The changing times of Europe's largest remaining commercially harvested population of eel Anguilla anguilla L.

This study quantifies the processes involved in regulating the European eel population of Lough Neagh, a lake in Northern Ireland. The relationship between glass eel input and silver eel output for the 1923–1997 cohorts was best described by a Beverton–Holt stock recruitment model. Glass eel input time series was not complete and was thus derived from the relationship between catches elsewhere in Europe and Lough Neagh, together with the addition of stocked glass eel. Silver eel output was the sum of silver eel escapement, catch and yellow eel catch converted to silver eel equivalents. Natural mortality increased with glass eel density, ranging from 0.017 to 0.142 year⁻¹. The mean carrying capacity increased from ≈3.25 M silver eels (≈26 kg ha⁻¹) for the 1923–1943 cohorts to ≈5.0 M (≈40 kg ha⁻¹) for the 1948–1971 cohorts before regressing back to ≈3.25 M. The total silver eel output was highest during the late 1970s/early 1980s at 35–45 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and lowest during the early years of the 20th century and is currently at 10–15 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The findings are discussed in relation to (a) the ecological changes that have occurred within the lough, associated with eutrophication and the introduction of roach (Rutilus rutilus L.), and (b) the decline of the wider European eel stock across its distribution range. The findings from this study have relevance for the wider management of the European eel stock.     

Biological parameters and current status of European eel (Anguilla anguilla Linnaeus, 1758) from Asi River,Northeastern Mediterranean region,Turkey

The biological characteristics of eels from the Asi River, Turkey, were assessed between December 2017 and November 2018. Eels were sampled monthly using fyke nets (operated by professional fishermen), yielding a total of 509 specimens. Total length and weight were measured, sex, age and maturity stages (silver or yellow eel) were determined. Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) was calculated for both biomass per unit effort and numbers caught on a monthly and annual basis. The length-weight relationships (LWRs) of silver and yellow eel was W = 0.009*TL^3.22 (n = 262) and W = 0.0106*L^3.09 (n = 247), respectively. The age of the sampled fish ranged from year class II to VI. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were estimated as L_∞=69.25 cm, K = 0.43 1/year, t₀= −0.41 and phi prime index ( ǿ )= 3.31 for all samples. The overall eel fishing mortality rate (F) was 0.31 year^-1, and the exploitation and survival rates of silver stage eels were estimated with 30% and 39%, respectively.     

Validation of the occurrence of the American eel Anguilla rostrata (Le Sueur, 1817) in free-draining European inland waters

The screening of 2,735 eels from European waters and aquaculture farms was conducted using mitochondrial Cytochrome b and 16S rRNA gene fragments amplified by polymerase chain reaction. Reaction products were either sequenced directly or subjected to analysis using restriction fragment length polymorphism which resulted in species-specific restriction patterns. Beside the expected European eel, Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758), the American eel, Anguilla rostrata (Le Sueur, 1817), was also identified in samples from both aquaculture (N = 40 out of 1,025) and from natural waters (N = 44 out of 1,710). The life stages of American eels identified from several German waters draining to either the Baltic Sea and the North Sea ranged from elver to silver eels. This indicates that stocking with glass eels or elvers must have occurred several times most likely in the period from 1998 to 2002. The application of a fast and precise method for species identification and genetic monitoring of eels delivered for stocking is therefore essential for maintaining the autochthonous species composition in future. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Cholinesterase activities and sensitivity to pesticides in different tissues of silver European eel, Anguilla anguilla

Cholinesterase (ChE) activities were characterized in silver European eel, Anguilla anguilla, grown in the brackish lagoon of Comacchio (Italy). All specimens were harvested at the “lavoriero”, a traditional eel trapping weir that captures eels while leaving internal waters at the onset of reproductive migration. To our knowledge, no investigation on ChE was reported in silver eels. Therefore a first characterization of enzyme activity in muscle, brain, liver and plasma of silver eel was carried out, in the presence of different substrates, selective inhibitors, and four pesticides representative of the carbamate and organophosphate classes. Brain and white skeletal muscle showed similar ChE activities, 5- and 10-fold higher than those detected in liver and plasma, respectively. Km values of 0.31 and 0.30 mM, and Vmax values of 40.28 and 35.47 nmol min^–1 mg protein^–1 were obtained in brain and muscle ChE, respectively. Acetycholinesterase was the predominant ChE form in all tissues, as concluded by comparing the effects of BW 284c51, iso-OMPA and eserine. ChE activities in brain and muscle were significantly inhibited by in vitro treatment with pesticides, with the following order of potency: carbofuran > carbaryl > chlorpyrifos ≥ diazinon.     

Stable carbon isotope characteristics of desert plants in the Junggar Basin, China

Desert plants have unique strategies for survival and growth to cope with the limited water availability in arid regions. The stable carbon isotope (δ ¹³C) provides an integrated measurement of internal plant physiological and external environmental properties affecting photosynthetic gas exchange and water use efficiency. The δ ¹³C values of 84 species in the Junggar Basin were categorized into two groups (ranged from −30.1 to −23.3‰ for C₃ and −14.9 to −9.9‰ for C₄ species, respectively). No life form differences in δ ¹³C values were detected in C₃ (p = 0.78) and C₄ plants (p = 0.63). Small differences among life forms were observed in δ ¹³C values in C₄ species with shrubs slightly depleted (−13.3‰) relative to perennials (−13.1‰) and annuals (−12.5‰). These differences suggested that δ ¹³C value could not represent a plant functional group classification based on life forms in C₄ plants in extremely arid regions. Ephemerals are all using C₃ photosynthetic pathway and no significant differences (p = 0.92) in δ ¹³C values were observed between annuals (−26.5‰) and perennials (−26.4‰). The δ ¹³C values of Tulipa iliensis (an important ephemeral species distributed widely in the Junggar Basin) among nine natural populations were positively correlated with leaf (r ² = 0.46, p = 0.046) and soil (r ² = 0.67, p = 0.007) total nitrogen content, and negatively correlated with leaf (r ² = 0.48, p = 0.039) and soil (r ² = 0.79, p = 0.001) water content. This indicated that the variation in δ ¹³C values of T. iliensis was probably caused by both water availability associated stomatal openness and nitrogen availability associated photosynthetic capacity. T. iliensis is very sensitive to water and nitrogen availability in soil.     

Seasonal variations in stable isotope ratios of two biomanipulation fishes and seston in a large pen culture in hypereutrophic Meiliang Bay, Lake Taihu

This paper reports on seasonal changes in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of seston and muscle tissue of silver carp and bighead carp during 2004 and 2005, focusing primarily on the carbon sources and trophic relationships among phytoplankton, zooplankton and silver carp and bighead carp in a large fish pen of Meiliang Bay (Lake Taihu, China). δ¹³C showed a minimal value in March 2005 and a maximal value in August 2005 in seston both inside and outside the pen, whereas δ¹⁵N of seston showed the minimum in winter and the maximum during algal blooms. A positive correlation between δ¹³C of silver carp and that of seston suggested that temporal variation of δ¹³C in seston was preserved in fish via the food chain. The differences of δ¹³C among seston, zooplankton and muscle tissue of silver carp and bighead carp ranged only 0.2–1.7%, indicating that plankton production was the primary food source of filter-feeding fishes. According to a mass balance model, we estimated that the contributions of zooplankton to the diets of silver carp and bighead carp were 45.7% and 54.3%, respectively, based on the δ¹⁵N values of zooplankton and planktivorous fishes.     

Conclusive evidence for panmixia in the American eel

Eels are unique species in the biological world. The two North Atlantic eel species, the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and the European eel (A. anguilla), occupy a broad range of habitats from the Caribbean to Greenland in the western Atlantic and from Morocco to Iceland in the eastern Atlantic, respectively. North Atlantic eels have a catadromous life cycle, spawning only in the Sargasso Sea and spending the majority of their lives in continental (fresh, brackish and coastal) waters. Despite such a wide distribution range, North Atlantic eels have been regarded as a textbook example of panmictic species. In contrast with the large amount of population genetic studies testing the panmixia hypothesis in the European eel, a relatively modest effort has been given to study the population structure of the American eel. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Côté et al. ( 2013 ) present the most comprehensive American eel data set to date, which includes samples of different life stages obtained throughout all its distribution range in North America. Results show a total lack of genetic differentiation among samples and provide decisive evidence for panmixia in the American eel.     

Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) propagation using cryopreserved sperm samples

The aim of this study was to test the artificial seminal plasma (ASP) as the extender as well as methanol as the cryoprotectant for cryopreservation, and to collect information on the fertilizing capacity of cryopreserved sperm samples. Eggs from Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica, females were control‐fertilized with native sperm diluted with ASP and cryopreserved sperm (ASP as extender [in 1:100 ratio] and 10% methanol in v/v final concentration). No statistical differences (p < .05) were among the measured parameters (hatching, survival after 10 days post‐hatch, malformation rates) between the two groups, thus this cryopreservation method can be used effectively for artificial propagation of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica.     

Escapement success of silver eels from a German river system is low compared to management‐based estimates

相似文献   

Dietary effects on fatty acid composition in muscle tissue of juvenile European eel, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anguilla anguilla</Emphasis> (L.)

The role of intracontinental migration patterns of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) receives more and more recognition in both ecological studies of the European eel and possible management measures, but small-scale patterns proved to be challenging to study. We experimentally investigated the suitability of fatty acid trophic markers to elucidate the utilization of feeding habitats. Eight groups of juvenile European eels were fed on eight different diets in a freshwater recirculation system at 20°C for 56 days. Three groups were fed on freshwater diets (Rutilus rutilus, Chironomidae larvae, and Gammarus pulex) and four groups were reared on diets of a marine origin (Clupea harengus, Crangon crangon, Mysis spec., and Euphausia superba) and one on commercial pellets used in eel aquaculture. Fatty acid composition (FAC) of diets differed significantly with habitat. FAC of eel muscle tissue seemed to be rather insensitive to fatty acids supplied with diet, but the general pattern of lower n3:n6 and EPA:ARA ratios in freshwater prey organisms could be traced in the respective eels. Multivariate statistics of the fatty acid composition of the eels resulted in two distinct groups representing freshwater and marine treatments. Results further indicate the capability of selectively restraining certain fatty acids in eel, as e.g. the n3:n6 ratio in all treatments was <4, regardless of dietary n3:n6. In future studies on wild eel, these measures can be used to elucidate the utilization of feeding habitats of individual European eel.     

Intra-specific scaling of natural mortality in fish: the paradigmatic case of the European eel

Identifying factors and processes influencing natural mortality is fundamental to the understanding of population dynamics. Metabolic theory of ecology and experimental studies at the cross-species level suggest the existence of general patterns linking natural mortality to body mass and temperature. However, there is scant evidence that similar relationships also hold at the intra-specific scale, possibly because of the relatively narrow range of sizes and temperatures experienced by most species and the effect of local adaptation, which can obscure links between temperature and vital rates. In this sense, the European eel Anguilla anguilla, a panmictic species with a wide distribution range, provides a paradigmatic case. We compiled data published in the past 30 years on eel mortality during the continental phase of the life cycle for 15 eel stocks and calibrated a general model for mortality, considering the effects of body mass, temperature, stock density and gender. Estimated activation energy (E = 1.2 eV) was at the upper extreme reported for metabolic reactions. Estimated mortality rates (ranging between 0.02 year⁻¹ at 8°C, low density and 0.47 year⁻¹ at 18°C, high density for a body mass of 100 g) were appreciably lower than those of most fishes, most likely due to the exceptionally low energy-consuming metabolism of eel.     

Genome‐wide single‐generation signatures of local selection in the panmictic European eel

Next‐generation sequencing and the collection of genome‐wide data allow identifying adaptive variation and footprints of directional selection. Using a large SNP data set from 259 RAD‐sequenced European eel individuals (glass eels) from eight locations between 34 and 64^oN, we examined the patterns of genome‐wide genetic diversity across locations. We tested for local selection by searching for increased population differentiation using F_ST‐based outlier tests and by testing for significant associations between allele frequencies and environmental variables. The overall low genetic differentiation found (F_ST = 0.0007) indicates that most of the genome is homogenized by gene flow, providing further evidence for genomic panmixia in the European eel. The lack of genetic substructuring was consistent at both nuclear and mitochondrial SNPs. Using an extensive number of diagnostic SNPs, results showed a low occurrence of hybrids between European and American eel, mainly limited to Iceland (5.9%), although individuals with signatures of introgression several generations back in time were found in mainland Europe. Despite panmixia, a small set of SNPs showed high genetic differentiation consistent with single‐generation signatures of spatially varying selection acting on glass eels. After screening 50 354 SNPs, a total of 754 potentially locally selected SNPs were identified. Candidate genes for local selection constituted a wide array of functions, including calcium signalling, neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction and circadian rhythm. Remarkably, one of the candidate genes identified is PERIOD, possibly related to differences in local photoperiod associated with the >30° difference in latitude between locations. Genes under selection were spread across the genome, and there were no large regions of increased differentiation as expected when selection occurs within just a single generation due to panmixia. This supports the conclusion that most of the genome is homogenized by gene flow that removes any effects of diversifying selection from each new generation.     

Validation of annulus in otolith and estimation of growth rate for Japanese eel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anguilla japonica</Emphasis> in tropical southern Taiwan

The age of Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica) is often estimated from otoliths, but this method has not been fully validated, particularly in tropical areas where the annulus in otolith is considered to be less distinct than in temperate areas. To validate the annuli in Japanese eel otoliths from southern Taiwan, known-age (2 year-old) cultured eels from an eel farm and wild eels from Kao-Ping River were collected. It was found that 26 out of 31 cultured eels (83.9%) showed two clear annuli and the remained 5 eels showed either one or three annuli. The mean (± SD) age of the cultured eels was 1.97 ± 0.4 years. Meanwhile, a clear peak in the mean monthly marginal increment ratio of the otolith in wild yellow and silver eels occurred once a year during winter (November to March). The annual deposition of presumed annuli in otoliths of Japanese eel was validated and the age and growth rate estimation for Japanese eels in the tropical southern Taiwan is deemed feasible. The growth rate of cultured eels was significantly faster than that of wild eels, but it did not differ significantly between sexes for wild silver, yellow or cultured eels. The von Bertalanffy Growth Function parameters (K, and t ₀ ) of the wild eels were estimated as 0.114 ± 0.028 year⁻¹, 1178 ± 171 mm and −0.8 ± 0.2 years, respectively.     

δC, δN, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus as indicators of plant ecophysiology and organic matter pathways in Everglades deep slough, Florida, USA

Historically, the Florida Everglades was characterized by a corrugated landscape of shorter hydroperiod, elevated sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) ridges and longer hydroperiod, deep water slough communities. Drainage and compartmentalization of the Everglades have fundamentally altered this pattern, and sawgrass ridge communities have expanded at the expense of deep water slough communities throughout much of the landscape. In this study we provide a simple isotopic and nutrient characterization of major components of the slough ecosystem to elucidate physiological and nutrient differences among species and to suggest pathways for organic matter decomposition that contribute to peat development in deep water sloughs. We examined carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopes and C, N and phosphorus (P) concentrations of the floating-leaved macrophytes Nymphaea odorata and Nymphoides aquatica, the emergent macrophyte Eleocharis elongata, and the submerged species Utricularia foliosa and Utricularia purpurea, as well as soil and flocculent material from the southern Water Conservation Area 3-A. Flocculent material and soils had the highest N content (4.5 ± 0.2%) and U. foliosa and N. odorata had the highest P content (0.13 ± 0.01% to 0.12 ± 0.01%). The range for δ¹⁵N average ± SE values was 5.81 ± 0.29‰ (U. foliosa) to −1.84 ± 0.63‰ (N. odorata), while the range for δ¹³C values was −23.83 ± 0.12‰ (N. odorata) to −29.28 ± 0.34‰ (U. purpurea). Differences of up to 10‰ in C isotopic values of U. foliosa and N. odorata suggest fundamental physiological differences between these species. Along a degradation continuum, enrichment of ¹³C and ¹⁵N and extent of decomposition was negatively related to phosphorus concentrations. A two end-member ¹³C mixing model suggested that Utricularia species were the primary organic source for flocculent materials, whereas organic matter derived from root decomposition of N. odorata contributed to the progressively enriched δ¹³C values found with depth in soils. These results illustrate the fundamentally important roles of Nymphaea and Utricularia species in ecosystem dynamics of deep water sloughs.     

Coexistence and origin of trophic ecotypes of pygmy whitefish,Prosopium coulterii,in a south‐western Alaskan lake

Ecologically, morphologically and genetically distinct populations within single taxa often coexist in postglacial lakes and have provided important model systems with which to investigate ecological and evolutionary processes such as niche partitioning and ecological speciation. Within the Salmonidae, these species complexes have been well studied, particularly within the Coregonus clupeaformis–C. laveratus (lake and European whitefish, respectively) group, but the phenomenon has been less well documented in the other whitefish genera, Prosopium and Stenodus. Here, we examined the morphology, feeding biology and genetic structure of three putative forms of the pygmy whitefish, Prosopium coulterii (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1892), first reported from Chignik Lake, south‐western Alaska, over 40 years ago. Field collections and morphological analyses resolved a shallow water (< 5 m depth) low gill raker count form (< 15 first arch gill rakers), a deepwater (> 30 m), low gill raker form and a deepwater, high gill raker count (> 15 gill rakers) form. The two low gill raker count forms fed almost exclusively on benthic invertebrates (mostly chironomids), while the deepwater, high gill raker count form fed almost exclusively on zooplankton; differences in diet were also reflected in differences both in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N stable isotopes. All three forms were characterized by the same major mitochondrial DNA clade that has been associated with persistence in, and postglacial dispersal from, a Beringian glacial refugium. Analysis of variation at nine microsatellite DNA loci indicated low, but significant differentiation among forms, especially between the two low gill raker count forms and the high gill raker count form. The extent of differentiation along phenotypic (considerable) and genetic (subtle) axes among the Chignik Lake forms is similar to that found among distinct taxa of Prosopium found in pre‐glacial Bear Lake (Utah–Idaho, USA) which is probably at least ten times older than Chignik Lake. Our analyses illustrate the potential for the postglacial differentiation in traits subject to divergent natural selection across variable environments.     

Climate signals in the ring widths and stable carbon, hydrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of Larix decidua growing at the forest limit in the southeastern European Alps

The southeastern border of the European Alps is not well resourced with high-resolution climate proxies and experiences a distinct climatic regime from the northern and western Alpine zones. Here, we present new high-resolution climatic proxies (AD 1907–2006) from ring widths and stable carbon (δ¹³C), non-exchangeable hydrogen (δ²H) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotope ratios of cellulose extracted from Larix decidua tree rings, growing at the forest limit in the southeastern European Alps (Slovenia). δ¹³C, δ²H and δ¹⁸O are strongly (p < 0.001) and positively correlated with each other. June temperature has the strongest control on tree ring width (TRW), while later summer conditions (July–August) influence the stable isotope composition. All four proxies are strongly correlated (r > 0.4; p < 0.001) with summer temperature and also sunshine hours, while precipitation has less impact. A combination of TRW and δ¹³C provides the greatest potential for reconstructing past temperatures (June–August) with significant (p < 0.001) correlations with gridded temperatures extending across a very large part of southern and western Europe west of the Carpathian Mountains. The water isotopes (oxygen and hydrogen) record conditions in the Adriatic and Mediterranean, which are the source area for the air masses that bring precipitation to this region giving strong correlations with temperatures in southern Italy and the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. Combining proxies with different spatial and temporal signals allows the strength and spatial footprint of climate signals to be enhanced. These findings open new perspectives for climate reconstruction in the southeastern European Alps and Western Balkans.     

Reflex bradycardia does not influence oxygen consumption during hypoxia in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla)

Most teleost fish reduce heart rate when exposed to acute hypoxia. This hypoxic bradycardia has been characterised for many fish species, but it remains uncertain whether this reflex contributes to the maintenance of oxygen uptake in hypoxia. Here we describe the effects of inhibiting the bradycardia on oxygen consumption (MO₂), standard metabolic rate (SMR) and the critical oxygen partial pressure for regulation of SMR in hypoxia (Pcrit) in European eels Anguilla anguilla (mean ± SEM mass 528 ± 36 g; n = 14). Eels were instrumented with a Transonic flow probe around the ventral aorta to measure cardiac output (Q) and heart rate (f _H). MO₂ was then measured by intermittent closed respirometry during sequential exposure to various levels of increasing hypoxia, to determine Pcrit. Each fish was studied before and after abolition of reflex bradycardia by intraperitoneal injection of the muscarinic antagonist atropine (5 mg kg⁻¹). In the untreated eels, f _H fell from 39.0 ± 4.3 min⁻¹ in normoxia to 14.8 ± 5.2 min⁻¹ at the deepest level of hypoxia (2 kPa), and this was associated with a decline in Q, from 7.5 ± 0.8 mL min⁻¹ kg⁻¹ to 3.3 ± 0.7 mL min⁻¹ kg⁻¹ in normoxia versus deepest hypoxia, respectively. Atropine had no effect on SMR, which was 16.0 ± 1.8 μmol O₂ kg⁻¹ min⁻¹ in control versus 16.8 ± 0.8 μmol O₂ kg⁻¹ min⁻¹ following treatment with atropine. Atropine also had no significant effect on normoxic f _H or Q in the eel, but completely abolished the bradycardia and associated decline in Q during progressive hypoxia. This pharmacological inhibition of the cardiac responses to hypoxia was, however, without affect on Pcrit, which was 11.7 ± 1.3 versus 12.5 ± 1.5 kPa in control versus atropinised eels, respectively. These results indicate, therefore, that reflex bradycardia does not contribute to maintenance of MO₂ and regulation of SMR by the European eel in hypoxia.     

Hydrometric and Meteorological Factors Affecting the Seaward Migration of Silver eels (Anguilla anguilla, L.) in the Lower River Shannon

European eels, Anguilla anguilla, L., are captured in coghill nets at three commercial weirs on the Irish River Shannon during their autumn/winter seaward migration. The variations in daily silver eel catches were analysed in relation to environmental conditions, especially hydrometric and meteorological factors. Three multivariate environmental axes were distinguished with which daily eel catches could be correlated. The relative importance of various hydrometric, meteorological and temporal (seasonality, lunar phase) factors was identified, showing how hydrological and meteorological factors generally obscure the underlying lunar periodicity of the silver eel migrations at Killaloe.     

Variation in Population and Life History Traits of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata, in Four Rivers in Maine

We examined population traits of yellow American eels from nine sites with similar habitat characteristics in each of four rivers in Maine, U.S.A. Migrating silver eels were also collected to compare sex ratio, age and size at migration among the four rivers. Population density and biomass were not significantly different among rivers with mean ranges of 8.4–21.8 eels 100m^–2and 380–1485gm^–2. Pairwise comparisons of the slopes of weight–length relationships of log transformed data (pooled data: intercept = –6.007, slope = 3.094, r²= 0.99, and n = 3116) revealed no significant differences among rivers. Length–age relationships (pooled data: intercept = 87.826, slope = 23.444, r²= 0.76, and n = 2325) also showed no statistically significant pairwise differences in slopes among rivers. In all rivers, sexual differentiation was complete by 270mm total length and age eleven. The sex ratios of migrating silver eels were not correlated with yellow eel sex ratios among the four rivers. Mean age at migration among the four rivers was significantly different for males only, with a range of 1.3years. Both sexes had some significant differences in size at migration among rivers, but the biological importance of the differences is tenuous (male range: 15mm, female range: 36mm). The yellow and silver eel population traits from these four rivers showed little variation when riverine habitat was isolated. Variations in traits appeared to be greater when eels from non-riverine habitats may have been present.     

Is variable connectivity among populations of a continental gobiid fish driven by local adaptation or passive dispersal?

相似文献