Evaluation of an alternative to feeding whole frozen fish in belugas (Delphinapterus leucas)

Feeding fish to captive piscivores can be challenging owing to cost, availability, variability in nutrient, and caloric composition, as well as handling and storage concerns. This trial evaluated the response of three belugas to being fed Fish Analog, an alternative to frozen fish. Body condition, gut transit time, serum chemistry and metabolic hormone analytes, immune function, and behavioral motivation were the dependent variables. Belugas (n=3) were fed various levels of Fish Analog (0-50%) over a 6-month period, and follow-up studies were conducted to further examine several dependent variables. When provided in gradually increasing amounts, belugas consumed the Fish Analog, with only minor fecal consistency changes and without behavioral responses indicative of gastric discomfort. Axillary girth and blubber thickness were positively correlated, and did not differ significantly with changes in the percentage of Fish Analog fed. Individual animal variation in initial passage time, some serum chemistry analytes, and immune function differences were noted following feeding of Fish Analog. Feeding Fish Analog reduced blood n9 fatty acids compared with captive belugas fed no Fish Analog. Feeding a DHA-enriched Fish Analog increased several n3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid, but not DHA, compared with whales fed no Fish Analog or non-DHA-enriched Fish Analog. Fish Analog was shown to be a viable alternative to feeding fish at up to 50% of the dietary caloric density.     

Food selection by brook trout in a subalpine stream

The diet and food selection of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and macroinvertebrate drift are described for a high altitude stream (3 205 m above mean sea level) adjacent to the alpine zone on the Snowy Range in the Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming. Diet composition differed between brook trout of two length classes, 150 mm and > 150 mm in total length. The number of prey organisms per stomach generally declined and the proportion of terrestrial prey items increased from July to September, 1985. Fish of both length classes selected for Trichoptera and Coleoptera over the three sampling months, and fish > 150 mm also selected for terrestrial insects in August and September.The Unit is jointly supported by the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the US Fish and Wildlife ServiceThe Unit is jointly supported by the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service     

Evidence for local adaptation in neighbouring Daphnia populations: a laboratory transplant experiment

1. We tested whether two neighbouring Daphnia galeata populations (from Lake Blankaart and Fish Pond), separated only by 5 m of land and with the occasional exchange of water were genetically differentiated in allozyme markers and life history traits. Allozyme electrophoresis revealed that the populations differed in allelic as well as in genotypic composition. 2. In a laboratory transplant experiment, in which animals of four clones of each of the populations were raised in the water of both ponds, survival in Blankaart water was high for both the Blankaart and Fish Pond clones, whereas survival in Fish Pond water was high for the Fish Pond clones, but low for the Blankaart clones. 3. Fish Pond clones produced fewer neonates than Blankaart clones when cultured in Blankaart water. High egg mortality was observed for animals that were raised in Blankaart water, and this egg mortality was higher for Fish Pond clones than for Blankaart clones. 4. Our results provide evidence for genetic differentiation between Daphnia populations inhabiting neighbouring water bodies and suggest local adaptation to environmental conditions other than direct predation.     

A new method for isolating tyrosine kinase substrates used to identify fish, an SH3 and PX domain-containing protein, and Src substrate.

We describe a method for identifying tyrosine kinase substrates using anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies to screen tyrosine-phosphorylated cDNA expression libraries. Several potential Src substrates were identified including Fish, which has five SH3 domains and a recently discovered phox homology (PX) domain. Fish is tyrosine-phosphorylated in Src-transformed fibroblasts (suggesting that it is a target of Src in vivo) and in normal cells following treatment with several growth factors. Treatment of cells with cytochalasin D also resulted in rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of Fish, concomitant with activation of Src. These data suggest that Fish is involved in signalling by tyrosine kinases, and imply a specialized role in the actin cytoskeleton.     

The adaptor protein fish associates with members of the ADAMs family and localizes to podosomes of Src-transformed cells

Fish is a scaffolding protein and Src substrate. It contains an amino-terminal Phox homology (PX) domain and five Src homology 3 (SH3) domains, as well as multiple motifs for binding both SH2 and SH3 domain-containing proteins. We have determined that the PX domain of Fish binds 3-phosphorylated phosphatidylinositols (including phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate). Consistent with this, a fusion protein of green fluorescent protein and the Fish PX domain localized to punctate structures similar to endosomes in normal fibroblasts. However, the full-length Fish protein was largely cytoplasmic, suggesting that its PX domain may not be able to make intermolecular interactions in unstimulated cells. In Src-transformed cells, we observed a dramatic re-localization of some Fish molecules to actin-rich structures called podosomes; the PX domain was both necessary and sufficient to effect this translocation. We used a phage display screen with the fifth SH3 domain of Fish and isolated ADAM19 as a binding partner. Subsequent analyses in mammalian cells demonstrated that Fish interacts with several members of the ADAMs family, including ADAMs 12, 15, and 19. In Src-transformed cells, ADAM12 co-localized with Fish in podosomes. Because members of the ADAMs family have been implicated in growth factor processing, as well as cell adhesion and motility, Fish could be acting as an adaptor molecule that allows Src to impinge on these processes.     

鱼类线粒体DNA及其研究进展

鱼类是脊椎动物中最原始而在种属数量上又最占优势的类群,其起源复杂,分布广泛,拥有丰富的遗传多样性。鱼类线粒体DNA(mitochondrial DNA,mtDNA)同其他脊椎动物的mtRNA一样,呈共价闭合环状,是细胞核外具自主复制、转录和翻译能力的遗传因子。与核DNA相比,鱼类mtDNA具有分子较小、结构简单、进化速度快、遗传相对独立性和母系遗传等特点,是一个相对独立的复制单位。由于鱼类线粒体DNA具有上述特点,以mtDNA作为分子标记,探讨鱼类的群体遗传结构与系统演化,已成为鱼类分子群体遗传学和系统学研究中的热点。综述了鱼类mtDNA的结构特征、进化和多态性检测方法及其在鱼类分子群体遗传学和鱼类系统学研究中的应用。     

Increased exposure to predators increases both exploration and activity level in Brachyrhaphis episcopi

Two temperament traits, tendency to explore and activity level, were measured in a tropical poeciliid fish, the Panamanian bishop Brachyrhaphis episcopi. Open-field arena tests were used to quantify how predation pressure shapes activity levels and exploratory behaviours. Fish behaviour differed between high and low-predation populations. Fish that experienced higher levels of predation were both more explorative and more active. There were also some individual differences within populations; fish varied in their levels of exploration and activity in a novel open arena, but these differences were not related to sex or size. Together with previous studies on this species, these results indicate that there is a behavioural syndrome associated with predation pressure. Fish from high-predation populations are bolder, more explorative and more active than those from low-predation populations.     

Short Notices

Burkardt, Nina. (1990) Opportunities to Protect Instream Flows and Wetland Uses of Water in Florida. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report
Wolff S.W., Wesche T.A., Harris D.D. & Hubert W.A. (1990) Brown trout population and habitat changes associated with increased minimum low flows in Douglas Creek, Wyoming. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report
Clark Donald R. Jr (1990) Dicofol (Kelthane) as an Environmental Contaminant: A Review. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fish and Wildlife Technical Report
Todd Thomas N. (1990) Genetic differentiation of walleye stocks in Lake St. Clair and western Lake Erie. United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Fish and Wildlife Technical Report
Hudson Patrick L., Lenat David R., Caldwell Broughton A. & Smith David (1990) Chiro-nomidae of the Southeastern United States: a checklist of species and notes on biology, distribution and habitat. United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Fish and Wildlife Research
Eisler Ronald (1990) Chlordane hazards to fish, wildlife and invertebrates: a synoptic review. United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Biological Report
Eisler Ronald (1990) Paraquat hazards to fish, wildlife and invertebrates: a synoptic review. United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Biological Report
Gopal Brij. (Ed.) (1990) Ecology and Management of Aquatic Vegetation in the Indian Subcontinent     

Plenty more fish in the sea: comparative and functional genomics using teleost models.

Biology has collaborated with evolution to create an enormous repertoire of animal variation. This in turn has provided experimental biologists with models that can be used in the lab to simulate more complex systems. Amongst the organisms that have been used in this way are fish, where a large number of species have been utilised in a variety of different ways. Fish possess the smallest genomes of any vertebrate, making them ideal as models for genome analysis and gene discovery. Fish are also easy to maintain in a laboratory environment and can be bred easily. Fish often have well-defined physiology and respond well to many experimental procedures. Finally, fish are of great economic importance in their own right, as one of the world's largest sources of protein. In this review, the relationship between fish species is examined along with the role of different fish models in a wide range of biological disciplines.     

浙江千岛湖黄腿渔鸮的繁殖记录

<正>黄腿渔鸮(Ketupa flavipes)隶属于鸮形目鸱鸮科,1836年由英国博物学家Brian Houghton Hodgson在尼泊尔发现并命名。为单型种,无亚种分化。分布范围从喜马拉雅山脉延伸至中南半岛东部、中国大陆中南部及台湾,我国主要见于东部、中部和南部。在云南、贵州、四川、重庆、湖北、湖南、安徽、江西、江苏、上海、浙江、福建、广东、广西和台湾等地有记录(郑光美2011),均为留鸟。黄腿渔鸮为我国国家Ⅱ级重点保护动物;在IUCN     

Intensive culture of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella, in circular tanks

Fingerling grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) were cultured in 380 1 circular fiberglass tanks at stocking densities of 0.53, 1.06, 1.59 and 2.11 fish/1. Fish were fed duckweed ( Lemna minima ) to satiation. Fish grew from 2.7 g to a maximum mean weight of 72.7 g in 88 days. Fish stocked at 0.53 fish/1 grow more rapidly than those stocked at higher densities. Mean daily consumption rates were strongly correlated with oxygen levels and when oxygen levels dropped below 4 mg/1 consumption was reduced approximately 40%. High biomass, growth, and survival rates obtained during this study indicate grass carp are well suited for intensive tank culture.     

Turnover patterns in fish versus macroinvertebrates — implications for conservation planning

Spatial patterns in taxonomic richness and turnover for fish and aquatic macroinvertebrates are compared to assess the relative usefulness of each taxonomic group in mapping biodiversity patterns. Fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate species data for sites down the longitudinal axes of nine rivers in four provinces along the eastern side of South Africa were analysed. Fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate data from previous studies and recent river surveys were used in analyses of species richness and turnover. Fish proved to be not useful for mapping biodiversity patterns, as measured by turnover, whereas aquatic macroinvertebrate species patterns exhibited predictable patterns of turnover with downstream distance. Average turnover rates could be decomposed into turnover of common (‘core’) species, which were accelerated by presence of rare and narrow-range species. Disruptions to the river continuum impacted on the rate of turnover. Consistent with other research on South African rivers, aquatic macroinvertebrate communities could be grouped into upland versus lowland assemblages, and also be defined by longitudinal zones. Fish biodiversity patterns should be viewed at a riverscape scale, whereas macroinvertebrate patterns are more easily discerned at a segment-reach scale, and applied to reflect connectivity and environmental gradients respectively.     

Winter Fish Distribution in the Riverbed Depression in the Urtysh River

Journal of Ichthyology - Winter fish distribution is investigated by means of computerized hydroacoustic complexes in the largest riverbed depression in the Irtysh. Fish aggregations whose...     

中国植物区系地理及植物生态地理中值得讨论的若干名称问题

本文提出在植物区系分区中用“亚洲东部森林植物亚区”及“横断山脉—喜马拉雅山脉森林植物亚区”代替原来“中国—日本森林植物亚区”及“中国—喜马拉雅森林植物亚区”两名称;对植物生态地理中的“中国亚热带植被带”中引入“温亚热带”、“中亚热带”及“暖亚热带”三亚带名称,代替原来称为“北亚热带”、“中亚热带”及“南亚热带”三亚代的名称。同时在“中国温带植被带”中也引入“寒温带”、“温带”、“暖温带”三亚带名称,代替“北”、“中、“南”亚热带及温带植被亚带的名称,以避免对南、北两半球的亚热带与温带及其亚带的混淆的称谓。     

Changes in brain GnRH mRNA and pituitary GnRH peptide during testicular maturation in barfin flounder

The pleuronectid barfin flounder (Verasper moseri) expresses three forms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the brain. To clarify the physiological roles of the respective forms during testicular maturation, changes in brain GnRH mRNA levels and pituitary GnRH peptide levels were examined by real-time quantitative PCR and time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay, respectively. Fish hatched in April 2000. The gonadosomatic index remained low until October 2001 and then rapidly increased in January 2002. Fish continued to grow from hatching through testicular maturation. Fish spermiated in March 2002. The amount of seabream GnRH (sbGnRH) mRNA per brain significantly increased in January 2002 and remained at high levels in March 2002. The amounts of salmon GnRH (sGnRH) and chicken GnRH-II (cGnRH-II) mRNA per brain did not show significant changes during the experimental periods. Pituitary sbGnRH peptide content significantly increased in March 2002. Pituitary sGnRH peptide and cGnRH-II peptide contents were extremely low compared to sbGnRH peptide levels and showed no significant changes during the experiment. These results indicate that sbGnRH is involved in the testicular maturation of barfin flounder.     

Genetic factors in broodstock management for seed production

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries -     

Advancing mate choice studies in salmonids

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - Mate choice in most organisms is not random, but determined by a suite of interacting traits and environmental factors. While the selective pressures...     

A global review and meta-analysis of applications of the freshwater Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - The freshwater Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit (FISK) has been applied in 35 risk assessment areas in 45 countries across the six inhabited continents (11...     

Status of research in stock enhancement and sea ranching

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries -