An appraisal of methods used in coral recruitment studies

 A new method for attaching individual artificial settlement plates directly to the reef surface using small stainless steel base plates is described. Recruitment of corals to settlement plates attached to the reef substratum and to steel mesh racks is compared. The effects of differences in depth, settlement plate angle, and local topography on recruitment of corals were also investigated. No significant difference in mean recruit density was found between settlement plates deployed using the two attachment methods. Small differences in depth and plate angle among replicate plates explained less than 6% of the variability in coral recruitment on replicate settlement plates. The direct-attachment method is less obtrusive, more cost and time efficient, and settlement plates can be deployed at precise locations. Additionally, because settlement plates are deployed individually rather than grouped on racks or frames, the direct-attachment method avoids complications associated with assumptions of independence implicit in most statistical procedures. Accepted: 24 November 1999     

Phenotypic and genetic consequences of size selection at the larval stage in the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

The life histories of oysters in the genus Crassostrea, like those of most marine bivalves, are typified by high fecundity and low survival in nature. Rearing conditions in hatcheries however ensure optimized density, diet, and temperature. Hatcheries are becoming increasingly important for the production of juveniles in aquaculture, and their culture practices often include culling of slow growing larvae to reduce and synchronize the time taken to reach settlement. Because previous studies have found substantial genetic variation for early life developmental traits in Crassostrea gigas, these culling practices are likely to cause highly different selective pressures in hatcheries from those in the natural environment. We studied the phenotypic and genetic impact of such culling practices in a factorial cross between 10 males and 3 females subjected to progressive culling of the smallest 50% of larvae, compared with a non-culled control. Measurements were made on larval growth, survival, time taken to attain pediveliger stage and settlement success. Culling had a larger effect on the variance of these larval traits than on their means. The larvae in culled cultures were approximately 10% larger than those in controls, whereas the coefficient of variation was reduced by 30-40%. Culling also reduced the mean time to settlement by 12% and its variance by 55%. Using a multiplexed set of microsatellite markers to trace parentage, we also estimated the variance in reproductive success in a controlled experiment to quantify the consequences of intensive hatchery rearing practices. We also focused on changes in effective population size and genetic structure over time (and developmental stages). Our results show a loss of genetic diversity following removal of the smallest larvae by culling, as well as temporally varying genetic structure of the larval population. This supports the existence of genetic variability in early life developmental traits in C. gigas. Culling in hatcheries, like size-related selective pressures in the wild, are likely to have a significant genetic impact, through their effects on the timing of settlement.     

卤虫投喂下长吻(鱼危)仔稚鱼消化酶发育和口宽变化的研究

采用酶学和形态学测定方法, 研究在投喂卤虫条件下长吻(鱼危)仔鱼4种主要消化酶: 胃蛋白酶、胰蛋白酶、脂肪酶和淀粉酶的活性变化以及长吻(鱼危)仔鱼口宽、全长变化。实验共进行13d, 实验结果表明: (1)长吻(鱼危)仔鱼全长、口宽的发育与其日龄表现出明显的线性正相关(R_TL²=0.974, R_MW²=0.964)。口宽与全长比值(MW/TL)在仔鱼开口后急剧下降, 并自7日龄开始维持在0.07—0.08, 口宽和全长处于同步发育期并表现出明显的相关性(R²=0.948), 说明7日龄(/h, days post hatching)后口宽和全长处于同步发育期, 标志仔鱼转食的开始。(2)长吻(鱼危)仔鱼初次开口时即可检测出四种消化酶的活性。5—7/h时胰蛋白酶显著高于初孵仔鱼, 与此时仔鱼开始开口摄食的行为相一致。胃蛋白酶、脂肪酶活性在仔鱼孵化后第7天即开口的第3天, 淀粉酶活性在孵化后第6天, 显著高于初次孵化出来的仔鱼。8—13/h时, 胃蛋白酶、胰蛋白酶、脂肪酶和淀粉酶活性均在较高水平平稳的波动, 标志着消化道发育逐渐健全。     

The enzyme 3-hydroxykynurenine transaminase as potential target for 1,2,4-oxadiazoles with larvicide activity against the dengue vector Aedes aegypti

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the vector agent responsible for the transmission of yellow fever and dengue fever viruses to over 80 million people in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Exhaustive efforts have lead to a vaccine candidate with only 30% effectiveness against the dengue virus and failure to protect patients against the serotype 2. Hence, vector control remains the most viable route to dengue fever control programs. We have synthesized a class of 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives whose most biologically active compounds exhibit potent activity against Aedes aegypti larvae (ca. of 15 ppm) and low toxicity in mammals. Exposure to these larvicides results in larvae pigmentation in a manner correlated with the LC₅₀ measurements. Structural comparisons of the 1,2,4-oxadiazole nucleus against known inhibitors of insect enzymes allowed the identification of 3-hydroxykynurenine transaminase as a potential target for these synthetic larvicides. Molecular docking calculations indicate that 1,2,4-oxadiazole compounds can bind to 3-hydroxykynurenine transaminase with similar conformation and binding energies as its crystallographic inhibitor 4-(2-aminophenyl)-4-oxobutanoic acid.     

刀鲚胚胎及胚后发育早期脂肪酸组成变化

为掌握刀鲚(Coilia nasus)胚胎及胚后发育早期的脂肪酸变化规律,采用生化分析手段对刀鲚的胚胎(原肠期,受精后7～9 h)、0日龄仔鱼(初孵仔鱼)、3日龄仔鱼和5日龄仔鱼(开口前)的脂肪酸组成和含量进行了检测分析。结果显示,刀鲚发育早期的总脂占干物质的相对含量均较高(53.10%～60.97%),干物质的总脂相对含量随个体发育显著降低,单个个体的总脂含量随个体发育呈现剧烈下降趋势,数值从胚胎的43.62μg/ind剧烈下降到5日龄仔鱼的16.27μg/ind;水分含量随个体发育而升高。刀鲚发育早期上述4个时期的干样中检出6种饱和脂肪酸(SFA)、4种单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)和8种多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)。4个发育时期脂肪酸相对含量,C18:1n9c占绝对优势(50.39%～57.00%),C16:1丰富且稳定(13.77%～14.24%),C16:0也较丰富(7.45%～9.15%)。单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)比例占绝对优势(65.14%～72.26%),n-3与n-6系列多不饱和脂肪酸含量的比值(∑n3PUFA/∑n6PUFA)较小(1.78～2.38)。刀鲚胚胎孵化出膜期间,单个个体单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)实际减少程度较高,尤其是C18:1n9c(减少量为13.21μg/ind,减少比例达到55.49%)和C16:1(减少量和比例分别为3.30μg/ind和53.12%),而二十碳五烯酸(EPA)加二十二碳六烯酸(DHA)的减少程度较低(1.44μg/ind和38.41%),尤其是DHA(0.95μg/ind和36.52%)。然而,出膜后,仔鱼对单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)的利用相对较低(1.94μg/ind和14.17%),尤其是C18:1n9c(13.21μg/ind和12.41%)和C16:1(0.63μg/ind和21.81%);而对EPA+DHA利用相对较高(1.04μg/ind和45.10%),尤其是DHA(0.71μg/ind和42.61%)。研究表明,刀鲚胚胎优先蓄留EPA和DHA,仔鱼在摄食前大量利用EPA+DHA(特别是DHA),呈现出海水鱼类脂肪酸的利用特点。因此,建议在刀鲚亲本强化培育及产后培育中,增加投喂富含单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)(特别是C18:1和C16:1)的饵料,以加强刀鲚亲本的营养积累和产卵后亲本生理机能的恢复;在刀鲚育苗前期,要及时补充富含DHA和EPA的饵料,如,单胞藻、蛋黄等,以提高刀鲚仔鱼开口期间的成活率。     

δ13C and δ15N changes after dietary shift in veliger larvae of the slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata: an experimental evidence

δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N measurements are still poorly conducted in benthic invertebrate larvae. To assess the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N changes occurring after a dietary shift, experiments were conducted on veliger larvae of Crepidula fornicata fed with two cultured microalgae (Isochrysis galbana and Pavlova lutheri) of known isotopic composition, ¹³C-enriched and ¹⁵N-depleted compared to the initial values of the larvae. Rapid changes in larval δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were observed after the dietary shift, with an increase in δ¹³C and a decrease in δ¹⁵N. After 19 days of feeding, isotopic equilibrium was still not reached, a period which is close to the duration of the pelagic life of the larvae. This implies that the isotopic composition measured in field-collected larvae might only partly reflect actual larval feeding but also the parental isotopic signature, especially during the early developmental stages. Isotopic measurements in marine invertebrate larvae should thus be interpreted cautiously. In planktonic food web investigations, the study of field-collected larvae of different size/developmental stage may reduce potential misinterpretations.     

The importance of life-history stage and individual variation in the allorecognition system of a marine sponge

In marine invertebrates with complex life cycles, it may often be the case that trade-offs and behaviors differ between adult and larval stages. In this study, I examined the effects of life-history stage on allorecognition system function in the sponge, Haliclona sp. For sedentary marine invertebrates, allorecognition systems allow individuals to distinguish between genetically similar and distinct tissue they may encounter and are thought to reduce costly tissue fusion with individuals other than self or kin. Although it was found that sessile adults fused preferentially with self-tissue and exhibited a functioning allorecognition system, free-swimming larvae fused equally with sibling and non-sibling larvae resulting in swimming chimeras capable of successful metamorphosis, suggesting a stage-activated allorecognition system. In addition, adult sponges differed significantly in the propensity of their larvae to fuse suggesting variation in parental strategies. Analysis of larval swimming behavior indicated that larvae aggregate and are capable of increasing their encounters with other larvae and perhaps their probability of fusing in nature. The pursuit of fusion at this motile stage, along with evidence of a functioning adult allorecognition system, suggests that larvae may not express a recognition system, or that factors other than relatedness such as benefits to larval or adult chimeras, are involved in larval fusion and a stage-activated allorecognition system. In addition, this study demonstrates the presence of variation among individuals in the allorecognition system's ontogeny in the sponge Haliclona sp.     

Leaf beetles are ant-nest beetles: the curious life of the juvenile stages of case-bearers (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae)

Although some species of Cryptocephalinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) have been documented with ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) for almost 200 years, information on this association is fragmentary. This contribution synthesizes extant literature and analysizes the data for biological patterns. Myrmecophily is more common in the tribe Clytrini than in Cryptocephalini, but not documented for Fulcidacini or the closely-related Lamprosomatinae. Myrmecophilous cryptocephalines (34 species in 14 genera) primarily live among formicine and myrmecines ants as hosts. These two ant lineages are putative sister-groups, with their root-node dated to between 77–90 mya. In the New World tropics, the relatively recent radiation of ants from moist forests to more xeric ecosystems might have propelled the association of cryptocephalines and ant nests. Literature records suggest that the defensive behavioral profile or chemical profile (or both) of these ants has been exploited by cryptocephalines. Another pattern appears to be that specialized natural enemies, especially parasitoid Hymenoptera, exploit cryptocephaline beetles inside the ant nests. With the extant data at hand, based on the minimum age of a fossil larva dated to 45 mya, we can infer that the origin of cryptocephaline myrmecophily could have arisen within the Upper Cretaceous or later. It remains unknown how many times myrmecophily has appeared, or how old is the behavior. This uncertainty is compounded by incongruent hypotheses about the origins of Chrysomelidae and angiosperm-associated lineages of cryptocephalines. Living with ants offers multiple advantages that might have aided the colonization of xeric environments by some cryptocephaline species.     

Contrasting patterns of mussel abundance at neighbouring sites: does recruitment limitation explain the absence of mussels on Cook Strait (New Zealand) shores?

Wellington Harbour (New Zealand) supports large populations of mussels (Aulacomya maoriana, Mytilus galloprovincialis and Perna canaliculus), whereas these species are absent from Cook Strait shores only a few km away. The density of planktonic mussel larvae and their recruitment rates to artificial substrates were investigated at harbour (with mussels) and Cook Strait (no mussels) sites to determine if a diminished or a zero larval supply and/or settlement explains the absence of mussels from Cook Strait shores. At both locations, larvae were collected from the plankton approximately monthly between September 1998 and February 2000, and recruitment rates to artificial substrates were estimated between March 2000 and February 2001. Planktonic larval densities were almost an order of magnitude greater within the harbour than at coastal sites (mean (±S.D.) density was 982 m⁻³ (±1478) with a peak density in September 1998 of 4207 m⁻³, compared with 106 (±94) and 381 m⁻³, respectively, in March 1999). Larval recruitment at harbour sites was also significantly greater than at coastal sites (mean (±S.D.) recruitment density was 2169 m⁻² (±4207) with a peak of ca. 211,425 m⁻² in July 2000, compared with 88 m⁻² (±86) and ca. 3700 m⁻², respectively, in February 2001). It has been suggested that “bottom up” regulation of community structure, principally via a diet of particulates low in organic matter, is the explanation for the absence of suspension feeding mussels from Cook Strait sites [Helson, J. G., 2001. An investigation into the absence of mussels (Perna canalicus, Aulacomya maoriana and Mytilus galloprovincialis) from the South Coast of Wellington, New Zealand. Unpublished PhD thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, 183 pp.], but given that planktonic larval supply and recruitment rates are much reduced at coastal sites, these data may also be important in explaining the absence. Whether current levels of recruitment are sufficient to maintain an adult population is at present unknown and requires further examination.