Effects of three organophosphorus pesticides on population growth and sexual reproduction of rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus Pallas

Effects of organophosphorus pesticides including dichlorvos, triazophos and chlorpyrifos on population growth and sexual reproduction of freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus were studied by 3-d population growth and 4-d resting egg production tests. The results showed that all the three organophosphorus pesticides influenced significantly the population growth rate, the ratio ovigerous females/non-ovigerous females in the rotifer populations and the resting egg production of the rotifers. Both dichlorvos and chlorpyrifos influenced markedly the mictic rate of the rotifers, but triazophos did not. Compared to the controls, both dichlorvos at 10.0–1000.0 μg/L and chlorpyrifos at 0.01–100.0 μg/L increased the population growth rate, but the reverse was also true for dichlorvos and triazophos both at 10000.0 μg/L. Chlorpyrifos at 10000.0 μg/L made the rotifers dead after 24-hr exposure. Dichlorvos and triazophos both at 10000.0 μg/L, and chlorpyrifos at 1000.0 μg/L all increased the ratio ovigerous females/non-ovigerous females. Both dichlorvos at 10000.0 μg/L and chlorpyrifos at 0.1–100.0 μg/L increased the mictic rate. Dichlorvos at 10.0 μg/L and 100.0 μg/L, and triazophos and chlorpyrifos both at 0.1–100.0 μg/L increased the resting egg production. Both population growth rate and ratio ovigerous females/non-ovigerous females are suitable endpoints for assessing the effects of dichlorvos, triazophos and chlorpyrifos, and mictic rate is a suitable endpoint for monitoring the effects of dichlorvos and chlorpyrifos on the reproduction of the rotifers. Both population growth rate and ratio ovigerous females/non-ovigerous females are more sensitive to dichlorvos and chlorpyrifos than mictic rate.     

球形棕囊藻对五种水生动物的急性毒性作用

利用室内半静水法研究球形棕囊藻培养液、藻细胞悬浮液、去藻细胞滤液、藻细胞内容物、藻细胞碎片以及溶血毒素粗提物对卤虫(Artemia sinica)、褶皱臂尾轮虫(Brachionus plicatilis)、蒙古裸腹潘(Moina mongolia)、赤点石斑鱼幼鱼(Epinephelus akaara)和南美白对虾(Penaeus vannamei)5种水生动物的影响,并对其致毒途径进行分析.结果表明,与对照相比,培养液、藻细胞悬浮液处理卤虫,其运动速度下降,培养液、藻细胞悬浮液与毒素粗提物处理轮虫72 h,存活率显著降低(P＜0.05),卤虫、轮虫消化道中充满藻细胞,提示摄食球形棕囊藻可能是引起卤虫、轮虫中毒的主要途径.培养液、滤液和藻细胞内容物对赤点石斑鱼幼鱼均有显著的致死作用,而藻细胞碎片和溶血毒素粗提物对幼鱼的存活无明显影响,表明球形棕囊藻细胞表面并不存在毒性物质,球形棕囊藻可能会分泌有毒物质进入水体,进而影响鱼类的生长.培养液、藻细胞悬浮液、去藻细胞滤液、毒素粗提物处理蒙古裸腹溞72 h虽有死亡,但存活率与对照无显著差异;南美白对虾的情况与蒙古裸腹溞类似,表明球形棕囊藻及相关组分对蒙古裸腹溞和对虾的影响较小.这些结果表明,球形棕囊藻对不同生物的毒害作用不同;摄食和分泌有毒、有害物是球形棕囊藻引致生物中毒的主要途径;除了溶血毒素以外,球形棕囊藻还可能产生其他鱼毒性物质.     

Enriching Rotifers with “Premium” Microalgae. Nannochloropsis gaditana

The nutritive quality of Nannochloropsis gaditana cultured semicontinuously with different daily renewal rates was tested as a diet for short-term enrichment of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. After 24 h, dramatic differences in the survival, dry weight, and biochemical composition of the rotifers depending on the renewal rate of microalgal cultures were observed. Survival after the feeding period increased with increasing renewal rates. Rotifers fed microalgae from low renewal rate, nutrient-deficient cultures showed low dry weight and organic contents very similar to those of the initial rotifers that were starved for 12 h before the start of the feeding period. On the contrary, rotifers fed nutrient-sufficient microalgal cells underwent up to twofold increases of dry weight and protein, lipid, and carbohydrate contents with regard to rotifers fed nutrient-depleted N. gaditana. Consequently, feed conversion rate decreased in these conditions, indicating a better assimilation of the microalgal biomass obtained at high renewal rates. No single microalgal biochemical parameter among those studied can explain the response of the filter feeder. Similarly to gross composition, EPA and n-3 contents in rotifers fed microalgae from nutrient-sufficient cultures were double than the contents found in rotifers fed nutrient-limited microalgae. In addition, very high positive correlations between the contents of EPA and n-3 in N. gaditana and B. plicatilis were observed. These results demonstrate that selecting the appropriate conditions of semicontinuous culture can strongly enhance the nutritional value of microalgae that is reflected in the growth and biochemical composition of the filter-feeder even in short exposure periods.     

汀棠湖冬季出现的萼花臂尾轮虫对水温的适应

为了解汀棠湖冬季出现的萼花臂尾轮虫对水温的适应,探讨其在春季的种群消长机制,运用生命表统计学方法研究了温度(12℃、16℃、20℃和24℃)和斜生栅藻(Scenedesmus obliquus)密度(1.0×106、3.0×106和5.0×106个/mL)对冬季采自芜湖市汀棠湖水体中的萼花臂尾轮虫(Brachionus calyciflorus)出生时的生命期望、世代时间、平均寿命、总生殖率、净生殖率和种群内禀增长率等生活史参数的影响。结果表明,温度对轮虫出生时的生命期望、世代时间、平均寿命、净生殖率和种群内禀增长率均有显著性影响(P0.05),但对总生殖率无显著性影响(P0.05);食物密度以及食物密度与温度之间的交互作用对轮虫所有生命表统计学参数均无显著性影响(P0.05)。轮虫出生时的生命期望和平均寿命在12℃下较长,16、20℃和24℃下较短且三者间无显著性差异;轮虫的世代时间在12℃下最长,16℃和24℃下最短且两者间无显著性差异;轮虫的净生殖率在16℃下较高,12、20℃和24℃下较低且三者间无显著性差异;轮虫的种群内禀增长率在12℃下最低,16℃下最高,20℃和24℃间无显著性差异。汀棠湖冬季出现的萼花臂尾轮虫在16℃下的适合度最高,这或许是该水体中萼花臂尾轮虫种群密度在3月中旬(此时水温为17℃)达到春季最高峰的重要原因之一。     

Growth of dominant zooplankton species feeding on plankton microflora in Lake Shira

Batch cultures and continuous flow cultures were used to study the growth rates of zooplankton species from Shira lake, the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis Muller and calanoid copepod Arctodiaptomus salinus Daday, which were fed on phytoplankton and bacterioplankton from the lake. Analyses of the birth and survival rates were used to demonstrate that the lake phytoplankton, consisting mostly of cyanobacteria and diatomaceous algae, is inadequotes for optimal realisation of the reproductive potential of B. plicatilis when compared with the bacterial diet. The study revealed that the kinetic growth characteristics of the two zooplankters were similar: B. plicatilis r _max, 0.120 d^–1; S ₀, 0.253; and K _s, 0.114 mg dry mass l^–1; and for A. salinus r _max, 0.129 d^–1; S ₀, 0.240; and K _s, 0.171 mg dry mass l^–1. Fluctuations in natural food concentration reduced the growth rate of both species. Even though the threshold concentration of food for B. plicatilis and A. salinus were quite similar, the copepods were less sensitive to food limitation.     

不同培养条件下萼花臂尾轮虫休眠卵的萌发

为确定萼花臂尾轮虫休眠卵的最适形成条件 ,或为提高特定培养条件下形成的休眠卵的萌发率 ,对不同温度、食物、光照和 pH条件下萼花臂尾轮虫形成的休眠卵进行了萌发研究。发现不同培养条件下形成的休眠卵在不同萌发条件下的萌发历时均为实验开始后的第 1～ 7天 ,萌发率高峰均出现在第 1～ 3天。在萌发温度为15℃～ 30℃范围内 ,2 0℃下形成的休眠卵在 2 0℃的萌发温度下累积萌发率最高 ,为 5 2 5 0± 6 89% ;母体以小球藻为食物时 ,其所产休眠卵的平均累积萌发率为 2 7 92 % ,显著大于以斜生栅藻或蛋白核小球藻和斜生栅藻所组成的混合藻为食物时 ;休眠卵形成和萌发时的光照条件对其累积萌发率无显著的影响 ;pH6 5和 7 5条件下形成的休眠卵的累积萌发率较高 ,分别为 32 5 0± 7 0 7%和 38 75± 15 5 3%。本研究和已报道的研究结果表明 :不同培养条件下形成的休眠卵在不同条件下萌发时均呈同步萌发型式 ;2 0℃和pH7 5分别是武汉东湖萼花臂尾轮虫休眠卵形成的最适温度和最适 pH条件。     

Biotechnology and aquaculture of rotifers

Biotechnology can be defined as any technology that involves living organisms or their derivatives. In applying this definition to rotifers, we focus on their contribution in culturing of early larval stages of marine fish. After almost four decades of marine fish culture in captivity, the success of this worldwide industry is still quite dependent on mass culture of the species Brachionus plicatilis and B. rotundiformis. In mass culture, the rotifers are continuously driven to reproduce at high rates, in relatively extreme environmental conditions of high population density and high loads of organic matter. Therefore, the success of mass cultures and future improvements in these systems relies on a close interaction between basic and applied studies of rotifers. In the present review, we will attempt to analyze why rotifers are suitable for early life stages of fish and to describe, in general, methodologies that have been devised for reliable supply of rotifers in large quantities. Problems associated with rotifer production, nutritional quality and effect on fish health and nutrition, will be discussed. Research on B. plicatilis and B. rotundiformis has increased enormously during the past three decades and these two species are the best-studied rotifers so far. While much of the research on these species is directed or devoted to the needs of aquaculture industry, they are also used as models for addressing basic biological questions, due to the relative ease of culture and their availability. Studies on feeding, pheromones, speciation in rotifers, the occurrence and putative hormones involved in sexual and asexual reproduction and production of resting eggs, are few examples of such studies. Rotifers will probably maintain their role as food organism for fish larvae, in spite of attempts to replace them with more accessible formulated food. Development of new culture methods that will improve the nutritional quality and production efficiency of rotifers may result in more diversified and flexible tasks for these organisms in aquaculture.     

Effect of unionized ammonia,viscosity and protozoan contamination on reproduction and enzyme activity of the rotifer Brachionus rotundiformis

We determined the effect of environmental stressors on the physiological condition of Brachionus rotundiformis. For two morphologically distinct B. rotundiformis strains: Hawaii (average lorica length = 222 m) and Langkawi strains (average lorica length 180 m), neonates hatched from resting eggs were exposed to different levels of unionized ammonia (0.7–9.8 mg l^–1), viscosity (relative viscosity against natural seawater = 1–1.17) and Euplotes sp. (protozoan) contamination (1–40 cells ml^–1). Increasing stress decreased fecundity and lifespan of both rotifer strains. Glucosidase and phospholipase activities were correlated with reproductive responses of both the strains exposed to unionized ammonia. When culture water viscosity was changed, the activity of esterase and phospholipase was correlated with reproductive responses of the Hawaiian strain, and glucosidase activity was correlated with those of Langkawi strain.With the protozoan contamination, esterase and glucosidase activities were correlated only with reproductive responses of the Hawaiian strain, while activity of all three enzymes was correlated to those of the Langkawi strain. Glucosidase activity proved to be a reliable indicator of stress for cultured B. rotundiformis.     

The effect of pH onBrachionus calyciflorus Pallas (Rotifera)

Cohorts of the rotiferBrachionus calyciflorus were grown in media with pH of between 2.5 and 11.5 in increments of 1 unit. pH was shown to exert a major influence on the growth rate and reproductive capacity of theB. calyciflorus. At pH 2.5 theB. calyciflorus showed a negative capacity for population increase (r _c). Ther _c values of the cohorts reared at pH 3.5 and 4.5 were positive and these cohorts showed high net reproductive rates (R₀). Ther _c's of cohorts reared at pH of 5.5 and 6.5 were negative, while those of cohorts reared at pH 7.5 to 10.5 were positive with a peak in theR ₀ and cohort generation time (T _c) at pH 8.5 and 9.5. Total mortality occurred in less that 24 h at pH 11.5.Successive generations of the progeny from the cohort held at pH 3.5 were reared under the same conditions. Although ther _c of the F₁ and F₂ cohorts increased, the organism was unable to maintain the increased population growth rate, and the F₄ generation showed anr _c of almost 0.     

Space and time distribution of zooplankton in a Mediterranean lagoon (Etang de Berre)

In the Berre lagoon, a large brackish and swallow area near Marseille, the environmental factors (temperature, salinity, oxygen, suspended particulate matter and chlorophyll) generally display strong space and time variations. The rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and the copepod Acartia tonsa constitute the bulk of the zooplankton population during all the year. Their space and time distributions were studied in 23 stations distributed all over the lagoon, during four seasonal cruises (February, June, October, November), at surface and bottom layers. There is no marked difference in the horizontal and vertical distribution of the two species, (except in November when rotifers were prevailing in surface and copepods at depth) and in their time occurence. When the four series of data are pooled, correlation analysis show that A.tonsa is positively correlated with temperature, salinity and seston and negatively to oxygen and chlorophyll. B. plicatilis is positively correlated with temperature and seston, but also with chlorophyll, while salinity has a negative effect. The specific eggs number of both species is chlorophyll dependent. Considering seasonal cruises separately, some differences appear in the sense or the significance of these different correlations. The respective distribution of the two species is only partly dependent on the variation of the environmental factors: most of the variance remains unexplained, as indicated by the result of a stepwise multiple regression analysis using the most significant factors (temperature, salinity and oxygen explain 33 to 42% of the variance in Acartia, while temperature and salinity explain 27 to 28% of the variance in Brachionus). Thus, internal behavioral factors could also play a role in the distribution of organisms, particularly in some cases of aggregations of organisms observed during this study. As the two species occupied the same space habitat most of the year, they are potentially in competition for food. A way to optimize the food utilization could be the time separation of their feeding activity, nocturnal in Acartia and diurnal in Brachionus. Another way could be selective feeding upon food particles depending on their size (Brachionus being able to use finer particles than Acartia) or their quality (Brachionus being more herbivorous than Acartia) as demonstrated in some grazing experiments carried out in parallel.