Comparison of the Effects of Gonadotropic Preparations of the Carp and Stellate Sturgeon Pituitaries onin vivoand in vitroOocyte Maturation in the Siberian Sturgeon Acipenser baeriBrandt

Injections of 2.5 mg/kg of stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatusPall.) pituitary extract and 5 mg/kg of carp (Cyprinus carpioL.) pituitary extract in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeriBrandt) females did not reveal significant differences in the effects of these preparations. There were no differences in the percentage of females that responded by ovulation, duration of the period from injection to ovulation, rate of ovulation, or quality of mature eggs as estimated by the percentage of fertilization or percentage of normal embryos at the small yolk plug stage. Thus, an insufficient efficiency in the artificial reproduction of the Siberian sturgeon grown in captivity is not related to the use of the carp pituitary preparation as a stimulus. Estimation of the ratio of specific activities of the pituitary extracts and purified gonadotropins of the stellate sturgeon and carp by in vitrooocyte maturation has shown that it varies within wide limits as a function of the medium composition and physiological state of follicles. Hence, the ratio of activities of the gonadotropins of different species as determined by in vitromaturation of sturgeon oocytes may markedly differ from that upon injection of these preparations in breeders.     

Nonconcordant evolutionary history of maternal and paternal lineages in Adriatic sturgeon

Although analyses of intraspecific variability are an important prerequisite for species identification assays, only a few studies have focused on population genetics and historical biogeography of sturgeon species. Here we present the first study on genetic variability of the last remaining Adriatic sturgeon, Acipenser naccarii, derived from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Our mitochondrial DNA analyses arranged individuals into three distinguished mitochondrial DNA haplogroups (Po1, Po2 and Buna). Two haplogroups (Po1 and Buna) were correlated to geographical distribution, whereas the third (Po2) was not. It was, however, very closely related to one lineage of its Ponto-Caspian sister species, A. gueldenstaedtii. The distribution of nuclear markers (microsatellites and amplified fragment length polymorphism) was strongly correlated to geographical distribution. An assignment test based on nuclear data placed no specimen of A. naccarii to A. gueldenstaedtii and vice versa. Therefore, the presence of gueldenstaedtii-like haplotypes within the Po population is either the result of a postglacial introgression or an ancestral polymorphism and does not indicate a hybrid population. The most valuable tool for forensic species identification purposes is one diagnostic deletion separating all A. naccarii from A. gueldenstaedtii. As both A. naccarii populations are genetically differentiated, stocking of sturgeon from the Po River in Italy into waters of the Buna River would jeopardize the genetic differences between both populations and should thus be avoided.     

Can juvenile Baltic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) smell the enemy?

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus), also known as Baltic sturgeon, is considered extinct in German waters. Fish‐rearing for conservation purposes largely relies on classical hatchery technology focusing on traits like survival and growth in captivity but rarely focusing on subsequent life in the wild, lacking skills such as foraging or anti‐predation behavior. Predation is hence a major factor for mortality in newly stocked individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate if naïve Baltic sturgeon juveniles were able to recognize a common predator—zander (Sander lucioperca)—by olfactory cues and adapt accordingly. Over a period of 30 days, Baltic sturgeons were supplied with effluent water from a rearing tank with zander (zander unit) and, as a control, carp (carp unit), three tanks each. Distribution within the tank, morphology of the dorsal scutes, stress (glucose, lactate and cortisol) and gene expression of brain plasticity and cognition were studied in comparison to the control group (carp unit). No significant differences between the zander and the carp unit were observed in any of the parameters measured. Thus, we conclude that naïve Baltic sturgeon is not able to innately recognize potential predators by olfaction alone. Therefore, future studies should focus on applying predator odor together with chemical alarm substances.     

Morphology and ultrastructure of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) spermatozoa using scanning and transmission electron microscopy

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Available data concerning the sperm morphology of teleost fishes demonstrate wide variation. In the present study, the spermatozoa of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii Brandt, 1869), a chondrostean fish, was investigated. In contrast with teleost fish, chondrostean spermatozoa have a head with a distinct acrosome, whereas other structures, such as a midpiece and a single flagellum, are present in spermatozoa of most species. RESULTS: The average length of the head including the acrosome and the midpiece was 7.01+/-0.83 microm. Ten posterolateral projections derived from the acrosome were present on a subacrosomal region, with mean lengths of 0.94+/-0.15 microm and widths of 0.93+/-0.11 microm. The nucleus consisted of electrodense homogeneous nuclear chromatin. Three intertwining endonuclear canals, bound by membranes, traversed the nucleus longitudinally from the acrosomal end to the basal nuclear fossa region. There were between three and six mitochondria, two types of centrioles (proximal and distal) in the midpiece and two vacuoles composed of lipid droplets. The flagellum (44.75+/-4.93 microm in length), originating from the centriolar apparatus, had a typical 9+2 eukaryotic flagellar organization. In addition, there was an extracellular cytoplasm canal between the cytoplasmic sheath and the flagellum. CONCLUSIONS: A principal components analysis explained the individual morphological variation fairly well. Of the total accumulated variance, 41.45% was accounted for by parameters related to the head and midpiece of the sperm and the length of the flagellum. Comparing the present study with previous studies of morphology of sturgeon spermatozoa, there were large inter- or intra-specific differences that could be valuable taxonomically.     

Balbiani cytoplasm in oocytes of a primitive fish,the sturgeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser gueldenstaedtii</Emphasis>, and its potential homology to the Balbiani body (mitochondrial cloud) of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xenopus laevis</Emphasis> oocytes

The oocytes of many organisms, including frogs and fish, contain a distinct cytoplasmic organelle called the Balbiani body. Because of the scarcity of published information and the tremendous variability in the appearance, ultrastructure, and composition of Balbiani bodies between species, the function of the Balbiani body and its inter-species homology remain a mystery. In Xenopus laevis, the Balbiani body is known to play a role in transporting germ cell determinants and localized RNAs to the oocyte vegetal cortex. In fish, however, the molecular composition of the Balbiani body has not been studied to date, and its function remains completely unknown. We have studied the ultrastructure and molecular composition of previtellogenic oocytes of the sturgeon, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, by using electron microscopy, in situ hybridization, and immunostaining. We have found that sturgeon oocytes contain two distinct zones of cytoplasm: homogeneous (organelle-free) and granular (organelle-rich). We have also found that the granular ooplasm, which we term the Balbiani cytoplasm, shares important homologies, in both ultrastructure and molecular composition, with Xenopus Balbiani bodies. This work was supported by funds from the research grant BW/IZ/2005 to M.Z.     

Use of Washington Estuaries by Subadult and Adult Green Sturgeon

Green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, are the most marine-oriented of North American sturgeons. However, their estuarine/marine distribution and the seasonality of estuarine use are largely unknown. We used acoustic telemetry to document the timing of green sturgeon use of Washington estuaries. In the summers of 2003 and 2004, uniquely coded acoustic transmitters were surgically implanted in green sturgeon captured using commercial gillnets. All sturgeon tagged were greater than 1.2 m total length. They were caught, tagged, and released in both Willapa Bay (n = 49) and Columbia River (n = 11) estuaries. We deployed an array of four fixed- site acoustic receivers in Willapa Bay to detect the estuarine entry and exit of these and any of over 100 additional green sturgeon tagged in other systems during 2003 and 2004. Green sturgeon occurred in Willapa Bay in summer when estuarine water temperatures exceeded coastal water temperatures by at least 2°C. They exhibited rapid and extensive intra- and inter- estuary movements and green sturgeon from all known spawning populations were detected in Willapa Bay. We hypothesize that green sturgeon optimize their growth potential in summer by foraging in the relatively warm, saline waters of Willapa Bay and we caution that altering the quality of estuarine habitats could negatively affect this species throughout its range.     

Hydrological Status of the spawning ground of Acipenser sinensis underneath the Gezhouba Dam and its relationship with the spawning runs

The spawning runs of Chinese Sturgeon (CS; Acipenser sinensis) were observed 37 times below Gezhouba Dam of Yangtze River between 1983 and 2004. Five hydrological factors (water temperature, water level, flow discharge, silt content and current velocity) were monitored on a daily basis at the spawning ground between October and November for 22 consecutive years (1983–2004). The effect of current velocity on the spawning ground at the bottom layer of the river, where CS was spawning for four years, was measured (1996–1999). The authors of this study analyzed the relationship between the five hydrological factors and the respective spawning runs. Twenty-two years of continuous observations indicated that the daily mean values of all the five hydrological factors fluctuated within a certain range when CS was spawning. It was concluded that the optimal values for the hydrological factors during the spawning runs are 18.0–20.0°C for temperature, 14100 m³/s for discharge volume, 42.0–45.0 m for water level above the sea level, and 0.2–0.3 kg/m³ for silt content in the water, wherein the current velocity above the bottom layer to stimulate the fish to spawn should be between 1.0–1.7 m/s. The optimal water temperature might provide an essential precondition for other factors to trigger spawning. As water temperature reaches the optimal values and most of the other parameters are at the brink of deviation from their optimal range of values (water level, current velocity and silt content in the water), CS would begin to spawn. By 2009, when the Yangtze Three Gorges Project, which is located 45 km upstream of the Gezhouba Dam, is completed and begins to operate normally, changes in the downstream water temperature are expected to occur, which may have a negative effect on the development of gonad and the stimulation of spawning of CS; however, the anticipated decrease of the silt content in the water may be considered favorable for the performance of the spawning site.     

湖鲟微卫星DNA引物应用于中华鲟亲子关系分析的初步研究

利用湖鲟(Acipenser fulvescens)的4对微卫星引物对中华鲟随机个体样本进行PCR扩增,分析电泳结果发现,4对引物均可在中华鲟个体中得到稳定的同源序列,其中2对引物所探测到的等位基因数目较多,在个体间表现出较高的多态性,利用它们产生的DNA指纹图谱,能够对1999年度获得的中华鲟亲鱼样本进行有效的个体区分。并且这两对湖鲟的微卫星引物在对1999年度已知亲本的同一家系中的中华鲟随机个体的分析中,表现为按照孟德尔方式进行共显性遗传。证明这2对微卫星引物可以用于鉴别中华鲟人工放流个体和自然繁殖个体。     

温度对中华鲟幼鱼代谢酶和抗氧化酶活性的影响

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中华鲟(Acipenser sinensis)间的长度变异与个体内的长度异质性

用PCR技术扩增中华鲟（Acipensersinensis）线粒体DNA（mtDNA）控制区（D－loop）时,发现中华鲟天然群体内存在个体间和个体内的mtDNA长度变异现象。DNA测序表明,长度变异发生在mtDNAryloop靠近tRANpro的位置,由长约82碱基对（bp）的重复序列串联形成的。由个体内mtDNA长度变异造成的异质性个体比例为57.4％,非异质性（同质性）个体的比例为426％。非异质性个体间的mtDNA的大小也不一样,存在长度变异。在非异质性个体中,有2、3、4、5个串联重复序列形成的4种分子类型的情况,其重复序列出现的频率从高到低的循序是3→2→4→5。在异质性个体中,同一个体由2种不同分子组合的异质体最普通,占77.78％3种不同分子组合的频率次之,占18.520。4种不同分子组合的异质体比例最少,占3．70％。没有发现由5种不同分子组合的异质体。对所有异质体混合分析表明,各种类型的重复序列出现的比例与非异质体的类似,即分子大小（含重复序列数）从高到低的顺序为3→2→4→5→1。对47尾中华鲟的个体内和个体间的遗传多样性指数分析发现,有65．3％遗传变异表现在群体内的个体间,有347％的遗传变异表现在个体内。由mtDNA长度异质性造成的个体内的多样性是中华鳍物种遗传多样性的另一途径。