The effects of temperature change on the hatching success and larval survival of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu

In this study, the effects of abrupt temperature change on the hatching success and larval survival of eggs, yolk-sac larvae (YSL) and larvae above nest (LAN), for both largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu were quantified. Temperature had a significant effect on hatching success and time to 50% mortality, with large heat shocks causing accelerated mortality. The temperature changes shown to influence survival of all life stages, however, were beyond what is typically experienced in the wild. Micropterus salmoides had greater egg hatching success rates and increased survival rates at YSL and LAN stages, relative to M. dolomieu. Additionally, egg hatching success and survival of LAN varied across nests within the study. These findings suggest that temperature alone may not account for variations in year-class strength and may emphasize the need for protection of the nest-guarding male Micropterus spp. to ensure recruitment.     

Vitamin E in early stages of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) development

This study reports titration of vitamin E levels in the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) using high-pressure liquid chromatography. The first part of the work is devoted to vitamin E detection in: (1) plasma of maturing females and males characterized by different body sizes; (2) seminal fluid and eggs; and (3) developing embryos of sea bass fed with vitamin E. In the second part of the study, variations of vitamin E levels during larval development are analyzed. The results show a direct correlation between plasma vitamin E content and body size for both adult male and female sea bass. High vitamin E levels were found in seminal fluid, in eggs before and after fertilization, and in embryos during development and at hatching, whereas vitamin E level was low in dead embryos and in embryos with limited survival. During larval development, the vitamin E content decreased slowly but steadily during the first four days of larval growth; subsequently, it progressively increased from day 9 to day 40. In teratogenic larvae, vitamin E content was significantly higher than in normal larvae. This study provides evidence on how vitamin E exerts an antioxidant defense in sea bass reproduction.     

Parental effects on fertilization and hatching success and development of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.) embryos and larvae

The parental effects on fertilization and early life history traits were studied in Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus L. Sperm from 12 different males were used to fertilize eggs of two females in separate crosses. The fertilization success were generally high, above 80% of developing embryos at 16-cell stage in 20 of 24 crosses with an average of 85.9+/-17.6% and 87.2+/-16.5% for female A and female B, respectively. Corresponding hatching success was 74.8+/-17.7% and 41.6+/-20.1%, respectively. The relationship between fertilization success and hatching success was positive. The parental influence on hatching was dominated by a strong and significant (p<0.001) maternal effect; however, the paternal effect was also significant (p<0.001). Furthermore, there was no relationship between fertilization success, hatching success and larvae viability as a high number of larvae developed locked jaws (i.e., were not functional). There was a significant (p<0.01) difference in yield of functional larvae of female A (43%) and female B (56%), and also between crosses sired by different males. The standard length of offspring of female A (12.4+/-0.5 mm) and B (12.6+/-0.6 mm) were significantly (p<0.001) different, and also significantly influenced by both the female (p<0.001) and the male (p<0.001). The present paper provides strong indications that not only the female, but also the male parent influences quantitative features of early development of their offspring.     

Trypsin activity and physiological aspects in larval rearing of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) using live prey and compound diets

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of a compound diet as a live prey substitute for feeding European sea bass larvae ( Dicentrarchus labrax L.). The effect of a commercial diet (Nippai ML feed) and live prey ( Artemia nauplii) on tryptic enzyme activity, protein content, growth (standard length) and survival rates of sea bass larvae were tested during a 27-day rearing experiment. Sea bass larvae were divided into two groups. The live food group (control group) was fed exclusively on newly hatched Artemia nauplii (Inve AF grade), the test group was fed exclusively with the compound diet from day 15 onwards. As trypsin has been demonstrated to be a useful indicator for evaluating digestibility of food and the nutritional condition of fish larvae, individual tryptic enzyme activity was determined in both feeding groups. Larvae older than 14 days after hatching and fed on live food showed a significantly higher tryptic enzyme activity than larvae fed the compound diet. A similar relationship between tryptic activity and standard length in both test groups was detected only in small larvae (standard length < 7 mm). The usefulness of proteolytic enzyme activity measurements in larval fish research, as well as its use in aquaculture nutrition research, was confirmed. Protein content, increase in length and survival rates of the sea bass larvae were additionally determined in order to evaluate an influence on the diet. The protein content of larvae fed the Artemia nauplii was higher and the growth of larvae fed the compound diet was reduced. Larval mortality was not affected by the diet given.     

Effects of different dietary levels of fish protein hydrolysates on growth, digestive enzymes, gut microbiota, and resistance to Vibrio anguillarum in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae

Two fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) were incorporated into four diets prepared for start-feeding sea bass larvae, at two different levels (10% and 19% of total ingredients): a commercial FPH, CPSP, in which the molecular mass of the main fraction of soluble peptides (51%) was between 500-2500 Da, and an experimental FPH obtained by acidic silage of sardine offal, SH, with a main portion of soluble peptides (54%) ranging from 200 to 500 Da. The diet with 10% of the commercial FPH gave the best results in terms of growth, survival and intestinal development, as evaluated by the early activity of digestive enzymes in the brush border membrane (alkaline phosphatase and aminopeptidase N). This was related to the low level of Vibrio spp. counted in the larvae of group C10. The high dose of FPH, especially in the experimental preparation rich in short peptides, seemed to favour the dominance of Vibrio sp. TYH3, which behaved opportunistically. The effect of the experimental FPH was ambiguous, since early larvae challenged with Vibrio anguillarum were more resistant to the pathogen, especially at high FPH dose (group S19). This might be due either to direct antagonism between V. anguillarum and Vibrio sp. TYH3, or to the stimulation of the immune response in the larvae. These results indicate that different molecular weight fractions and concentrations of feed-soluble peptides may affect the growth performance and immunological status of sea bass larvae. Consequently, a low dose of commercial FPH seems advisable, both for larval development and for the bacterial environment, although further research is required to determine and characterize peptide fractions that may have a beneficial effect on growth and immune response, and to determine their optimal inclusion levels in diets for sea bass larvae.     

肠道共生细菌预发酵鸡粪对黑水虻生长发育的影响

以利用黑水虻Hermetia illucens L.肠道共生细菌不同菌株培养液预发酵的鸡粪为培养料,研究了添加不同菌株的发酵鸡粪对黑水虻幼虫生长发育的影响。结果表明,添加不同菌株的预发酵鸡粪能显著增加预蛹和蛹的重量,显著提高化蛹率并增加雌、雄成虫体长,缩短预蛹所需时间,但对幼虫存活率、成虫羽化率、成虫寿命没有显著影响。同时,不同菌株的作用效果有所不同。     

Behavioral dynamics between caring males and females in a beetle with facultative biparental care

In families in which both parents care for multiple offspring,the amount of care a parent provides can be simultaneously influencedby multiple social interactions (i.e., parent-parent and parent-offspring).In this study, we first tested for sex differences in the parents'contribution to care and then used path analysis to addressthe simultaneous impact of parent-parent and parent-offspringinteractions on male and female care in the burying beetle,Nicrophorus vespilloides. In this species, both parents provisiontheir offspring predigested carrion from a vertebrate carcass,and the larvae beg for food from their parents. We found thatfemales were more involved in direct care for the larvae andspent more time than did males provisioning the larvae withfood. By using path analysis, we found a negative relationshipbetween male and female provisioning, suggesting that parentsadjust their behavior to that of their mate. Furthermore, wefound that both social interactions (i.e., larval begging) andnonsocial factors (i.e., brood size) significantly influencedmale provisioning, but had no significant effect on female provisioning.We suggest that the difference in the relative contributionof the two sexes to the care of the offspring explains why onlymales seemed to adjust their care to variation in social andnonsocial factors. For example, females may be less able toadjust their care to variation in larval begging and brood sizebecause they were already working near their maximum capacity.     

A microsatellite linkage map of the European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax L

A genetic linkage map of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) was constructed from 174 microsatellite markers, including 145 new markers reported in this study. The mapping panel was derived from farmed sea bass from the North Adriatic Sea and consisted of a single family including both parents and 50 full-sib progeny (biparental diploids). A total of 162 microsatellites were mapped in 25 linkage groups. Eleven loci represent type I (coding) markers; 2 loci are located within the peptide Y (linkage group 1) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (linkage group 6) genes. The sex-averaged map spans 814.5 cM of the sea bass genome. The female map covers 905.9 cM, whereas the male map covers only 567.4 cM. The constructed map represents the first linkage map of European sea bass, one of the most important aquaculture species in Europe.     

大口黑鲈amh基因全长cDNA克隆、表达及多克隆抗体制备

为研究大口黑鲈(Micropterus salmoides)抗缪勒氏管激素(amh)基因的表达及其在性腺发育中的潜在作用,研究利用RACE技术克隆得到了大口黑鲈amh基因,并制备Amh多克隆抗体,通过qRT-PCR、Western Blot分析Amh在大口黑鲈不同组织和不同发育阶段性腺中的表达模式,最后利用HE染色法和免疫组化观察不同发育阶段性腺的形态组织学变化及其与Amh表达的潜在关系。结果显示:大口黑鲈amh基因cDNA序列全长2050 bp,由24 bp5′非编码区、394 bp3′非编码区和1632 bp的开放阅读框组成,共编码543个氨基酸。amh基因mRNA在大口黑鲈11个组织中均有表达,其中雄鱼精巢中表达量最高,肌肉次之,雌鱼卵巢中表达量最高,肌肉次之。amh基因在雌雄鱼不同发育阶段的性腺中表达存在显著差异,精巢中表达量均显著高于卵巢(P<0.05)。同时, Western Blot结果显示Amh蛋白在精巢中表达丰度较高。amh基因在精巢中的表达量呈先上升后下降的趋势,且在孵化后65d鱼精巢中其表达量达到最高(P<0.05),免疫组化结果显示Amh表达于早期精...     

烟腹毛脚燕生态习性的初步观察

2004年5月至2006年7月对湖南衡山烟腹毛脚燕(Delichon dasypus)的生态习性进行了初步观察。该鸟为当地的夏候鸟,每年4月初迁来,9月底迁走。雌雄共同营巢于屋檐下,每年繁殖2次,第一次窝卵数3~5枚,第二次窝卵数2~3枚,孵化率为84.6%。雏鸟晚成性,雌雄共同育雏,以飞行性的昆虫为食。     

Preparation and Characterization of Alginate Microparticles Containing a Model Protein for Oral Administration in Gnotobiotic European Sea Bass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dicentrarchus labrax</Emphasis>) Larvae

Aquaculture is the fastest growing animal production sector. However, the production of marine fish is still hampered by the high mortality rate in the first few weeks after hatching. Mortality in larvae is often caused by microbial infections. Today, the incorporation of immunostimulants into microparticles provides us new tools to enhance disease resistance in marine larviculture. In this study, we prepared alginate microparticles loaded with the model antigen fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated-bovine serum albumin. Optimum concentrations of alginate and CaCl₂, the correct alginate viscosity and the appropriate preparatory conditions led to the creation of desirable microparticles with the correct size for oral feeding in gnotobiotic European sea bass larvae. The prepared alginate microparticles were stable in sea water and were successfully ingested by gnotobiotic sea bass larvae at day after hatching 7 without causing any negative effects. Results suggest the suitability of this drug delivery system for targeting the innate immune system of fish larvae in order to enhance disease resistance and thus reduce mortality in larviculture.     

Morphological Characterization of First Instar Larvae of Asian Horseshoe Crabs and their Hybrids*

The morphological characters of first instar larvae of three Asian horseshoe crabs and their hybrids were examined. For this purpose, the length of six parts on the larvae, the pattern of pigmentation, the structure of the margin of the opisthosoma, and the distribution and shape of spines on the extracardiac region of the prosoma were recorded. In general, the phenotypes of the hybrids were intermediate between those of the parents, suggesting that both male and female genomes contribute to development of the hybrids. However, there were some exceptional characters and phenotypic variations. Some characters were inherited from only one parent. This was suggested to imply that if the maternal species did not have the gene regulating expression of a given paternal character, the paternal gene did not express this character.     

Relationships between maternal size, egg diameter, time of spawning season, temperature, and length at hatch of Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia

Eggs were stripped from gravid Atlantic silversides collected on two occasions, once during the early part and once during the late part of the natural spawning season. Unfertilized egg diameter was not correlated with length of the female, nor was it significantly larger during the early part of the season. Eggs were fertilized and incubated in the laboratory. Larval length at hatch was measured every 24 h during the hatching period after embryos were incubated at 18 or 25° C. Lower incubation temperature caused a significantly greater length at hatch for the offspring of each of the 20 females studies. In most cases (17 out of 20 at 25° C, 10 out of 20 at 18° C), there was a significant decrease in length at hatch during the hatching period for a given female's eggs incubated at a given temperature. In the natural environment, larvae hatched early in the season under cooler temperatures could average 12% longer than those hatched later under warmer temperatures, and therefore may have a greater chance of survival. The results help to explain the observation that field-caught M. menidia that hatched early in the season are larger at any given age than those that hatched late in the season.     

光照强度与光周期对虎斑乌贼胚胎发育的影响

为探究光照对虎斑乌贼受精卵孵化的影响,确定其胚胎发育的最佳光照条件,本研究采用单因子试验方法,分析了不同光照强度(10、30、50、70、90 μmol·m^-2·s^-1)和光周期L∶D(24 h∶0 h、18 h∶6 h、12 h∶12 h、6 h∶18 h、0 h∶24 h)对虎斑乌贼胚胎发育的影响.结果表明: 不同光照强度对虎斑乌贼胚胎发育的孵化率、卵黄囊断裂率、培育周期、初孵幼体体质量与胴长均影响显著;而对孵化周期和幼体出膜7 d后存活率无显著影响.其中孵化率、培育周期、初孵幼体体质量与胴长随着光照强度的增强先增大后减小,而卵黄囊断裂率则逐渐增大.最适光照强度为30 μmol·m^-2·s^-1,此光照强度下孵化率为(90.0±4.1)%,卵黄囊断裂率为(7.3±1.5)%,培育周期为(25.50±0.35) d,孵化周期为(8.10±0.89) d,初孵幼体体质量为(0.213±0.011) g,胴长为(1.013±0.022) cm,出膜7 d后存活率为(97.1±4.0)%.不同光周期对虎斑乌贼胚胎发育的孵化率、培育周期、孵化周期均影响显著,而对卵黄囊断裂率、初孵幼体体质量、胴长和幼体出膜7 d后存活率无显著影响.其中孵化率和孵化周期随着光照时间的增加呈现先增大后减小的变化.最适光周期为LD(12 h12 h),此光周期下孵化率达(88.7±1.8)%,卵黄囊断裂率为(8.7±1.8)%,培育周期为(25.00±0.50) d,孵化周期为(7.00±3.20) d,初孵幼体体质量为(0.209±0.005) g,胴长为(0.998±0.026) cm,出膜7 d后存活率为(96.8±7.1)%.说明弱光照强度30 μmol·m^-2·s^-1和半日光照强度L∶D(12 h∶12 h)更有利于虎斑乌贼的胚胎孵化.在实际生产中,应避免阳光直射,采取适当的遮光措施.     

Evidence for a negative fitness-density relationship between parent density and offspring quality for two Xenopsylla spp. parasitic on desert mammals

We tested the hypothesis of negative fitness-density relationships and predicted that an increase in the density of parent fleas would result in lower survival rates and longer development time of pre-imagoes as well as shorter time to death from starvation of newly emerged imagoes. These predictions were experimentally tested on Xenopsylla conformis Wagner and Xenopsylla ramesis Rothschild feeding on two rodent species, Meriones crassus Sundevall or Dipodillus dasyurus Wagner. Survival of larvae and pupae, but not eggs, was negatively affected by parent density. An increase in parent density led to a decrease in the number of imagoes of the next generation. Eggs of both species developed faster when the parents were at low densities on either host. The same was true for larval X. ramesis, but not larval X. conformis. The negative effects of parent density on the duration of pupal development were evident in X. conformis, parents of which fed on both hosts, and X. ramesis from parents fed on M. crassus, whereas X. ramesis from parents fed on D. dasyurus developed faster at low densities. A negative effect of density on the development of offspring from egg to imago in X. conformis was manifested mainly when parent fleas fed on D. dasyurus, whereas the negative effect of density on offspring development in X. ramesis was manifested mainly when parent fleas fed on M. crassus. Although there was no general effect of parent density on the resistance of imago offspring to starvation, male X. ramesis from parents fed at the highest density survived starvation for significantly shorter times compared with those from parents fed at lower densities. Manifestation of the negative effect of parent density on offspring quality appears to vary with flea species and may be affected by host species.     

Parental genetic characteristics and hatching success in the spotless starling, Sturnus unicolor

Several studies have shown that inbreeding causes low hatching success. However, it is not always clear under which parental genetic characteristics hatching failure occurs. We examined the effects of parental homozygosity and parental genetic similarity on egg hatchability in the spotless starling. We evaluated whether low hatchability was a consequence of genetic similarity of the parents producing a zygote or because the parents themselves had reduced fertility because of their own genetic characteristics. We found a significant detrimental effect of both highest and lowest female homozygosity on hatchability. Parental genetic similarity was negatively related to egg hatchability. In contrast, we found no significant effect of male homozygosity on hatching success. Our results suggest that effects of homozygosity on hatching success may be relevant even in populations of abundant and colonial wild bird species without geographical barriers that could limit immigration or dispersal. We also highlight the importance of the analyses of male and female homozygosity and parental genetic similarity when investigating related fitness consequences of inbreeding.     

The effect of temperature on development and hatching of scad, Trachurus trachurus L., eggs

The effect of temperature on the rates of development and hatching of artificially fertilized eggs of the scad, Trachurus trachurus L., was studied using a thermal gradient incubator. Development of eggs through to hatching occurred within the temperature range 10.5–21.2° C, with greatest survival between 12.2 and 15.8° C. The mean egg diameter was 0.94 mm and mean length of larvae on hatching 2.46 mm. Regressions of development time on mean incubation temperature are presented. The data are compared with those reported in the literature and related to sea temperatures in scad spawning grounds.     

Sex of the first hatched chick influences survival of the brood in the herring gull (Larus argentatus)

Differences in the growth rate of male and female offspring can result in different parental rearing costs for sons and daughters. Such differences may also influence the survival chances of male and female offspring when conditions are unfavourable. In birds, hatching asynchrony leads to hierarchical competition for food between siblings. Therefore, the sex of the chick in the first hatched position in the brood may influence breeding success by affecting the extent to which the later hatched chicks can compete for resources. The interaction between brood sex composition and chick performance in the herring gull Larus argentatus was examined under different environmental conditions. When environmental conditions were relatively good, chick survival within broods was better when a female was first to hatch, an effect that was most obvious later in the season. When conditions were poorer however, sex of the first hatched chicks was not related to brood survival. In neither situation did the overall primary sex ratio differ from equality. However in the year of relatively good food availability, the first chick in the brood was more likely to be male early in the season, which was when the disadvantageous effects on brood survival of males being in this position are weakest.