Time-place learning in food-restricted Nile tilapia

Time-place learning based on food association was investigated in eight food-restricted Nile tilapias. Each fish was individually housed for 10 days in an experimental tank for adjustments to laboratory conditions, and fed daily in excess. Feeding was then interrupted for 17 days. Training was then started, based on a food-restricted regime in a tank divided into three interconnected compartments. Daily food was offered in one compartment (left or right side) of the tank in the morning and on the opposite side in the afternoon, for a continuous 30-day period. Frequency of choices on the right side was measured on days 10, 20 and 30 (during these test days, fish were not fed). Following this 30-day conditioning period, the Nile tilapias were able to switch sides at the correct period of the day to get food, suggesting that food restriction facilitates time-place learning discrimination.     

Fish condition in introduced tilapias of Ugandan crater lakes in relation to deforestation and fishing pressure

This study identifies environmental predictors of the condition of two introduced tilapia species (Oreochromis leucostictus and Tilapia zillii) that are known to have divergent trophic niches (planktivore and herbivore, respectively) in 17 crater lakes in western Uganda. We asked whether fish condition differs among lakes characterized by differences in fishing pressure and catchment deforestation; and we related relative condition factor to gradients of environmental variation across lakes. Lakes characterized by severe catchment deforestation tended to be lakes with high fishing pressure, so it was difficult to explore independent and interactive effects. However, mean relative condition factor was higher in populations with high fishing pressure compared to populations with low fishing pressure for both O. leucostictus and T. zillii. The condition of O. leucostictus populations was higher in lakes with severely deforested catchments; but mean relative condition factor of T. zillii did not differ between deforestation categories. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to describe the major environmental gradients of variation among the lakes; and PCA factor scores were regressed against relative fish condition. The association between fish condition and environmental gradients was stronger for O. leucostictus than for T. zillii. For O. leucostictus, fish condition was related to PC1 (43% of the variance) and factors that loaded most heavily included Chl-a, water transparency, lake area and depth, suggesting higher condition in lakes characterized by higher primary productivity and smaller size. For T. zillii, PC3 (11%) was the only axis related to fish condition; and factors that loaded most heavily included lake area (positive), and conductivity and total nitrogen (negative). Some of the larger lakes are characterized by higher availability of macrophytes that may positively affect the food base for T. zillii.     

奥利亚罗非鱼与鳜杂交的受精细胞学及胚胎发育研究

通过对奥利亚罗非鱼(♀)和鳜(♂)杂交的受精细胞学观察发现:异源精子入卵后产生星光,并核化成雄性原核,与雌原核互相靠近,接触最终完全融合为一个合子核,合子核继续分裂。分析比较了奥利亚罗非鱼,鳜以及奥鳜杂种胚胎发育情况,发现杂种胚胎的发育速度在囊胚早期与母本奥利亚罗非鱼基本一致,到囊胚后期速度有所减慢,但与鳜胚胎发育速度相差很大。这表明奥利亚罗非鱼和鳜虽属不同科间的远缘杂交,但有正常的受精细胞学程序和常规的细胞分裂(卵裂)方式。     

Otolith age determination for adult tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L. from Lake Awassa (Ethiopian Rift Valley) by interpreting biannuli and differentiating biannual recruitment

Age of mature Oreochromis niloticus in Lake Awassa, Ethiopia, was estimated by analysing optical macrozones (translucent and opaque) in sagittal otoliths from fish sampled over a 12-month period. Seasonal record on the type of macrozone at the edge of otoliths suggested that two translucent macrozones associated with biannuli were formed each year; one during January and February and another during June and July. Formation of translucent macrozones coincided with minimum water temperature, spawning associated loss in condition and presumably with reduction in the quantity and quality of the food consumed by the fish. Relative marginal increment analysis showed that biannulus formation may be completed in March and in August each year. A concurrent study has confirmed a biannual recruitment in O. niloticus in Lake Awassa, from which mid-February and mid-August were taken as median hatch-dates. A procedure to assign otolith age is described which considers median hatch-dates and uses the number of biannuli in otoliths without discriminating between fish from the two recruitment cohorts. We also show a procedure to discriminate between the two cohorts by using the number of biannuli, conditions on the edge of the otolith and time of capture to assign age for the two recruitment cohorts separately.     

Phenotypic sex differentiation of blue tilapia under constant and fluctuating thermal regimes and its adaptive and evolutionary implications

Oreochromis aureus exposed during the first 28 days of exogenous feeding to constant 35° C, or fluctuating temperatures (day at 35° C, night at 27° C, and vice versa) showed significantly ( P <0·05) faster growth, least size heterogeneity and better survival rates than siblings under constant 27° C. Constant high temperatures had a strong masculinizing effect (M: F sex ratios of 7·33–19·00: 1·00 v . 0·75–0·82: 1·00 in controls reared at 27° C). Fluctuating temperatures had less masculinizing potential but still produced sex ratios significantly skewed to the detriment of females (M: F sex ratios of 2·33–11·50: 1·00). This suggests that ambient temperature may have represented a sufficient environmental pressure for the selection of thermolabile sex-determinism in this species, and presumably in other Oreochromis spp. The evolutionary advantage of thermosensitivity in Oreochromis spp. is discussed, considering a framework where individual advantages oppose, to some degree, to the population or species interest.     

中国大陆尼罗罗非鱼引进群体间遗传关系分析

为了从分子水平上评价中国大陆尼罗罗非鱼（Oreochromis niloticus）主要引进群体间遗传关系、遗传分化及基因流状况,研究利用12对多态性微卫星引物,以埃及土著群体为对照组,分析中国大陆尼罗罗非鱼9个代表性引进群体的遗传关系。结果显示:①群体间四种遗传距离[D_A、D_C、D_SW和（δμ）2]同时表明,USA群体和EGY群体间的遗传距离最小[D_A=0.2174,D_C=0.4140,D_SW=0.8769,（δμ）2=22.6904];D_A和D_C表明GD群体和XJF群体间遗传距离最大（D_A=0.5851,D_C=0.6789）;D_SW和（δμ）2表明USA群体与XJF群体间遗传距离最大[D_SW=4.0907,（δμ）2=138.18]。② EGY群体和GD群体间遗传分化最小（F_ST=0.0326,R_ST=0.0337）,XJF群体和LY群体间遗传分化最大（F_ST=0.2098,R_ST=0.2655）。所有成对群体间均存在显著的遗传分化（P < 0.05）。③群体间系统树显示,WY群体、GD群体、EGY群体和USA群体被聚为一类,BL群体、LY群体和EW群体被聚为一类,JNM群体和GLD群体被聚为一类,XJF群体位于独立的分支;贝叶斯聚类分析将10个群体划分为2类,XJF、BL、LY、EW群体被归入第一类,WY、GD、EGY、USA、GLD和JNM群体被归入第二类。分子方差分析和主成分分析支持了系统树和贝叶斯聚类分析的结果。④根据成对F_ST值和R_ST值估算的群体间历史基因流平均值分别为2.4427和2.1983。群体间近期基因流检测结果显示,各群体中发生第一代迁移的个体数在0-7个,占样本数的0-23.3%。总体而言,我国尼罗罗非鱼引进群体间遗传分化显著,群体间存在一定程度的历史基因流和近期基因流。研究结果为开展我国尼罗罗非鱼引进群体的种质资源保护和综合利用提供了科学依据。     

微囊藻毒素对尼罗罗非鱼原代肝细胞致毒机理的探讨

采用离体细胞培养诱导方法,研究微囊藻毒素-LR(microcystin-LR,MC-LR)对尼罗罗非鱼(Oreochromis niloticus)原代肝细胞的毒性效应.尼罗罗非鱼原代肝细胞经10、50、150、500 μg/L MC-LR体外诱导24h后,单细胞微量凝胶电泳(SCGE)检测显示,与对照组相比处理组出现明显的彗星拖尾现象,说明MC-LR可引起尼罗罗非鱼肝细胞DNA的损伤,并随着剂量的增加,DNA的损伤程度增大.PI/Annexin V双染色流式细胞仪(FCM)检测表明MC-LR能明显引起肝细胞凋亡,与SCGE结果一致,且DNA损伤程度越大,细胞早期凋亡率越高,呈现明显的时间、剂量依赖性.本研究为进一步从分子、细胞水平阐明MC-LR的毒性以及致毒机理提供重要的理论依据.