver and muscles. However, increasing the dietary vitamin E abrogated these effects. Dietary vitamin E supplementation improved the fatty acid, more specifically polyunsaturated fatty acids profile of oxidized oil fed fish. In conclusion, dietary oxidized fish oil increased the oxidative stress condition of fish but supplementation of high dose of vitamin E prevented lipid oxidation, improved growth performance and fatty acid profile of L. rohita.     

用线粒体D-loop和Cyt b基因序列分析拉氏(鲮)3个群体的遗传结构和遗传分化

用线粒体DNA的D-loop和Cytb基因序列分析方法研究了吉林延吉、敦化和辽宁法台3个区域的29尾拉氏鱼岁Phoxinus lagowskii Dybowsky的遗传多样性.经PCR扩增和测序,获得了783～785bp D-loop和818bpCyt b的同源序列.两者多态性遗传参数统计显示,29尾个体分别存在47(D-loop)和89(Cyt b)个变异位点,分别检测出15 (D-loop)和1l(Cyt b)个单倍型,总群体单倍型(Hd)分别为0.8966 (D-loop)和0.8990(Cyt b),核苷酸多样性指数(Px)分别为0.0246(D-loop)和0.0498 (Cyt b),平均核苷酸差异数(K)分别为19.2857(D-loop)和40.7365(Cytb).分子方差分析(AMOVA)结果表明,79.02％(D-loop)和81.69％(Cyt b)变异来自群体间,20.98％(D-loop)和18.31％(Cyt b)来自群体内.单倍型呈明显的地理差异,分成2个分支,一个以延吉群体为主,一个以法台群体为主.拉氏(鲮)的遗传多样性水平较高,群体间遗传分化明显.该结果可为拉氏(鲮)的种质资源保护提供参考.     

Dietary α‐linolenic acid affects lipid metabolism and tissue fatty acid profile and induces apoptosis in intraperitoneal adipose tissue of juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

A 56‐day feeding trial was conducted to elucidate the effects and mechanism action of dietary α‐linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n‐3) on lipid accumulation and fatty acid profile of muscle, hepatopancreas and intraperitoneal fat (IPF) in juvenile grass carp using three isonitrogenous and isoenergetic semi‐purified diets containing 0.0% (control group), 1.0% and 2.0% ALA, respectively. The lowest intraperitoneal fat (IPF) ratio was found in 2.0% group. In the muscle, hepatopancreas and IPF, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n‐3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n‐3) contents increased with the increase in dietary ALA. In the IPF, caspase 3, caspase 8 and caspase 9 showed the highest activities in 2.0% group, while the value of Bcl‐2/Bax (B‐cell leukaemia 2/Bcl‐2‐associated X protein) reached the lowest. Meanwhile, swelling of the IPF mitochondria was observed in 2.0% group. The gene expressions of fatty acid desaturase (FAD) and fatty acid elongase (ELO) in the hepatopancreas and muscle showed significantly higher levels in the treatment groups, whereas an opposite trend was existed in the IPF. Fatty acid synthase (FAS), sterol regulatory element binding protein‐1c (SREBP‐1c) in the IPF and hepatopancreas reached the lowest in 2.0% group. Overall, dietary ALA could promote n‐3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) synthesis and suppress the accumulation of lipid by decreasing the expression of related genes and promoting the apoptosis in IPF.     

Processing tomato quality as affected by irrigation scheduling

In Southern Italy the paucity of water is a very important problem and due to the fundamental importance of the water for the processing tomato, in this study the influence of irrigation on processing tomato quality was investigated in the years 2002 and 2003. A hybrid processing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L. Mill cv. Ability) was treated with different water regimes obtained combining amount of water and irrigation interval. The effects of the trials were evaluated taking into account the physical and chemical characteristics of the fruits, as well as the content in antioxidants moieties. Furthermore, the relationship among all the quality parameters and the seasonal amount of irrigation water was evaluated.The results, comparing different water regimes obtained combining amount of water and irrigation interval, gave useful indications on the possibility to improve nutritional tomato quality by reducing irrigation water during tomato cropping. In particular, relatively to the Mediterranean areas of tomato cultivation and to the texture of the soil considered in this study, the best compromise between quality and quantity of the processing tomato fruit was achieved both with the extension of the irrigation interval (L40 or L60) and with the limitation of irrigation volume for the second part of the tomato crop cycle (thesis 100-50). Extending the irrigation interval and limiting irrigation volume for the second part of the tomato crop cycle, appeared to be the best management strategy to optimize the yield and nutritional quality of processing tomato.     

Metabarcoding of feces and intestinal contents to determine carnivorous diets in red-crowned cranes in eastern Hokkaido,Japan

The red-crowned crane Grus japonensis in Hokkaido, Japan forms a closed population as a residence that is independent of the mainland population. Based on observations of a limited number of individuals as well as cranes in captivity, red-crowned cranes are omnivores and eat fish, worms, insects and plants in their own territories except in winter, when they are fed with dent corn that is supplied in eastern Hokkaido. DNA metabarcoding based on high throughput sequencing was carried out using universal primer sets for cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Feces from 27 chicks collected in June and July in the period from 2016 to 2018 and intestinal contents from 33 adult and subadult cranes that were found dead almost throughout year in 2006–2013 in the field in eastern Hokkaido were used. Although compositions varied considerably in the cranes, both insects and fish were found in adults and subadults to the same extents, while insects were predominant in chicks. Both insects and fish were detected in all seasons for adults and subadults. Horse flies, scarab beetles and weevils accounted for the most of the insects regardless of the life stage. Dace, stickleback, flatfish and sculpin were the major fish species in adults, while chicks ate almost only stickleback. The results provide the first comprehensive data on carnivorous diets in wild red-crowned cranes in eastern Hokkaido as basis for conservation of red-crowned cranes, for which the life style and area continue to change.     

Effects of part and whole straw returning on soil carbon sequestration in C3–C4 rotation cropland

Long‐term no‐tillage management and crop residue amendments to soil were identified as an effective measure to increase soil organic carbon (SOC). The SOC content, SOC stock (SOCs), soil carbon sequestration rate (CSR), and carbon pool management index (CPMI) were measured. A stable isotopic approach was used to evaluate the contributions of wheat and maize residues to SOC at a long‐term experimental site. We hypothesized that under no‐tillage conditions, straw retention quantity would affect soil carbon sequestration differently in surface and deep soil, and the contribution of C3 and C4 crops to soil carbon sequestration would be different. This study involved four maize straw returning treatments, which included no maize straw returning (NT‐0), 0.5 m (from the soil surface) maize straw returning (NT‐0.5), 1 m maize straw returning (NT‐1), and whole maize straw returning (NT‐W). The results showed that in the 0–20 cm soil layer, the SOC content, SOCs, CSR and CPMI of the NT‐W were highest after 14 years of no‐tillage management, and there were obvious differences among the four treatments. However, the SOC, SOCs, and CSR of the NT‐0.5 and NT‐W were the highest and lowest in 20–100 cm, respectively. The value of δ¹³C showed an obviously vertical variability that ranged from –22.01‰ (NT‐1) in the 0–20 cm layer to –18.27‰ (NT‐0.5) in the 60–80 cm layer, with enriched δ¹³C in the 60–80 cm (NT‐0.5 and NT‐1) and 80–100 cm (NT‐0 and NT‐W) layers. The contributions of the wheat and maize‐derived SOC of the NT‐0.5, NT‐1 and NT‐W increased by 11.4, 29.5 and 56.3% and by 10.7, 15.1 and 40.1%, relative to those in the NT‐0 treatment in the 0–20 cm soil layer, respectively. In conclusion, there was no apparent difference in total SOC sequestration between the NT‐0.5, NT‐1, and NT‐W treatments in the 0–100 cm soil layer. The contribution of wheat‐derived SOC was higher than that of maize‐derived SOC.     

稳定碳、氮同位素在牛肉加工过程中的分馏效应

为了探究牛肉及副产物中稳定碳、氮同位素在加工过程中的变化规律,确证稳定碳、氮同位素在牛肉加工制品产地溯源中的稳定性和有效性。本试验通过对牛肉进行不同时间的水煮、烤制和油炸3种处理,其中水煮和烤制加工时间分别为5、10、15、20、25和30 min,油炸加工时间分别为1、2、3、4和5 min;采用元素分析仪-稳定同位素比率质谱仪(EA-IRMS)测定脱脂牛肉、粗脂肪及副产物中δ¹³C和δ¹⁵N值。结果表明,脱脂牛肉中δ¹³C值在水煮、烤制和油炸3种加工方式不同加工时间之间均无显著差异,水煮和烤制后粗脂肪中δ¹³C值无显著变化,油炸后的牛肉粗脂肪δ¹³C值主要受植物油的影响,加工方式及加工时间对其无显著影响;水煮脱脂牛肉δ¹⁵N值在加工25、30 min时与对照组牛肉存在显著差异,但平均差值仅为0.3‰~0.9‰。牛肉稳定碳、氮同位素在不同加工过程中分馏效应较小,可有效用于牛肉加工半成品及成品的原产地溯源。     

外源硒对60Co-γ辐射下菜豆幼苗生长和生理的影响

为探讨外源硒对⁶⁰Co-γ辐射下菜豆幼苗生长以及生理的影响,以菜豆品种‘13-6-1-2’和‘紫冠’为试验材料,通过外源喷施50 μg/mL的亚硒酸钠(Na₂SeO₃)溶液,研究⁶⁰Co-γ辐射(120 Gy)下外源Se对菜豆的表型、抗氧化酶活性(POD、SOD、CAT)、丙二醛(MDA)、叶绿素以及硒含量的影响。结果显示,⁶⁰Co-γ辐射下外源硒显著提高了菜豆幼苗体内的硒含量,也不同程度提高了抗氧化酶活性及MDA和叶绿素的含量。研究表明,叶面喷施适当浓度的外源硒可以促进菜豆的生长发育,提高菜豆自身的硒含量,提高其抗氧化能力,缓解⁶⁰Co-γ射线对菜豆幼苗生长的影响。     

Microbial use of organic amendments in saline soils monitored by changes in the C/C ratio

An incubation experiment was carried out to investigate whether salinity at high pH has negative effects on microbial substrate use, i.e. the mineralization of the amendment to CO₂ and inorganic N and the incorporation of amendment C into microbial biomass C. In order to exploit natural differences in the ¹³C/¹²C ratio, substrate from two C₄ plants, i.e. highly decomposed and N-rich sugarcane filter cake and less decomposed N-poor maize leaf straw, were added to two alkaline Pakistani soils differing in salinity, which had previously been cultivated with C₃ plants. In soil 1, the additional CO₂ evolution was equivalent to 65% of the added amount in the maize straw treatment and to 35% in the filter cake treatment. In the more saline soil 2, the respective figures were 56% and 32%. The maize straw amendment led to an identical immobilization of approximately 48 μg N g⁻¹ soil over the 56-day incubation in both soils compared with the control soils. In the filter cake treatment, the amount of inorganic N immobilized was 8.5 μg N g⁻¹ higher in soil 1 than in soil 2 compared with the control soils. In the control treatment, the content of microbial biomass C₃-C in soil 1 was twice that in soil 2 throughout the incubation. This fraction declined by about 30% during the incubation in both soils. The two amendments replaced initially similar absolute amounts of the autochthonous microbial biomass C, i.e. 50% of the original microbial biomass C in soil 1 and almost 90% in soil 2. The highest contents of microbial biomass C₄-C were equivalent to 7% (filter cake) and 11% (maize straw) of the added C. In soil 2, the corresponding values were 14% lower. Increasing salinity had no direct negative effects on microbial substrate use in the present two soils. Consequently, the differences in soil microbial biomass contents are most likely caused indirectly by salinity-induced reduction in plant growth rather than directly by negative effects of salinity on soil microorganisms.