Potential interactions between metazoan parasites of the Mayan catfish Ariopsis assimilis and chemical pollution in Chetumal Bay,Mexico

The effect of pollutants on the intensity of infection of metazoan parasites in the Mayan catfish, Ariopsis assimilis was investigated. Data were collected on pollutants and metazoan parasites from 76 catfish from five localities in Chetumal Bay in October, 1996. Nineteen pollutants (pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) were found in the catfish livers. Heavy metal content was not determined. Nineteen metazoan parasite species were recovered. After controlling for fish length and sampling station, there was a significant negative linear relationship between the intensity of the larval digenean Mesostephanus appendiculatoides and 1,1,1,-trichloro-2,2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) concentrations. This negative relationship may be explained either by the effect of the pesticide on the mortality of (i) free-living larval forms, (ii) metacercariae in the fish, (iii) infected fish or (iv) intermediate host snails. There were significant differences between fish parasitized and not parasitized with M. appendiculatoides with respect to their DDT concentrations. There were also significant differences between the variances of the mean Clark's coefficient of condition values between catfish parasitized and not parasitized by M. appendiculatoides, with the variance of non-parasitized catfish being significantly larger. The results provided statistical evidence that DDT has a detrimental effect on M. appendiculatoides infection intensity. Furthermore, the significantly larger variance value of Clark's coefficient for non-parasitized fish suggested that DDT affects both the parasite and general host condition.     

Length-dependent changes in egg size and fecundity in females, and brooded embryo size in males, of fork-tailed catfishes (Pisces: Ariidae) from the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea, with some implications for stock assessments

Data suggest that mature egg weight is positively correlated to female parent length in all five species of fork-tailed catfish studied. Embryo weight is positively correlated with the length of the male mouthbrooding parent in the four species where data are available. Non-random mate pairing is probably between fish of equivalent size. Fecundity appears to be linearly related to female fish length in all species. There is no significant correlation between fecundity and female weight, probably because egg size increases with fish size. Low fecundities and breeding behaviour suggest that recruitment is likely to be highly density-dependent and the stocks vulnerable to increased mortality (fishing). Changes in egg size with fish size may account for deviations from a cube relationship between fecundity and fish length in other species. The relevance of this to other fish stock assessments is discussed. Attention is drawn to possible changes in egg size with fish length which could affect recruitment in fished stocks, depending on the specific relationship and the length at which mature fish are caught.     

Influence of flower functionality and pollination system on the pollen size-pistil length relationship

Twenty-five biotically pollinated plants of the Chaco Serrano Forest (Córdoba, Argentina) were studied in order to analyze whether ‘flower functionality’ is related to the relationship between pollen size and pistil length. Because flower functionality may act on the respective mean values of pollen size and pistil length rather than on intraspecific variation in these traits, we expected (1) a high positive correlation between pollen size and pistil length in a set of sympatric species, independent of their degree of pollination specialization or generalization; and (2) no interspecific correlation between the coefficients of variation (CVs) of those traits. On the other hand, on the assumption that pollinators are influencing the variation in floral traits (e.g. in pistil length) we expected lower mean phenotypic variation of pollen size and pistil length in pollination-specialist plants than in pollination-generalist ones. A positive correlation between pollen size and pistil length was found for the set of species, but not between the CVs of these traits. This trend was maintained when pollination-specialist plants were analyzed separately, but no statistical significance was obtained for the correlation in pollination-generalist plants. Contrary to our expectations, pollination-specialist plants did not show less mean intraspecific variation in floral traits than pollination-generalist plants. Therefore, the relationship between pollen size and pistil length among species suggests that the pollination system may be of less importance as a selective force than flower functionality.     

The distribution of Poecilancistrium caryophyllum (Trypanorhyncha) plerocercoids in spot, Leiostomus xanthurus Lacèpéde, and spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier)

Spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier), and spot, Leiostomus xanthurus Lacèpéde, from two sites along Florida's west coast were collected, weighed, sexed and measured. A systematic search for plerocercoids of the cestode Poecilancistrium caryophyllum yielded infection prevalences of 81.9% for C. nebulosus and 25.0% for L. xanthurus . The maximum infection intensity was 10 (mean = 2.65) plerocercoids per fish in C. nebulosus and six (mean = 1.69) per fish in L. xanthurus . Significant correlations were found between infection prevalence and length in C. nebulosus , and a significant correlation was observed between intensity and length in both species. Condition coefficient ( K ) and intensity were negatively correlated in C. nebulosus but not in L. xanthurus . An iterative computer technique based on the truncated negative binomial distribution indicated no parasite-induced mortality occurred in either species. Sand drum, Umbrina coroides Cuvier, is reported as a new host record for P. caryophyllum .     

Relationship between the resting blood pressure and depressor responses evoked by stimulation of the aortic nerve.

Correlations between the resting blood pressure and magnitude of depressor responses evoked by graded stimulation of the aortic nerve, were studied in rabbits anaesthetized with urethane. The strength of stimulation ranged from 1 to 10 times the threshold, and activated the myelinated afferents. The frequency of stimulation was 5 and 50 cycles/sec. At lower frequency of stimulation the correlations become significant when the intensity of stimulation is 3 times the threshold and they increase at the highest strengths of stimulation. Correlation coefficients calculated for responses obtained at the frequency of 50 cycles/sec are significant in 8 out of 9 intensities of stimulation. With increase in the strength of stimulation they increase, attain their maximum at twice the threshold and decrease at the largest used stimulus strengths. The changes in the values of the correlation coefficients are not paralleled by alterations in the mean size of depressor responses. Since all correlation coefficients are positive, it is inferred that the depressor responses produced by stimulation of the aortic nerve follow WILDER's "law of initial value". The conformity with this rule is the better the higher the values of the correlation coefficients. The strength of relationship between the resting blood pressure and the size of depressor responses is considered to reflect the efficiency of the homeostatic circulatory mechanism.     

Parasite community structure within and across host populations of a marine pelagic fish: how repeatable is it?

The geographical variation in parasite community structure among populations of the same host species remains one of the least understood aspects of parasite community ecology. Why are parasite communities clearly structured in some host populations, and randomly assembled in others? Here, we address this fundamental question using data on the metazoan parasite communities of different host size-classes of four distinct populations of a small pelagic fish, the Argentine anchovy, Engraulis anchoita, from the South West Atlantic. Within each fish sample, fish length was correlated with both the total intensity of parasites and species richness among infracommunities. More importantly, average fish length correlated with mean infracommunity richness and mean total intensity across the fish samples, indicating that the characteristics of parasite assemblages in a fish population are strongly influenced by the size of its fish in relation to those in other populations. Nested subset patterns were observed in about half of the fish samples. This means that the presence or absence of parasite species among fish individuals is often not random; however, no repeatability of nestedness among component communities was observed. Average fish length did not influence directly the likelihood that a parasite assemblage was significantly nested. However, variables influenced by average fish length, namely mean infracommunity richness and mean total intensity, determine the probability that a nested hierarchy will be observed; host size may thus indirectly affect parasite community structure either itself or via its influence on host movement and feeding patterns. To some extent, this apparent link may be due to the sensitivity of nestedness analyses to the proportion of presence in a presence/absence matrix; this in itself is a biological feature of the parasite community, however, which is associated with mean host length.     

Parasites and size-assortative schooling in three-spined sticklebacks

Recent field studies carried out in lacustrine environments have suggested that fish schools may be assorted with respect to parasite infections, but the generality and strength of parasite-assortative schooling in fish is unclear. In this study, data are presented on the body size and externally visible macroparasite load of 366 individual three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus L. (Gasterosteidae, Teleostei) from six naturally formed schools captured in the Gullmarsfjord on the west coast of Sweden. Length–frequency analysis suggested that two separate year classes (presumed 0+ and 1+) were represented in the sample. Individual schools were assorted by body size, and contained largely fish of a single year class. The number of fish in the school was negatively related to median body size of members. Probability of infection increased significantly with fish length for two parasites ( Cryptocotyle lingua (Trematoda) and Glugea anomala (Microsporidia)), and marginally for a third (chalimus larvae of Caligus sp. (Copepoda)). After correcting for body-size effects, the proportion of school members infected with C. lingua and G. anomala did not differ significantly from a model of random assortment by infection status. However, two of the six schools were found to have significantly more, or significantly fewer, members infected with Caligus sp. chalimus larvae than predicted by the random model. Significant inter-school differences in the intensity of C. lingua infection were also detected, but these resulted from the combined effects of size-assortment and a strong correlation between body size and infection intensity. The results of this study provide only limited support for the existence of active parasite-assortative schooling in marine sticklebacks, and are discussed in relation to recent studies of parasite assortment amongst host fish in other ecosystems.     

Effects of snail size and age on the prevalence and intensity of avian schistosome infection: relating laboratory to field studies

Both the prevalence and intensity of patent infection by avian schistosomes (Trichobilharzia ocellata) increase with increasing size of lymnaeid snails (Stagnicola elrodi) collected in Flathead Lake, Montana. Because the size and age of a snail are positively correlated, snails of different sizes may have experienced differential duration of exposure to and development of infection. Another possibility is that infection itself induces snail gigantism. Each of these possibilities could lead to increased prevalence and intensity of infection among the oldest-largest snails. To decouple size variation from many correlated effects of age and to test for parasite-induced gigantism, laboratory experiments standardized snail size-age-at-infection, exposure history, inoculating dose, and duration of infection. The positive relationship between size and prevalence was eliminated in the laboratory, but the relationship between size and infection intensity remained. Laboratory results thus suggest that infection intensity is related to snail size per se, whereas prevalence in the field is related to snail size only through the correlation between size and age. In addition, under these experimental conditions, infected snails were no larger than uninfected snails, so the patterns observed in the field might not be attributable to gigantism.     

Host impact of monogenean Lepidotrema bidyana infection and intensity estimates for onsite monitoring

We developed a rapid effective method for accurate estimation of intensity for the monogenean Lepidotrema bidyana, a gill parasite of silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus. This parasite requires monitoring because high-intensity infections reduce host growth and can lead to secondary bacterial and fungal infections. The most accurate method for counting L. bidyana was visual examination of fresh gills. There was a significant relationship between fish size and parasite intensity; however, there was no significant relationship between fish condition and parasite intensity. Parasite intensity estimates were generated by using the mean intensity of worms on the posterior hemibranch on the first left gill arch, compared to the total mean intensity of worms on all hemibranchs. Estimates were validated by predicting L. bidyana intensity from a random sample of silver perch obtained from aquaculture ponds. Parasite intensity estimates correlated strongly to real counts, and this method can be used to accurately predict parasite intensity on an individual host, and thus represents an improvement over previous methods.     

Development and changes at settlement in the barbel structure of the reef fish,Upeneus tragula (Mullidae)

Synopsis The development of the sensory barbels of the tropical goatfish, Upeneus tragula (Mullidae), was examined from their first appearance early in planktonic life through to the reef-associated juvenile period. The structure of the barbel was examined histologically and found to represent an outgrowth of the gustatory (taste) system, composed of at least 50% sensory tissue at settlement. Abrupt changes in morphology were found to be coincident with the 6–12 h settlement period: barbels rapidly moved forward along the hyoid arch to abut the dentary; the length of the barbels increased by up to 52%; the epidermal layer increased to comprise 75% of the cross-sectional area; and the mean size of the taste bud cells increased by up to 100%. A strong relationship was found between barbel length and mean taste-bud size. This relationship was used to predict the mean taste-bud sizes for 237 newly-settled fish, collected as 12 samples over two recruitment seasons. Mean taste-bud size varied significantly among samples. Experiments examined whether food availability or temperature of the water within the pelagic phase influenced the size of the barbels at settlement. Food availability influenced the relationship between barbel length and fish size. Slower growing fish had larger barbels relative to fish length than those that grew faster. Temperature did not influence the relationship between barbel length and fish size. Variability in sensory development at settlement, and the factors which influence it, may have important ramifications for the potential success of the fish once on the reef.     

Interspecific associations among larval helminths in fish

Various processes can generate associations between the larvae of different helminth species in their fish intermediate or paratenic host. We investigated the pairwise associations among larval helminth species in eight different fish populations, using two different coefficients of associations, in order to determine in what situations they are strongest. All helminth species included use the fish studied as either their second intermediate host or their paratenic host, and are acquired by the fish when it ingests an infected first intermediate host. The intensity of infection correlated positively with fish length for most helminth species. Pairs of species which both exhibited positive correlations with fish length tended to be more strongly associated with one another, although this tendency was not pronounced. Similarity in life cycle had a more important influence on pairwise associations. Among the 62 pairwise associations that could be computed, pairs of helminth species that shared both first intermediate hosts and definitive hosts were the most strongly associated, followed by pairs that shared only one other host, and finally by pairs that did not share other hosts. The results suggest that assemblages of larval helminth parasites in fish are not random collections of locally available species, but rather structured packets of larval parasites that travel together along common transmission routes.     

Some aspects of the infection of bib, Trisopterus luscus (L.), by the parasitic copepod Lernaeocera lusci (Basset-Smith, 1896) in Portuguese waters

Winter samples totalling 2308 specimens of Trisopterus luscus (total length range: 13–36 cm) caught in northern Portugal were examined for infections with Lernaeocera lusci. Infection prevalence was of 42%, and infection intensity was 1.7 copepods per infected fish. Individual infection varied between 1 and 9 copepods per infected specimen; 30.6% of the fish had bilateral parasitosis. There was a significant correlation (P<0.01) between fish length and prevalence. Length-weight relationships of uninfected and infected fish were not significantly different (P > 0.05) and thus provide evidence that L. lusci has no effect on the condition of T. luscus in all the examined 1–cm size classes.     

胶州湾12种饵料鱼类耳石大小与体长的关系

根据2008年11月至2009年8月在胶州湾海域进行的逐月定点底拖网调查, 选择12种常见的饵料鱼类作为研究对象, 运用最小二乘法分析了每种饵料鱼类的体长与耳石形态大小(包括耳石的长度、宽度、长半径和短半径)的关系, 并建立回归方程, 旨在为深入研究高营养级鱼类的摄食生态和食物网营养动力学提供基础资料。研究表明, 12种饵料鱼类的体长与体重均呈显著的幂函数关系(P0.05), 回归系数b值在2.871-3.371, 平均值为3.1590.110 (95% CL), b值最小的鱼种是六丝钝尾虾虎鱼Amblychaeturichthys hexanema, 最大的是细条天竺鲷Apogon lineatus。经检验, Liza haematocheilus和箭鱼衔Callionymus sagitta的b值与3无显著差异(P0.05), 属等速生长; 李氏鱼衔Callionymus richardsonii和六丝钝尾虾虎鱼的b值显著小于3 (P0.05), 属负异速生长; 其余8种鱼类的b值均大于3 (P0.05), 为正异速生长。方差分析表明, 12种鱼类的体长与耳石各个形态参数的回归关系均极显著(P0.01)。在所有48个回归方程中, 有37个方程的决定系数R2值大于0.8, 拟合效果较好; 有9个回归方程的R2值在0.7-0.8; 其余2个回归方程的R2值小于0.7, 拟合效果略差。其中, 各方程拟合效果最好的是六丝钝尾虾虎鱼, 其R2值均接近于1。通过比较同种鱼类各个回归方程的R2值可知, 在这12种饵料鱼类中, 多数鱼种体长与耳石长度和宽度的拟合效果要略好于体长与耳石半径的拟合效果, 因此在实际应用中, 可以通过测量耳石的长度和宽度来推算饵料鱼类的体长等形态参数。另一方面, 由于多数鱼类的耳石比较脆, 尤其是耳石的两端更容易破损, 因此与耳石长度相比, 耳石宽度与体长的回归方程更加适合于实际应用。       

Body size vs abundance among parasite species: positive relationships?

Across species, abundance usually correlates negatively with body size. This intuitive pattern may result from size-dependent resource requirements in habitats where only finite amounts of resources are available. Among parasite species, it is possible that some resource limitations arc less severe than for free-living animals although this may depend on the type of parasites. The interspecific relationship between body size and abundance (measured as prevalence and intensity of infection) among parasites was tested in two groups of parasites. Among helminth endoparasites of fish, parasite body size correlated positively with prevalence and negatively with intensity of infection. Among copepod ectoparasites of fish, body size correlated positively with both prevalence and intensity. These trends were observed after controlling for the confounding influences of phylogeny and sampling effort. These contrasting patterns may result from the more intense link between body size and intensity-dependent regulation in endoparasites than in ectoparasites. The results of this comparative analysis suggest that parasite body size could be an important factor determining aspects of parasite abundance and distribution, including aggregation.     

Use of dual-beam acoustic technique for detecting young whitefish, Coregonus sp., juveniles: first experiments in an enclosure

We tested the possibility of using a high-frequency, BioSonics, dual-beam, acoustic system with an upwards-looking transducer to detect very young whitefish, Coregonus sp., juveniles. These first experiments were conducted in an enclosure with 100 fish (20–30 mm total length).
Observations over 24-h periods showed wide variations of the fish vertical distribution (> 5 m) and two typical aggregation patterns in near-surface waters at dawn and dusk. No direct relationship was found between light intensity and distribution of the fish during the day.
The mean target strength of young whitefish juveniles was found to be – 56 dB when fish were staying near the surface and – 63 dB as they were moving up- or downwards.     

Association between environmental stress and epidermal papillomatosis of roach Rutilus rutilus

We studied the association between environmental stress and epidermal papillomatosis of roach Rutilus rutilus L. in Finnish waters using a 'matched pairs' design. Populations impacted by industrial and/or sewage effluents were compared to reference populations from pristine sites. We examined both the prevalence (proportion of diseased fish) and intensity (number of scales covered by tumors) of the disease. Results of Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) indicated that the risk of papillomatosis was 7.5 times higher in males than females, and increased 1.3 times for every 10 mm increment in fish length. We controlled for the possible effects of fish size, sex and temporal variation through sampling procedures and statistical analyses. Mean prevalence of epidermal papillomatosis was 16.6 and 5.8% in impact and reference populations, respectively (10 population pairs; nfish = 1714). Results of GLMM suggested that the risk of being diseased was 2.7 times higher in the impact than reference populations. Thus, the prevalence of epidermal papillomatosis in roach can be used as an indicator of environmental stress. Results of Linear Mixed Models indicated no difference in the intensity of the disease between impact and reference populations (5 population pairs; nfish = 73; mean+/-SE 10.7+/-1.8 and 11.7+/- 2.9 scales, respectively), although prevalence was higher in impact populations in those 5 population pairs. The possible relationship between environmental stress and intensity of epidermal papillomatosis in natural roach populations remains to be demonstrated.     

Fluctuations in pelagic fish density linked to ambient conditions

Animal behaviour has been broadly studied for its social or functional aspects but less often for understanding the interactions between organisms and their ambient conditions. A pilot observational study was performed by means of underwater camera to investigate the correlation between environmental factors and the density of fish in the epipelagic habitat of a European temperate reservoir. Explored factors confirmed a positive correlation between water temperature and all observed categories: nonpredatory, predatory, single nonpredatory and schooling fish, as well as freshwater bream and roach. On the other hand, de-trended solar irradiance was found to be negatively correlated with density of nonpredatory fish, freshwater bream and European perch. Sunshine duration was negatively correlated with the density of predatory fish. Precipitation a showed positive relationship with single nonpredatory fish and European perch, whereas wind strength had a negative relationship with density of schooling fish. Furthermore, density of predatory fish was positively correlated with density of single nonpredatory fish and counts of observed clusters. Altogether, findings indicate that fish density is correlated with abiotic factors and the occurrence of predators. This suggests that more ecologically complex studies should be encouraged for better understanding of ecological interactions that drive the structure of aquatic ecosystems.     

Reflection of the emotional experience, strength, intensity of drive and probability of its satisfaction in interhemispheric distribution of frequency-amplitude parameters of EEG

The character of interhemispheric distribution of frequency-amplitude parameters of EEG as a function of the strength of emotional experience, the intensity of drive, and the expected probability of its satisfaction were determined in human test subjects. The emotional state was aroused by an imaginary reproduction of emotionally colored events. The modified test by D. Price and co-authors was used where the subjects estimated the intensity of drive (the degree of undesirability of imaginary event) and the expected probability of its occurrence by the length of line segment. In this study, the simulation of anger was used. The highest correlation coefficients were observed between the expectation and power in the α-EEG-range in the left frontal region. The strength of emotional experience negatively correlated with the α-, θ-, and Δ-ranges. Statistically significant correlation was revealed between the intensity of drive and power of Δ- and θ-waves. The power of β-rhythm correlated with the strength of emotion as well as with the expectation and drive indices.     

Gill monogeneans of the chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus from Madeiran waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal

Five species of monogeneans were recovered from the gill filaments of 181 chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus, from the Madeiran waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal, during 2004/2005. The monogenean Pseudokuhnia minor showed the highest prevalence (98.68%) and a mean intensity of 28.23, followed by Kuhnia scombri (prevalence of 43.71% and mean intensity of 2.69) and K. scombercolias (prevalence of 39.1% and a mean intensity of 1.81). Kuhnia sprostonae and Grubea cochlear were rare, occurring in only one and five fish hosts respectively. No correlation between fish host length and mean intensity of infection with the three most abundant monogeneans was found. However, significant differences in prevalence and abundance were found in relation to date of sampling for P. minor, and all parasites were aggregated in their distribution.     

Pollen-pistil size correlation and pollen size-number trade-off in species of Argentinian Nyctaginaceae with different pollen reserves

Data on pollen and pistil traits from 14 Argentinean Nyctaginaceae species with starch or lipids as pollen reserves are presented. We expect differences in the traits between these two groups of species, but the same pattern within each group for (a) the relationship between pollen size and pistil length assuming that pollen tube length is predetermined by provisions in the pollen independently of the pollen reserve type, and for (b) a trade-off between size and number because available resources for male function are not unlimited. In particular we expect that (a) species with longer pistils will have larger pollen grains, (b) pollen grain size and the number of pollen grains per flower will be negatively correlated. Significant differences in the mean pollen number per flower and mean pollen size were observed between species with different pollen reserve type but not for pistil length. Then, correlation analyses were performed for species with starchy pollen or with pollen with lipids separately. Pollen size - pistil length correlation was positive and significant for species with starchy pollen but not for species with pollen with lipids. On the other hand, pollen size - number correlation was not significant for both starchy and oil-rich species. Results suggest that pollen reserve type would be a relevant factor that constraint pollen size in species of Nyctaginaceae, and that this pollen trait should be considered when studying pollen-pistil relationships, mainly between species of those families with mixed pollen reserves.