Differential utilization of storage lipids and storage proteins by Northwest Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus)

Utilization of storage lipids and storage proteins by non-feeding north-west Atlantic herring was assessed under conditions of: (1) concurrent gonad maturation and overwintering periods with differing rates of gonad development for males and females (spring-spawncrs); (2) overwintering, reproductively dormant and spent males and females (autumn-spawners); and (3) approximately equivalent rates of gonad development during late summer for males and females (autumn-spawners). Storage lipids were depleted by all non-feeding fish but storage proteins were depleted only by herring with measurable gonad development during the observation period independently of season (female spring-spawners, maturing male and female autumn-spawners). The analyses indicate that storage lipids sustain routine and active metabolism while storage proteins are utilized to develop gonad. Therefore, the relative investment into reproduction versus routine and active metabolism can be evaluated separately for non-feeding herring using readily obtainable tissue proximate composition data.     

Variation in body condition, fat content and growth rate of Icelandic summer-spawning herring Clupea harengus L.

Interannual variation in Fulton's condition factor ( K ), total body-fat content and growth rate were investigated for the Icelandic summer-spawning herring Clupea harengus over the period from 1963 to 1999. The results show a close relationship between K and the body-fat content in the autumn, both of which correlated to the growth rate in the same calendar year. A relationship was also found between K during the prespawning season (February to June) and K in the autumn (September to December) in the same year. The different measures of body condition were not found to be related to sea temperature or zooplankton indices, while the spawning stock biomass had negative effects on the fish condition. The results imply that the body condition in the autumn is representative of the feeding success over the whole foregoing year and is therefore related to the growth rate that year. The growth rate appears to be relatively uniform throughout the year.     

Responsiveness of selected condition measures of herring, Clupea harengus, larvae to starvation in relation to ontogeny and temperature

A laboratory experiment was performed to study the responsiveness of selected condition measures to starvation in herring, Clupea harengus, larvae in relation to temperature and ontogeny. The larvae at two intervals of development, i.e. stage 1 larvae with initial exogenous feeding and stage 2 larvae with established feeding prior to notochord flexion, were reared at three temperatures (5, 8 and 11°C) and subjected to sub-lethal durations of starvation. Temporal changes in standard length, dry weight, DNA concentration (% of dry weight), RNA concentration (% of dry weight), Fulton's condition factor (CF) and RNA/DNA were assessed and compared with fed controls. Starvation led to decreases in dry weight, CF, RNA concentration and RNA/DNA, while it led to an increase in DNA concentration. Higher responsiveness to starvation was observed at higher temperatures, and the magnitude of the changes was higher in stage 2 larvae. The shortest latency in starvation response was found with respect to RNA/DNA which was length independent in the size range studied. RNA/DNA was also significantly related to average DNA growth rate, and the model for DNA growth rate was, SGRDNA=4.49 RNA/DNA + 7.14 T – 0.42 T2 – 37.5 ; n=32, r2=0.85, p < 0.001). While the model seemed to adequately represent the average temperature dependent DNA growth, a relatively low classification success made it unsuitable for depicting individually starving larvae. Critical levels in DNA concentration can be used (2.2% for stage 1 larvae, 2.9% for stage 2 larvae) to differentiate starving larvae (after 3 – 5 days) from feeding larvae. RNA/DNA was the most sensitive and suitable condition index studied in detecting early starvation of herring larvae.     

Cholecystokinin (CCK) in Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) - ontogeny and effects of feeding and diurnal rhythms

Neural and alimentary cholecystokinin (CCK) levels in Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus, were analyzed from hatching to 40days after hatching (DAH). The head compartment representing the neural pool was quantitatively dominant (>80% of the total CCK content) while the digestive tract pool represented 6-10%. During ontogeny the CCK level in whole larvae increased almost 15-fold from 0 to 40 DAH, being particularly marked from 14 to 20 DAH. Larvae of 24 to 26 DAH were examined for potential occurrence of a circadian rhythm and to analyze the effects of feeding. Fed and fasted larvae were significantly different, where fed larvae showed higher CCK levels. There were large fluctuations in CCK levels analyzed at 3h intervals without an apparent diurnal pattern. Shorter sampling intervals of 1h in the morning when lights were switched gradually on and food was offered to the larvae demonstrated a marked drop in the relative gut CCK levels and a concurrent increase in the CCK carcass to gut ratio, 1h after introduction of food followed by a return to prefeeding levels after 2h. This response probably results from a release and re-synthesis of CCK in the gut after initiation of feeding. Taken together, these results support earlier reports that CCK participates in the regulation of digestive processes in herring larvae, but CCK does not seem to have a circadian rhythm independent of feeding.     

Reproductive performance of otters Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758) in Eastern Germany: low reproduction in a long-term strategy

The reproductive status of female otters ( Lutra lutra ) was determined from an examination of 518 carcasses collected from Eastern Germany between 1950 and 2001. In Germany otters mate throughout the year. Significant seasonal differences are evident with a distinct peak in summer. Females were in breeding condition between the ages of three and 15 years, with the majority between six and nine years. The mean litter size at birth was 2.36, which was the lowest when compared with other inland populations. There were no significant differences in litter size for regions, seasons or age. Prenatal losses account for 26.31%. The mortality between birth and first appearance of cubs following their mother is about 29%. An effective reproduction rate of 78.4% was deduced from the known age structure of the sample and the proportion of breeding females. Reproductively active females show a significantly higher body condition than non-reproductive females. Following these investigations into breeding status, suggestions on reproductive output and the life history of the otter are discussed.  © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 77 , 329–340.     

Current growth,fat reserves and somatic condition of juvenile Baltic herring (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clupea harengus membras</Emphasis>) reared in different salinities

We studied the effect of salinity on growth, fat reserves and condition of the Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) juveniles in order to determine their optimum salinity. About 5 months old fish were reared in four salinities (5.7, 8, 12 and 15 psu) over a period of 1.5 months in constant temperature (+6°C) and photoperiod (light:dark = 12 h:12 h). Uptake of radioactively labelled glycine (¹⁴C-glycine) by the scales was used as an indicator of growth rate. The amount of mesenteric fat varied among individuals, but fish kept in 12 psu had significantly more fat in their body cavity and also their somatic condition was better (P < 0.05) than in juveniles kept in the other salinities. Incorporation of ¹⁴C-glycine by the scales was dependent not only on salinity, but also on the method of scale sampling. Part of the scales sampled was non-growing and therefore unsuitable for the analysis of growth. Using the growing scales in the analysis, the current growth rate of herring juveniles was highest in salinities of 8 and 12 psu. Fat reserves, somatic condition and growth rate suggested that Baltic herring juveniles have their optimum salinity in 8–12 psu, which is somewhat higher than the salinity in most of the nursery grounds in the Baltic Sea.     

Cost of reproduction and allocation of food between parent and young in the swift (Apus apus)

We manipulated brood sizes to promote different levels of parentaleffort in the common swift (Apus apus). This provided a powerfulmethod for testing hypotheses regarding parental investmentdecisions concerning optimal allocation strategies between parentsand young. Data were analyzed on a visit-by-visit basis regardingchanges in parental and chick body mass, the mass of prey delivered,and the estimated mass of parental self-feeding. Our resultswere consistent with current theory in that food delivery increasedwith brood size, whereas the food received per chick, and hencemean chick body mass, decreased with brood size. Parental bodymass decreased with brood size and increasing parental effortbut recovered quickly during lower levels of chick feeding immediatelybefore fledging, suggesting some short-term cost of reproduction.Parents feeding at the highest level experienced criticallylow body mass and responded by a temporary cessation of chickfeeding. On any one foraging trip, total mass of prey captureddid not differ between brood sizes, but load mass deliveredto the young was negatively related to the amount of estimatedparental self-feeding. Allocation decisions of parents feedingthemselves and their young matched differential allocation theories,but estimated provisioning efficiency of parents at differentbody masses did not suggest any adaptive advantage from parentalmass loss.     

Age of the Jeju pony (Equus caballus) at first reproduction: potential costs for foals and mothers that first reproduce early in life

In a related paper, we showed that mares that reproduced early in life tended to have higher fecundity because of a decrease in the duration of inter-birth intervals relative to mares that reproduced later in life. However, we know that young mares are subordinate to older mares. Hence, costs associated with low dominance rank might offset the benefits of earlier reproduction. We compared harassment of foals of female Jeju ponies that first reproduced at three years of age with that of foals of females that first reproduced at five years of age. As a consequence of their positions in the linear dominance hierarchy, foals born to and guarded by young mares were harassed more frequently than foals whose mothers were older when they first reproduced. A mare that reproduced early in life guarded her offspring more closely and intervened between her foal and neighboring mares more frequently than those mares which first reproduced when older. This need to guard their foals and the harm that might ensue from frequent harassment might counter-balance selection towards earlier reproduction in mares.     

Body condition of the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) in arid Australia: The effect of environmental condition,sex and reproduction

The body condition of live-caught male and female red kangaroos (Macropus rufus Desmarest 1842) was assessed in environmental conditions described by a period of high (two years) followed by low (one year) rainfall. Changes in pasture biomass and quality closely followed rainfall fluctuations in these years. Fluctuations in standardized body mass, in turn, lagged behind changes in pasture biomass with a delay of three months. Male and female body condition was best predicted by green grass biomass. Kangaroos caught during the high rainfall period reached an above average plane of condition. In the low rainfall period that followed, the condition of kangaroos declined, and was greater for small males (14–41 kg), large males (45–89 kg), and females (18–36 kg) with small or no pouch young than for female subadults (< 22 kg) and females with large pouch young (20–34 kg). Female subadults were also significantly older and the ratio of females:females with young-at-foot was higher in the low rainfall period. This suggests a mechanism for age/sex class differences in survivorship. The lagged synchrony of body condition with pasture biomass can be explained by body-size related digestive constraints, reflecting sex differences in adaptation to a stochastic environment.     

Sexual and asexual reproduction in geographically separated populations of the fissiparous asteroid Coscinasterias calamaria (Gray)

Sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction by fission were studied in four populations of Coscinasterias calamaria (Gray), two in Otago Harbour in the South Island of New Zealand and two in the North Island near Auckland. The annual reproductive cycle in both islands of New Zealand is clearly defined with a spawning season between November and January. In both sites the pyloric caeca index was approximately inverse to the gonad index cycle as found in other forcipulate asteroids. There are substantial differences in the sex ratios of mature starfish at each site studied, with 1:1 ratios in two populations, one population heavily biased towards females and the fourth consisting almost entirely of males. Morphometric variation in arm number due to splitting was studied and the frequency of splitting varied considerably between the four populations. Generally speaking sublittoral C. calamaria divide less frequently than intertidal starfish and populations in which food is less abundant or of poorer quality are more fissiparous and put less energy into sexual reproduction, than populations with plentiful readily available food in the form of mussels. The significance of the different reproductive patterns in C. calamaria is discussed.     

Reproduction,condition and food of adult arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus,L.) in Lake Pavin (Massif Central,France)

RésuméTo determine the role and the importance of adult fish predation directly and indirectly in the food web of oligomesotrophic Lake Pavin, reproduction, condition, and feeding activity of the dominant adult chctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus, L.) were studied. Fish were caught by gillnets of different mesh sizes once a month from April to December 1992. The gonad cycle showed that the spawning period occurred between October to December. Relative fecundity is about 2509 ovules per kg of female fish and ovule mean diameter is 4.7 mm ( 0.6 mm). Seasonal variations of the sex-ratio (Max. in April = 2.67 and Min. in October=0.19) indicated the intralake migrations of females and males. The condition coefficients showed higher values for females than males; the maximum was observed in summer for both sexes and the minimum in April and in October for males and females, respectively. Low values of the condition were also observed during the spawning period. High feeding activity was recorded in spring and in December after reproduction; low feeding activity was observed in October during reproduction. Asellus aquaticus was quantitatively the dominant prey from April to September; during the sp awning period, S. alpinus consumed its own eggs, particularly in large quantity in December. Daphnia longispina was numerically the dominant prey all over the studied cycle and the electivity (Ivlev Index) of arctic charr on the latter prey ranged from +s+0.79 to +0.16. During April, more than 15 500 individuals of D. longispina per kg of fish were found in the gut contents. The selective predation of S. alpinus on benthic (A. aquatics) and zooplankton prey (D. longispina) indicated that the fish immigrate during their feeding activity from benthic/littoral to the pelagic area.Afin de d terminer le rôle et l'importance de la prédation directe et indirecte de l'omble chevalier adulte (Salvelinus alpinus, L.) dans le réseau trophique du lac Pavin, milieu oligo- mésotrophe, nous avons étudié la reproduction, deux facteurs de condition et l'activité alimentaire de ce poisson qui est l'espéce dominante dans ce lac. Les poissons ont été capturés par des filets maillants de différent vide de maille selon un pas d'échantillonnage mensuel d'avril á décembre 1992. Le cycle du développement des gonades montre que la période de reproduction se déroule entre octobre et décembre. La fécondité relative calculée est de 2509 ovules par kg de femelles et le diamétre moyen d'un ovule est de 4,7 mm ( 0,6). Les variations saisonniéres du sex-ratio (Max. en avril = 2,67 et Min. en octobre=0,19) indiquent le déplacement actif et successif des femelles et des mâles. Les variations saisonniéres des coefficients de condition indiquent une copulence plus importante des femelles par rapport aux mâles avec des valeurs maximales en été pour les deux sexes et des valeurs minimales en avril et en octobre pour les mâles et les femelles respectivement. De faibles valeurs des facteurs de condition ont été observées pendant la période de reproduction pour les deux sexes. L'activité alimentaire de l'omble chevalier est intense au printemps et au mois de décembre aprés la fraie et faible au mois d'octobre pendant la reproduction. Asellus aquaticus est, en termes de biomasse, la proie dominante d'avril á septembre. Pendant la période de reproduction, S. alpinus se nourrit de ses propres oeufs sur les zones de frayéres et en décembre la quantité d'oeufs consommée par le Salmonidé est importante. Daphnia longispina est, en termes d'abondance, la proie dominante tout au long de cette étude et l'indice d'électivité (Indice d'Ivlev) de l' ombre chevalier vis-á-vis de cette proie varie entre + 0,79 et + 0,16.De plus, au mois d'avril, plus de 15 500 D. longispina par kg de poisson ont été enregistrées dans les contenus stomacaux. La prédation sélective de S. alpinus sur des proies benthiques (A. aquaticus) et zooplanctoniques (D. longispina) indique que le poisson effectue des déplacements en fonction de son activité alimentaire de la zone littorale/benthique á la zone pélagique.     

Climate influences on growth and reproduction of Pinus banksiana (Pinaceae) at the limit of the species distribution in eastern North America

The presence of conflicts in the allocation of resources among the different functions of an organism is a fundamental postulate of modern ecology. It is assumed that reproduction occurs at a cost because it monopolizes resources that could be used for other functions (e.g., growth). These conflicts may be particularly evident under stressful conditions, such as under low water or nutrient availability, or under severe climatic conditions. There we may expect to find strong negative relationships between an organism's growth and reproduction. We studied a population of Pinus banksiana (Pinaceae) at the northern limit of the species distribution, in subarctic Québec (Canada) where Pinus banksiana occupies nutrient-poor, sandy terraces along the Great Whale river. Serotinous cones of Pinus banksiana produced between 1969 and 1992 were sampled to estimate interannual variations in several variables representing reproduction, and to relate these to climate and tree growth. Climate appears to influence each developmental stage involved in the production of viable seeds, from the time of cone initiation to that of seed maturation. In general, reproductive variables are positively related to high temperatures during the three growing seasons required for seed production; growth is also positively correlated to summer temperatures. Consequently, investment in maturing seeds is positively associated with growth. Thus, both reproduction and growth covary with climate: during relatively warm and long growing seasons, resource allocation to both functions increases. Under these conditions, no trade-off is apparent.     

稻株含氮量和密度对褐飞虱存活、发育和生殖特性的影响

对褐飞虱种群在不同含氮量稻株和若虫密度条件下的反应进行了研究。结果表明,若虫密度对褐飞虱存活的抑制作用随若虫密度提高而增强,但随寄主含氮量的增加而显著下降,表现为低含量的寄主植物可以增强对种群调节的负反馈作用。在低氮稻株上的饲养代数也明显影响若虫存活率,而在高氮稻株上饲养的不同代别褐飞虱之间则无显著差异。若虫率与稻株含氮量呈极显著的负相关,即在高若虫密度下寄主含氮量的增加可显著缩短褐飞虱若虫的发育历期。与高含氮量稻株上的褐飞虱种群相比,饲养在低含氮量稻株上的褐飞虱种群的若虫发育时间在高若虫密度下显著延长。在每盆40头褐飞虱若虫的密度下,成虫性比与稻株含氮量呈极显著的正相关,而在不同若虫密度下,随着若虫密度的增加雌性成虫比例显著下降。在每盆160头的若虫密度时低氮稻株上褐飞虱种群的性比低于0.3,显著低于在高氮稻株上的褐飞虱种群的性比0.85。在含氮量低的稻株上的雌成虫体重随若虫密度的增加极显著减少,连续取食第2代的雌成虫又比取食第1代时的轻。在所研究的所有若虫密度下,取食高含氮量稻株的褐飞虱种群的雌成虫寿命均为取食低含氮量稻株褐飞虱种群雌成虫寿命的3倍左右,差异极为显著。稻株含氮量和若虫密度对褐飞虱生殖力的作用最大,特别是在低氮稻株上若虫密度对褐飞虱生殖力的作用更为突出。在高含氮量稻株上的卵孵化率均随若虫密度的增加而有所下降,但在相同含氮量稻株上卵孵化率的差异均不显著。结果推测由于施用氮肥较多的水稻可以承受高密度的褐飞虱,提高了它们的迁出临界密度,减少了褐飞虱在克服逆境过程中的种群损失,从而造成更高的密度和更重的田间危害程度。     

Stress and body condition as prenatal and postnatal determinants of dispersal in the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara)

Dispersal is a complex phenomenon affected by multiple factors. Among the factors that influence dispersal in the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara), poor maternal body condition and stress are known to decrease dispersal propensity of juveniles. But the effect of individual factors on dispersal could change when several of them act concurrently or at different developmental stages. Prenatal factors can affect clutch and/or juvenile characteristics that later affect dispersal. Postnatal influences are mainly exerted on juvenile dispersal behavior. We investigated the role of body condition and stress on dispersal at a prenatal and a postnatal stage. Stress was mimicked by experimentally increasing corticosterone levels in pregnant females and recently born juveniles. We considered (1). the influence of maternal body condition and prenatal corticosterone treatment on clutch, juvenile characteristics and on dispersal behavior and (2). the influence of juvenile body condition and postnatal corticosterone treatment on juvenile dispersal behavior. There was an interaction between maternal condition and prenatal corticosterone treatment on juvenile dispersal. Dispersal decreased with maternal corticosterone increase only in juveniles from the more corpulent females, while it increased with juvenile body condition. Good maternal body condition affected clutch and juvenile characteristics favoring dispersal, while elevation of corticosterone level (stress) exerted the opposite effect. Juvenile body condition favored dispersal, while there was no effect of postnatal corticosterone treatment on juvenile dispersal propensity.