DNA methylation in adults and during development of the self‐fertilizing mangrove rivulus,Kryptolebias marmoratus

In addition to genetic variation, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation might make important contributions to heritable phenotypic diversity in populations. However, it is often difficult to disentangle the contributions of genetic and epigenetic variation to phenotypic diversity. Here, we investigated global DNA methylation and mRNA expression of the methylation‐associated enzymes during embryonic development and in adult tissues of one natural isogenic lineage of mangrove rivulus fish, Kryptolebias marmoratus. Being the best‐known self‐fertilizing hermaphroditic vertebrate affords the opportunity to work with genetically identical individuals to examine, explicitly, the phenotypic effects of epigenetic variance. Using the LUminometric Methylation Assay (LUMA), we described variable global DNA methylation at CpG sites in adult tissues, which differed significantly between hermaphrodite ovotestes and male testes (79.6% and 87.2%, respectively). After fertilization, an immediate decrease in DNA methylation occurred to 15.8% in gastrula followed by re‐establishment to 70.0% by stage 26 (liver formation). Compared to zebrafish, at the same embryonic stages, this reprogramming event seems later, deeper, and longer. Furthermore, genes putatively encoding DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), Ten‐Eleven Translocation (TET), and MeCP2 proteins showed specific regulation in adult gonad and brain, and also during early embryogenesis. Their conserved domains and expression profiles suggest that these proteins play important roles during reproduction and development. This study raises questions about mangrove rivulus’ peculiar reprogramming period in terms of epigenetic transmission and physiological adaptation of individuals to highly variable environments. In accordance with the general‐purpose genotype model, epigenetic mechanisms might allow for the expression of diverse phenotypes among genetically identical individuals. Such phenotypes might help to overcome environmental challenges, making the mangrove rivulus a valuable vertebrate model for ecological epigenetic studies. The mangrove rivulus, Kryptolebias marmoratus, is the best‐known self‐fertilizing hermaphroditic vertebrate that allows to work with genetically identical individuals to examine, explicitly, the phenotypic effects of epigenetic variance. The reprogramming event is later, more dramatic and longer than in other described vertebrates. High evolutionary conservation and expression patterns of DNMT, TET, and MeCP2 proteins in K. marmoratus suggest biological roles for each member in gametogenesis and development.     

The annual number of breeding adults and the effective population size of syntopic newts (Triturus cristatus, T. marmoratus)

Pond-breeding amphibians are deme-structured organisms with a population genetic structure particularly susceptible to demographic threats. We estimated the effective number of breeding adults (Nb) and the effective population size (Ne) of the European urodele amphibians Triturus cristatus (the crested newt) and T. marmoratus (the marbled newt), using temporal shifts in microsatellite allele frequencies. Eight microsatellite loci isolated from a T. cristatus library were used, five of which proved polymorphic in T. marmoratus, albeit with high frequencies of null alleles at two loci. Three ponds in western France were sampled, situated 4-10 kilometers apart and inhabited by both species. Parent-offspring cohort comparisons were used to measure Nb; samples collected at time intervals of nine or 12 years, respectively, were used to measure Ne. The adult population census size (N) was determined by mark-recapture techniques. With one exception, genetic distances (FST) between temporal samples were lower than among populations. Nb ranged between 10.6 and 101.8 individuals, Ne ranged between 9.6 and 13.4 individuals. For the pond where both parameters were available, Nb/N (overall range: 0.10-0.19) was marginally larger than Ne/N (overall range: 0.09-0.16), which is reflected in the temporal stability of N. In line with the observed differences in reproductive life-histories between the species, Nb/N ratios for newts were about one order of magnitude higher than for the anuran amphibian Bufo bufo. Despite of the colonization of the study area by T. cristatus only some decades ago, no significant genetic bottleneck could be detected. Our findings give rise to concerns about the long-term demographic viability of amphibian populations in situations typical for European landscapes.     

卵胎生硬骨鱼褐菖(鱼良)鲉精巢的周期发育

研究了卵胎生硬骨鱼褐菖(鱼良)鲉(Sebastiscus marmoratus)的精巢结构和生殖周期.褐菖(鱼良)鲉精巢属于小叶型.每年8～9月,精巢处于精原细胞增殖期.初级精原细胞分裂增殖,产生次级精原细胞.后者和支持细胞组成精小囊.10月～翌年1月进入精子发生期.精小囊中的生殖细胞进一步发育,逐渐形成精子.2～7月是精子退化吸收期,精巢中仅有初级精原细胞和残余的精子.在生殖季节,精子经由输出管和输精管运至尿殖突,通过体内受精方式送入雌鱼生殖道.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellites in Pachygrapsus marmoratus (Grapsidae; Decapoda; Brachyura)

Seven polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from the grapsid crab Pachygrapsus marmoratus using FIASCO (fast isolation by AFLP of sequences containing repeats) protocol. Twenty‐seven primer pairs were designed, 14 of which worked well in polymerase chain reaction (PCR), amplifying a fragment of the expected size. Variability was tested in 18 specimens collected along the coast of Tuscany (Italy). Five loci were discarded due to stutter products during their amplification, and two resulted to be monomorphic. The remaining seven loci, showed a number of alleles ranging from two to 14 and an observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.12 to 0.67.     

Spawning in a cold bath: reproduction of polar and deep‐sea fish family Psychrolutidae

This study describes the spawning of the fatheads Psychrolutes marmoratus and Cottunculus granulosus, two psychrolutid species that inhabit the shelf edge and continental slope of the south‐west Atlantic. Females lay large eggs of c. 2·5 mm (P. marmoratus) and 4·5–5·0 mm (C. granulosus); fecundity is from the hundreds (C. granulosus) to a few thousand eggs (P. marmoratus). Egg maturation is synchronous in P. marmoratus with an autumn–winter peak of spawning and group‐synchronous in C. granulosus, which reproduces all year round. In the fishery, females predominate among adult fish in both species, possibly indicating male nest guarding on hard grounds inaccessible to fishing vessels. The reproductive strategy of representatives of the Psychrolutidae is similar to that of other sculpins of the superfamily Cottoidea.     

Variation in nitrogen source utilisation by Pisolithus isolates maintained in axenic culture

The influence of various inorganic and organic nitrogen sources on biomass production by 17 isolates of Australian Pisolithus spp. was investigated before and after a 3-year maintenance period in axenic culture. While some isolates produced similar or higher amounts of biomass on NH₄ ⁺ or certain amino acids after the maintenance period, there was a general trend to reduced biomass production on these substrates. Biomass production by most isolates on bovine serum albumin increased significantly after maintenance. The data are discussed in relation to the use of axenic culture growth experiments for investigations of inter- and intraspecific physiological variation in ectomycorrhizal fungi. Accepted: 22 February 2001     

云斑尖塘鳢仔鱼摄食节律的研究

对自然光照条件下云斑尖塘鳢仔鱼的昼夜摄食节律和在夜间增加不同强度外光源条件下仔鱼的摄食发生率进行了研究。结果表明,云斑尖塘鳢仔鱼具有明显的昼夜摄食节律,晚上摄食发生率是著高于白天,其摄食主要集中在光线较弱的16:00～00:00;5日龄仔鱼在100～500Lx,8日龄和12日龄仔鱼在10～100Lx光照条件下的摄食发生率要明显高于黑暗或更高光照条件下的摄食发生率。     

Structure and Life Cycle of Trypanoplasma beckeri sp. n. (Kinetoplastida), a Parasite of the Cabezon,Scorpaenichthys marmoratus,in Oregon Coastal Waters*,†

SYNOPSIS. Structure of Trypanoplasma beckeri sp. n. from the cabezon, Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (Ayres), is described from living specimens and from both Giemsa-, and protargol-stained smears. Flagellates from fish blood were usually long and slender, averaging 109.0 × 6.5 fan. The anterior flagellum averaged 8.5 μm; the recurrent flagellum bordered the body and terminated as a very short free flagellum, 2.5 μm long on the average. No true undulating membrane was observed, but in living individuals the recurrent flagellum undulated rapidly near its point of origin. The oval nucleus, averaging 8.5 × 4.0 μm, was located near the anterior cad of the body. An argentophilic, aciculum-like structure appeared to connect the nucleus to the area at the base of the flagella. The kinetoplast was not observed in fish blood forms. On the basis of laboratory experiments, the leech, Malmiana diminuta Burreson, was ascertained to be the vector for T. beckeri. Upon entry into the leech, flagellates became rounded, and division commenced within a few hours. Division continued for ?48 h and the flagellates became progressively smaller until reaching a length of ?10.0 μm. After 72 h they were found in high numbers in the proboscis sheath and also in the anterior crop of the leech. When infected leeches fed on an uninfected fish, flagellates were first observed in the fishes’ peripheral circulation 8 days later.