The functional relationship between peak spring floods and survival and growth of juvenile Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)

1. The effects of high spring floods on survival and growth of juvenile Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar, and Brown Trout, Salmo trutta , are explored, using data from a long-term study in the River Saltdalselv, northern Norway. The flow regime in this river is typical for northern rivers.
2. There was considerable variation in year class strength of both species.
3. Mortality of Atlantic Salmon increased significantly in years with high discharge during the alevin stage as well as the first week after emergence. High discharge during the egg stage and more than 1 week after emergence seemed to be of minor importance. Water temperature at emergence was rather high (average 10·5 °C) and did not significantly affect year class strength.
4. Brown Trout emerged earlier than Atlantic Salmon at an average water temperature of 8·2 °C. Highest mortality was observed in years with low water temperatures at emergence as well as high discharge during the alevin stage.
5. For 1-year-old fish or older, the size of the spring peak flood did not influence mortality significantly.
6. Growth of Atlantic Salmon parr was diminished in years with a high peak spring flood. A similar effect on Brown Trout was not detected.     

Hybridization between Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar L. and Brown Trout S. trutta L. upon Artificial Propagation

Samples of Salmo salar and S. trutta were examined in 12 Russian fish hatcheries. With protein markers, hybrids of the two species were found in three hatcheries of the Baltic Sea basin. Some fishes had a phenotype intermediate between theS. salar and S. trutta phenotypes by morphological traits, but did not differ genetically from one of the parental species. Possible consequences of hybridization and ways to prevent it are discussed.     

Seasonal and Diel Changes in Behaviour,Microhabitat use and Preferences by Young Pool-dwelling Atlantic Salmon,Salmo salar,and Brown Trout,Salmo trutta

There was a pronounced decline in activity of young pool-dwelling Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, and brown trout, Salmo trutta, as the water temperatures dropped in the autumn and early winter, and the fish switched from a predominantly diurnal towards a nocturnal activity pattern. Such a switch in activity pattern has previously been observed in young brown trout, but the present study is the first documentation for juvenile Atlantic salmon under natural conditions. Juvenile fish fed actively even when water temperatures were below 0°C, although foraging behaviour at near-freezing temperatures was recorded exclusively during night surveys. This indicates that other proximate factors, in addition to water temperature, affect the activity of young salmon and trout in rivers. Trout kept feeding positions significantly higher above bottom than salmon in August and September, but both species reduced the height above bottom at the onset of winter, possibly due to reduced swimming performance and lowered food availability in the upper part of the water column.     

Overlooked aspects of the Salmo salar and Salmo trutta lifecycles

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - The salmonid lifecycle has been studied for over a 100 years. Our literature search indicated that the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout...     

The Bacterial Flora of the Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.) in Relation to its Environment

S ummary . The aerobic flora of the skin of 56 Atlantic salmon from coastal, estuarine and river waters was analysed quantitatively; 50 skin and 33 gill samples were analysed qualitatively. The water at each sampling station was also analysed. The principal genera on the skin and gills were Moraxella, Flavobacterium, Cytophaga and Pseudomonas ; members of Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Aeromonas, Vibrio , the Entrobacteriaceae, Micro-coccaceae and some coryneforms were also present. The gill flora was similar to that of the skin, which reflected that of the environment.     

Characterization of Novel Minisatellite Repeat Loci in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and Their Phylogenetic Distribution

We present here the sequence and characterization of various minisatellite-like tandem repeat loci isolated from the genome of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Their diversity of sequence and lack of core motifs common to minisatellites of other species suggest the presence of numerous and previously unidentified simple sequence repeat families in this salmonid. Evidence for their ubiquity was provided by screening of a salmon genomic library. Southern blot analysis of the phylogenetic distribution of a subset of the minisatellites found one sequence to be pervasive among vertebrates, others present only in Salmoninae or Salmonidae species, and one amplified only in Atlantic salmon. There is evidence for the positioning of microsatellite and minisatellite arrays in close proximity at many loci. Furthermore, one tandem repeat appears to have been inserted into the transposase coding region of a copy of the Tc1 transposon-like element recently identified in salmonids. Received: 9 October 1996 / Accepted: 20 May 1997     

Tissue Distribution of 14C-Diflubenzuron in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Diflubenzuron is a potent inhibitor of chitin synthesis, with potential use against salmon lice infestations. The absorption, distribution and elimination of the substance in Atlantic salmon was examined after a single, oral dose of 75 mg/kg body weight. The kinetic properties were studied by whole-body autoradiography, liquid scintillation counting and thin layer chromatography, using a 14C-labelled isotope of the substance. The drug was poorly absorbed from the intestine, but reached a concentration of more than 4 µg/g in the mucus layer of the skin 2 days after administration. If maintained for several days, this concentration is probably sufficient to control all moulting stages of sea lice in Atlantic salmon. The main route of excretion was via the bile.     

Evolution of Hox Clusters in Salmonidae: A Comparative Analysis Between Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

We studied the genomic organization of Hox genes in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and made comparisons to that in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), another member of the family Salmonidae. We used these two species to test the hypothesis that the Hox genes would provide evidence for a fourth round of duplication (4R) of this gene family given the recent polyploid ancestry of the salmonid fish. Thirteen putative Hox clusters were identified and 10 of these complexes were localized to the current Atlantic salmon genetic map. Syntenic regions with the rainbow trout linkage map were detected and further homologies and homeologies are suggested. We propose that the common ancestor of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout possessed at least 14 clusters of Hox genes, and additional clusters cannot be ruled out. Salmonid Hox cluster complements seem to be more similar to those of zebrafish (Danio rerio) than medaka (Oryzias latipes) or pufferfish (Sphoeroides nephelus and Takifugu rubripes), as both Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout have retained HoxCb ortholog, which has been lost in medaka and pufferfish but not in zebrafish. However, our data suggest that phylogenetically, the homologous genes within each cluster express mosaic relationships among the teleosts tested and, thus, leave unresolved the interfamilial relationships among these taxa. Sequence data from this article have been deposited within the EMBL/GenBank Data Libraries under the following accession numbers: AY677341, AY677342, AY677343, AY677344, AY677345, AY677346, AY677347, AY677348, AY677349, AY677350, AY677351, AY677352, AY677353, AY677354, AY677355, AY677356, AY677357, AY677358, AY677359, AY677360, AY677361, AY677362, AY677363, AY677364 and AY677365. [Reviewing Editor: Dr. Axel Meyer]     

Invasion Dynamics of a Fish-Free Landscape by Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)

Metapopulation dynamics over the course of an invasion are usually difficult to grasp because they require large and reliable data collection, often unavailable. The invasion of the fish-free freshwater ecosystems of the remote sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands following man-made introductions of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in the 1950''s is an exception to this rule. Benefiting from a full long term environmental research monitoring of the invasion, we built a Bayesian dynamic metapopulation model to analyze the invasion dynamics of 85 river systems over 51 years. The model accounted for patch size (river length and connections to lakes), alternative dispersal pathways between rivers, temporal trends in dynamics, and uncertainty in colonization date. The results show that the model correctly represents the observed pattern of invasion, especially if we assume a coastal dispersal pathway between patches. Landscape attributes such as patch size influenced the colonization function, but had no effect on propagule pressure. Independently from patch size and distance between patches, propagule pressure and colonization function were not constant through time. Propagule pressure increased over the course of colonization, whereas the colonization function decreased, conditional on propagule pressure. The resulting pattern of this antagonistic interplay is an initial rapid invasion phase followed by a strong decrease in the invasion rate. These temporal trends may be due to either adaptive processes or environmental gradients encountered along the colonization front. It was not possible to distinguish these two hypotheses. Because invasibility of Kerguelen Is. freshwater ecosystems is very high due to the lack of a pre-existing fish fauna and minimal human interference, our estimates of invasion dynamics represent a blueprint for the potential of brown trout invasiveness in pristine environments. Our conclusions shed light on the future of polar regions where, because of climate change, fish-free ecosystems become increasingly accessible to invasion by fish species.     

N-Terminal Sequence and Main Characteristics of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Albumin

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) serum albumin was purified from plasma and its N-terminal sequence determined. Atlantic salmon albumin is the predominant plasma protein, negatively charged, at pH 8.6. Albumin was purified to >95% purity which yielded a single band on SDS-PAGE and agarose gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the purified albumin was approximately 6,5 kDa. The N-terminal sequence of Atlantic chinook salmon albumin was consistent with that predicted from its previously determined cDNA sequence and was identical to that of salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) albumin through the first 15 residues. However, the fact that the actual N-terminus was different from that predicted from cDNA sequence indicates that Atlantic salmon albumin, like chinook salmon albumin, lacks a propeptide.     

Cataract Development in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L) in Fresh Water

Irreversible bilateral cataracts were diagnosed by slit-lamp biomicroscopy in 178 of 200 farm-raised Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L) fed a standard diet over a five-month period. Initial changes were anterior polar opacities, progressing to involve both the anterior and posterior cortex before changes in the lens nucleus were seen. The lens changes were recorded and given scores according to the severity of the cataracts. At each of 3 samplings, after 2, 4 and 5 months, 200 fish were measured, weighed and examined by slit-lamp biomicroscopy. At all 3 samplings, there was a significant correlation between body length and both cataract incidence and cataract severity. There was also a significant correlation between body weight and cataract incidence and severity for the 2 last samplings. There was a significant correlation between K-factor as a measure of the shape of the fish, and both cataract incidence and severity, at all 3 samplings. Evaluation of specific growth rate in the periods between the examinations showed that the rapidly-growing fish were most susceptible to cataract formation. After cataract developed, however, the growth rate slowed. Follow-up examination of severely affected fish 3 months after transfer to sea water showed a normal cortical zone in the periphery of the lens in 24 out of 28 fish.     

Characterization of transferrin‐linked microsatellites in brown trout (Salmo trutta) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The transferrin (TF) gene has recently received increased interest in fish given its fitness relevance as a resistance gene against pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we characterized five TF‐linked microsatellites in brown trout (Salmo trutta) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Interestingly, each marker amplified duplicated loci and linkage analysis revealed that the TF gene has most likely experienced a tandem duplication during salmonid evolution. In addition, the amplification of all five markers across a wide range of salmonid species suggests that they may be of general interest for the genetic analysis of the TF gene(s) in this teleost family.     

Influence of Hypo-osmolality on the Activity of Short-Chain Neutral Amino Acid Carriers in Trout (Salmo trutta) Red Blood Cells

The present study shows that in trout red blood cells the activity of some amino acid carriers, not directly involved in cell volume regulation, is affected by external osmolality. Glycine uptake has been used as the experimental approach because it was shown previously that it is effected by different carriers, namely the Na⁺-dependent ASC and Gly systems, as well as the Na⁺-independent asc and L systems. An increase in the uptake through the Gly system and the two Na⁺-independent carriers was found, while the ASC system appeared to be downregulated. Those systems whose activities were increased by hypo-osmolality did not share the mechanism by which this increase was obtained. Thus, the Gly system was sensitive to intracellular ionic changes, while the Na⁺- independent systems were mechanically stimulated, as assessed by the iso-osmotic swelling caused by ammonium chloride. On the other hand, a volume-sensitive transporter may be present in trout red blood cells, which is involved in the swelling-induced glycine movement, as can be deduced from the effect of some inhibitors such as pyridoxal phosphate, DIDS (4,4′-diisothiocyanate-stilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid) and quinine. Received: 12 February 1996/Revised: 9 September 1996     

Muscle-Specific RING Finger (MuRF) cDNAs in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and Their Role as Regulators of Muscle Protein Degradation

The selection of proteins destined for degradation by the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway is coordinated by E3 ubiquitin ligases (E3Ub). One group of E3Ubs is described as muscle-specific RING finger (MuRF) molecules. In mammals, these proteins are believed to be central to targetting of muscle proteins for degradation during physiological perturbations such as starvation and inflammatory responses. In fish, the diversity of MuRF sequences is unexplored as is the expression of their mRNAs. In this study, three MuRF1 cDNAs, denoted as MuRF1a, MuRF1b, and MuRF1c, and a single MuRF2 were identified and characterized in Atlantic salmon. The MuRF1 sequences are highly conserved and encode predicted proteins of 349, 350, and 353 amino acids, whereas MuRF2 encodes a longer protein of 462 amino acids. The evolutionary relationship of these sequences with other fish and mammalian molecules shows that MuRF1a and 1b may have arisen from a recent salmonid duplication. The mRNA of MuRFs was expressed in multiple tissues, with highest abundance in white muscle tissue followed by the heart. The expression of MuRFs was modulated after both starvation and immune challenge. Starvation increased expression of all MuRF mRNAs in white muscle, with the greatest increase found in MuRF1a. A proinflammatory stimulation increased expression of MuRF mRNA in muscle and other tissues indicating a role of these proteins in protein degradation during inflammation.     

Experimental Tests for Heritable Morphological Color Plasticity in Non-Native Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) Populations

The success of invasive species is frequently attributed to phenotypic plasticity, which facilitates persistence in novel environments. Here we report on experimental tests to determine whether the intensity of cryptic coloration patterns in a global invader (brown trout, Salmo trutta) was primarily the result of plasticity or heritable variation. Juvenile F₁ offspring were created through experimental crosses of wild-caught parents and reared for 30 days in the laboratory in a split-brood design on either light or dark-colored gravel substrate. Skin and fin coloration quantified with digital photography and image analysis indicated strong plastic effects in response to substrate color; individuals reared on dark substrate had both darker melanin-based skin color and carotenoid-based fin colors than other members of their population reared on light substrate. Slopes of skin and fin color reaction norms were parallel between environments, which is not consistent with heritable population-level plasticity to substrate color. Similarly, we observed weak differences in population-level color within an environment, again suggesting little genetic control on the intensity of skin and fin colors. Taken as whole, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that phenotypic plasticity may have facilitated the success of brown trout invasions and suggests that plasticity is the most likely explanation for the variation in color intensity observed among these populations in nature.     

Microsatellite DNA Polymorphism in Intensely Enhanced Populations of Sea Trout (Salmo trutta) in the Southern Baltic

Sea trout (Salmo trutta) is an anadromous form of brown trout, a commercially important salmonid species in Europe. Stocking has been used to compensate for the decrease of natural populations and maintenance of fishery and angling catches. Over 1.5 million smolts and 4.5 million alevins are released to Polish coastal rivers each year. Variation at 7 microsatellite loci (Ssa197, Ssa171, Ssa85, Str15, Str73, Str591, and Str543) was used to study genetic polymorphism of spawners returning to 6 rivers. Application of distance method for comparison of pairs of populations based on number of different alleles (F _ST) revealed significant differences between Vistula and Wieprza, and Parseta as well as between Drweca and Wieprza, and Slupia. The level of heterozygosity was similar between most of the studied sea trout populations; considerable differences were found only for Str591. Differences in frequencies of a few alleles between populations were observed. An exact test of sample differentiation based on allele frequencies confirmed lack of significance of differentiation between the 6 pairs of populations (F _ST and R _ST). No admixture was observed in the studied populations. Possible effects of stocking on the genetic polymorphism of the sea trout populations in wild with implications for biotechnology are discussed.