Status,ecology and conservation of an endemic fish,Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis,in Lake Baringo,Kenya

• 1. The tilapia Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis is a genetically and morphologically distinct sub‐species of Oreochromis niloticus endemic to Lake Baringo, Kenya. In recent years, concern has been expressed as to its status. Recent declines in catch returns suggest the population may be threatened, with conservation action required to safeguard it.
• 2. Catch returns from the Baringo fishery since 1964 have shown considerable fluctuations for all species, but especially O. n. baringoensis. From a peak of 712 t in 1970, their total catch was only 5 t in 2005, despite a 2 year period of closure in 2002 and 2003. Changes in fishery catch and relative abundance were independent of exploitation in the fishery but were significantly correlated with lake level.
• 3. Few individuals were captured at lengths >250 mm, with no fish sampled >284 mm. During periods of high lake level, individuals matured at smaller sizes and were capable of growing to larger ultimate sizes. With maturity at lengths <130 mm and fishery regulations preventing removal of fish <180 mm, there was a relatively large proportion of mature fish that was below exploitation size each year (19 to 44%). In most years, the proportion of fish available for exploitation was <10%.
• 4. Stable isotope analyses revealed O. n. baringoensis was reliant upon planktonic basal resources and zooplankton carbon. There was only minimal trophic overlap with other fish species in the lake, indicating little potential for competition for food resources.
• 5. These data suggest that the population status of O. n. baringoensis is not threatened per se, but subject to an unpredictable and unstable environment that strongly influences their life‐history traits and, ultimately, their population abundance, and should be managed accordingly.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of dietary l-carnitine on growth, biological traits and meat quality in Tilapia

This study was designed to determine whether l -carnitine supplementation is necessary in a tilapia diet containing low-fish meal and a high lipid level, which is beneficial economically and for the environment. The effects of dietary l -carnitine on the growth, body composition, blood traits and post-thaw drip from muscle in hybrid tilapia were investigated. Five isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were fed to the fish with a mean body weight of 141.7 g for 168 days. The control diet contained fish meal as the major protein source with 7% lipid. Other diets contained 7% or 12% lipid, in which fish meal was largely replaced by plant proteins, and supplemented with l -carnitine or not. Results showed that supplemental dietary l -carnitine did not affect the growth performance, feed efficiency or protein efficiency ratio, while the supplementation significantly reduced the mesenteric fat ratio. Whole body and muscle proximate compositions were unaltered by any dietary treatment. The total plasma lipid, triacylglycerol and cholesterol values of tilapia fed diets with alternative plant proteins were significantly lower than those of the control fish, whereas increasing the dietary lipid content increased the aforementioned blood traits. A decrease in plasma ammonia and an increase in urea were observed in dietary l -carnitine-supplemented fish. Post-thaw drip from muscle was reduced in fish fed supplemental dietary l -carnitine. The observations of this study revealed that neither the growth performance nor the feed utilization of hybrid tilapia was improved by a dietary l -carnitine treatment, but that it did lead to a reduced mesenteric fat ratio, altered nitrogen metabolism and improved meat quality.     

Determination of growth,colour and other traits in F1 hybrid of Amphiprion percula (male) × A. ocellaris (female)

This study reported the traits values such as colour, feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) and fluorescence capacity of F₁ hybrids of Amphiprion percula (male) and A. ocellaris (female). The hybrids exhibited significant variation in FCR (3.63 ± 0.56) and SGR (3.63% ± 0.44) compared with the pure breeds, A. percula (3.12 ± 0.42; 2.80% ± 0.42) and A. ocellaris (3.17 ± 0.43; 3.02% ± 0.19). An exponential relationship was found between FCR and SGR in both the breeds. Image analysis displayed a better colour performance of hybrid than the pure breeds. Individual body parts of the hybrid and pure breeds showed significant colour variation between each other. However, colour contrast of whole body of hybrid was found closer to A. ocellaris in hue cone and towards A. percula in saturation and brightness values. Hence, hybrid displays combination colour reflexion of both the parents. The total pigment content of hybrid (65.71 μg g^?1 ± 2.81) was found higher than A. ocellaris (62.01 μg g^?1 ± 2.29) and A. percula (56.71 μg g^?1 ± 2.56). Further, the spectroflurometric analysis revealed that the both hybrid and pure breeds having poor fluorescence on skin pigmentation. A direct positive heterosis was observed on the SGR, FCR, total pigment and spawning frequency, while negative effect was noted on total length of newly hatched larvae (TL), fertilization rate (FrR), hatching rate (HR), deformation rate (DFR) and survival rate (SR). Hence, multiple cross‐breeding programmes will help in developing high‐quality traits in successive generations.     

黄条魳(Seriola aureovittata)形态度量与内部结构特征

为了全面认识黄条(Seriola aureovittata)生物学特性,利用传统测量方式、框架测度法、几何形态测量法和解剖学方法,观察和测度了其外部形态特征、可量与可数性状及内部结构特征,并模拟构建了黄条形态性状度量框架图.观察了黄条不同部位鳞片和耳石形态特征,比较了各形态度量性状的比值关系,发现全长与体长比值、下颌长与上颌长比值、尾柄长与尾柄高比值变异较小,表明这些性状关联密切.利用统计分析方法建立了黄条全长(TL)与体重(BW)之间的关系模型:BW=2.1652TL2-140.35TL+2479.9 (R2=0.9812),体高(BH)与体重间的关系模型:BW=0.7575BH30059(R2=0.9816).研究分析表明,在黄条的12个可量形态性状中,除眼径外的其他11个形态性状间均存在显著相关关系.通径分析进一步揭示了体高和体长性状是影响体重的2个关键因素,其对体重的决定程度分别达41.34％和13.11％,它们对体重的共同决定程度达42.88％.本研究观察描述了黄条内部结构特征,其比肠长为0.62-0.69,脊椎骨数量为23-25,总出肉率可达75％.本研究结果可为黄条种质判别、系统分类及人工繁育与养殖技术开发提供形态认知依据.     

群体改良面包小麦品质性状的方法与技术

为了探讨分子标记技术用于太谷核不育小麦(Ta1)轮回选择育种的可行性,广泛搜集含有不同优质亚基且农艺性状优良的种质资源,对创建动态的改良面包小麦品质优质基因库进行了研究。结果表明,5亚基特异PCR标记在具有5亚基的单株中均能扩增出450bp的基因片段,生化标记与其结果一致;通过控制授粉引入优质基因,开花前淘汰劣质基因型,借助于可育株与不育株的异交,使优质基因重组、累加和聚合,获得了14 15、5 10亚基的聚合体和5 12等亚基的稀有类型;与基础群体比,轮选群体的单株产量增加1.0~1.5g,株高降低7.5cm,使品质、产量得到同步改良,从而建立了分子标记辅助Ta1小麦改良品质性状的优质基因库。     

小麦面粉RVA特征的数量遗传分析

小麦淀粉的糊化特性是衡量小麦品质的重要指标,常以RVA特征参数度量。为了进一步了解RVA特征参数的遗传特性,用莫惠栋提出的双列资料的种子性状遗传表达鉴别方法,分析了6个小麦品种及其两两组配的30个小麦杂种组合(包括正反交)面粉的7个RVA特征参数的遗传,并估计各特征值的主要遗传参数。结果表明:(1)小麦面粉糊化温度(PTP)在F2种子间没有发生遗传分离,其遗传可能受二倍体的母体基因型(F1植株)控制,而其他6个RVA特征参数在F2种子间有显著遗传分离,其遗传主要受三倍体的胚乳基因型(F2种子)控制;(2)糊化温度和峰值时间(PT)二参数的细胞质效应极显著,而其他5个RVA特征参数的细胞质效应均不显著;(3)除糊化温度外,其他6个RVA特征参数的广义遗传力均达到了90%以上,狭义遗传力除糊化温度和崩解值(BV)外也均达到了较高水平。     

Developing a reliable strategy to infer the effective soil hydraulic properties from field evaporation experiments for agro-hydrological models

The Richards equation has been widely used for simulating soil water movement. However, the take-up of agro-hydrological models using the basic theory of soil water flow for optimizing irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide practices is still low. This is partly due to the difficulties in obtaining accurate values for soil hydraulic properties at a field scale. Here, we use an inverse technique to deduce the effective soil hydraulic properties, based on measuring the changes in the distribution of soil water with depth in a fallow field over a long period, subject to natural rainfall and evaporation using a robust micro Genetic Algorithm. A new optimized function was constructed from the soil water contents at different depths, and the soil water at field capacity. The deduced soil water retention curve was approximately parallel but higher than that derived from published pedo-tranfer functions for a given soil pressure head. The water contents calculated from the deduced soil hydraulic properties were in good agreement with the measured values. The reliability of the deduced soil hydraulic properties was tested in reproducing data measured from an independent experiment on the same soil cropped with leek. The calculation of root water uptake took account for both soil water potential and root density distribution. Results show that the predictions of soil water contents at various depths agree fairly well with the measurements, indicating that the inverse analysis is an effective and reliable approach to estimate soil hydraulic properties, and thus permits the simulation of soil water dynamics in both cropped and fallow soils in the field accurately.     

Soil sodicity as a result of periodical drought

Soil sodicity development is a process that depends nonlinearly on both salt concentration and composition of soil water. In particular in hot climates, soil water composition is subject to temporal variation due to dry–wet cycles. To investigate the effect of such cycles on soil salinity and sodicity, a simple root zone model is developed that accounts for annual salt accumulation and leaching periods. Cation exchange is simplified to considering only Ca/Na exchange, using the Gapon exchange equation. The resulting salt and Ca/Na-balances are solved for a series of dry/wet cycles with a standard numerical approach. Due to the nonlinearities in the Gapon equation, the fluctuations of soil salinity that may be induced, e.g. by fluctuating soil water content, affect sodicity development. Even for the case that salinity is in a periodic steady state, where salt concentrations do not increase on the long term, sodicity may still grow as a function of time from year to year. For the longer term, sodicity, as quantified by Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP), approaches a maximum value that depends on drought and inflowing water quality, but not on soil cation exchange capacity. Analytical approaches for the salinity and sodicity developing under such fluctuating regimes appear to be in good agreement with numerical approximations and are very useful for checking numerical results and anticipating changes in practical situations.     

麦棉两熟种植条件下小麦根系生长及 空间分布规律的初步研究

通过样品扫描,采用DT-SCAN图形分析软件对麦套棉生态系统的小麦根系生长发育进行分析测定。结果表明,边行、中间行的根长密度峰值比空白行根长密度峰值提前6～7 d出现,边行在孕穗期根长密度的峰值>中间行的根长密度峰值>空白地的根长密度峰值。整个小麦生育期根系主要分布在0～30 cm范围,根系直径的分布、边行、中间行的直径变化规律基本一致,0～10 cm变化较大,20～100 cm变化基本平稳,而空白地根直径在40～60 cm变化较大,上层、下层较小。从各种参数比较,充分说明了边行根系的优势与地上部分的边行优势是一致的。     

4个企鹅珍珠贝F3选育系的生长存活差异及其生长规律

为比较企鹅珍珠贝[（Röding,1798）]海南金唇选育系（GLHH）、海南白唇选育系（WLHH）、广西金唇选育系（GLGG）和广西白唇选育系（WLGG）的生长存活差异,及了解4个选育系的生长规律,自2018年1月底至2018年12月底连续监测养殖于海南陵水黎族自治县新村港的4个企鹅珍珠贝选育系F₃的存活率及其壳长、壳高、壳宽、铰合线长和体重的生长情况。使用单因素方差分析和生长模型拟合等方法对数据进行分析。结果显示,4个企鹅珍珠贝选育系的生长及存活率存在显著差异（<0.05）,海南金唇选育系的生长及存活率最优,广西白唇选育系的生长及存活率最差,表明企鹅珍珠贝的生长存活可能与环境、贝龄、壳色和地理种群有关。SGompertz生长模型为企鹅珍珠贝5个生长性状的通用生长模型。研究表明,4个企鹅珍珠贝选育系的生长规律存在差异,且企鹅珍珠贝5个生长性状的生长规律存在差异,其中壳长和铰合线长的生长拐点出现得最早,分别出现在7.9（GLHH）~8.5（WLHH）月龄和7.9（GLHH）~9.1（WLGG）月龄;其次是壳高和壳宽,生长拐点分别出现在11.6（GLHH）~15.9（WLGG）月龄和11.8（GLHH）~14.3（WLGG）月龄时;体重的生长拐点出现得最晚,在15.8（GLHH）~18.7（WLGG）月龄。该研究结果表明海南金唇选育系早期生长阶段具有高存活率和优良的生长性能,广西白唇选育系可能具有最大的生长潜力（生长性状的生长极限最大）,本研究可为企鹅珍珠贝的良种选育、健康养殖及优质珍珠的生产提供借鉴。