Mid-winter activity and movement of Atlantic salmon parr during ice formation events in a Norwegian regulated river

A telemetry study in a Norwegian regulated river was conducted through a 12-day period in mid-winter 2003. The objective was to study activity (defined as number of movement per hour) and movement (defined as distance moved per hour) during different ice formation events. Twenty-four Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) parr were radio tagged and continuously monitored by both manually tracking (N = 24) and by fixed recording stations (N = 15). Detailed data on climate, flow and ice formation and its spatial distribution were collected and used in the analyses. Fish activity was not found to be affected by their size (L _F). There was a significant difference in activity between diel periods with highest activity during dusk (5–6 p.m.). Between high and low flow (mean ± SD, 21.1 m³ s⁻¹ ± 1.7 SD and 11.1 m³ s⁻¹ ± 1.7 SD, respectively) no significant difference in activity was found. During the experiment extensive anchor ice growth occurred mainly in the riffle part with thickness up to 50 cm. Juveniles tend to avoid riffle section during anchor ice formation and exploited ice covered areas, indicating critical and preferable habitats respectively. Further, a significant difference in movement was found between five selected ice events with highest mean movement during an anchor ice event and lowest mean movement during an ice break up with no anchor ice formation. No significant difference in activity or movement between parr exposed to frazil ice and parr not exposed were found.     

Using stable isotope analysis to assess the effects of hypolimnetic oxygenation on diet in a mixed cold- and warmwater fish community

Line-diffuser hypolimnetic oxygenation was initiated in North Twin Lake, Washington, in 2009 to mitigate reductions in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) habitat due to temperature-dissolved oxygen “habitat squeeze”. Previous studies demonstrated that trout populations rapidly expanded into increased hypolimnetic habitat within the first few years of oxygenation and previous short-term diet analyses indicated an effect on fish diet; however, the long-term effects on fish ecology have yet to be established. In this study, stable isotope analysis of fish liver tissue suggests relatively few differences in feeding ecology of principal coldwater fish species in North Twin Lake compared to unoxygenated South Twin Lake. When compared between lakes, Rainbow Trout and Brook Trout diets contained similar proportions of Daphnia, Chironomidae, and Chaoboridae. Littoral and epilimnetic-focused Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) diets were also similar between lakes. Observed similarities between Golden Shiner and trout diets suggest the effects of interspecific competition between salmonids and non-salmonids may be limiting trout growth and survival. Fisheries managers should therefore consider both habitat limitations and interspecific competition when managing for coldwater fish species in mesotrophic, dimictic lakes.     

Clonal analysis of synovial fluid stem cells to characterize and identify stable mesenchymal stromal cell/mesenchymal progenitor cell phenotypes in a porcine model: a cell source with enhanced commitment to the chondrogenic lineage

Background aimsPrevious studies have demonstrated that porcine synovial membrane stem cells can adhere to a cartilage defect in vivo through the use of a tissue-engineered construct approach. To optimize this model, we wanted to compare effectiveness of tissue sources to determine whether porcine synovial fluid, synovial membrane, bone marrow and skin sources replicate our understanding of synovial fluid mesenchymal stromal cells or mesenchymal progenitor cells from humans both at the population level and the single-cell level. Synovial fluid clones were subsequently isolated and characterized to identify cells with a highly characterized optimal phenotype.MethodsThe chondrogenic, osteogenic and adipogenic potentials were assessed in vitro for skin, bone marrow, adipose, synovial fluid and synovial membrane–derived stem cells. Synovial fluid cells then underwent limiting dilution analysis to isolate single clonal populations. These clonal populations were assessed for proliferative and differentiation potential by use of standardized protocols.ResultsPorcine-derived cells demonstrated the same relationship between cell sources as that demonstrated previously for humans, suggesting that the pig may be an ideal preclinical animal model. Synovial fluid cells demonstrated the highest chondrogenic potential that was further characterized, demonstrating the existence of a unique clonal phenotype with enhanced chondrogenic potential.ConclusionsPorcine stem cells demonstrate characteristics similar to those in human-derived mesenchymal stromal cells from the same sources. Synovial fluid–derived stem cells contain an inherent phenotype that may be optimal for cartilage repair. This must be more fully investigated for future use in the in vivo tissue-engineered construct approach in this physiologically relevant preclinical porcine model.