Morphometric characteristics and meristic traits of Tilapia zillii from three major dams of a southwestern state, Nigeria

Tilapia zillii was examined in three major dams in Ekiti State, Nigeria (Ureje dam, Ado, Egbe dam and Ero dam) for their morphometric characteristics and meristic traits. The results showed that the average body weight of the fish sampled were 145.86±50.06g in Ado, 30.19±9.35g in Egbe and 40.58±52.30g in Ero dam. Average total lengths were 21.29±3.20cm, 12.32±1.74cm and 11.24±1.56cm for Ado, Egbe and Ero dam respectively. The relationship between average weight and length of T. zillii showed that Y=15.202X-179.33 (R2=0.7181), Y=4.40049±-24.075 (R2=0.6708) and Y=2.6676X10.596 (R2=0.0063) for Ado, Egbe and Ero dam respectively. The results on headlength, total length, body weight and standard length and pre-pelvic distance are significantly different at 95% among the T.zillii of the three dams. There was no significant difference in the meristic traits of the T. zillii of the three dams. The population size of T.zillii in the three dams was just too small compared to other species of fish hence the need to assess the stock of fish in these dams critically for the encouragement of proper fishing activities in these dams.

The fecundity of the false trevally, Lactarius lactarius (Bloch and Schneider) along the Karwar coast

A clear knowledge of the reproductive potential or fecundity of a fish is quite an essential pre-requisite for the proper management and conservation of the resources. The fecundity studies are also undertaken to determine the index of diversity dependent factor affecting the population size (Simpson, 1951). Qasim & Qayyam (1963) have detailed the various pathways by which an understanding of fecundity could be used for fishery biological work. The ability of egg production varies within the individual limits such as length, somatic weight, gonadal weight, volume of fish etc.

Noxious euglenophytes bloom in fertilized fish ponds

A study was carried out in nine fertilized fish ponds under three treatments at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, to record the influence of different fertilizers on noxious euglenophytes bloom. Some water quality parameters (viz., temperature, pH, phosphate-phosphorus, nitrate-nitrogen and chlorophyll-a) and phytoplankton populations were monitored at certain intervals. During the study period, three genera of euglenophytes such as Euglena, Phacus and Trachelomonas were recorded of which Euglena was most dominant. Significantly (p<0.05) higher cell density of euglenophytes was observed in the ponds treated with chicken manure followed by the ponds treated with both cow dung and chicken manures and the ponds treated with only cow dung. The higher cell density of euglenophytes was explained by acidic pH (around 6.5) and higher phosphate-phosphorus (1.37 mg/1) and nitrate-nitrogen (1.47 mg/I) concentrations. The population size of euglenophytes showed positive correlation with phosphate-phosphorus and nitrate-nitrogen concentration while negative with pH. Nutrient enrichment and acidic pH enhanced the growth of euglenophytes but reduced the growth of chlorophytes and bacillariophytes.

Aspects of the biology of the Lake Tanganyika sardine, Limnothrissa miodon (Boulenger), in Lake Kariba

Juveniles of limnothrissa miodon (Boulenger) were introduced into the man-made Lake Kariba in 1967-1968. Thirty months of night-fishing for this species from Sinazongwe, near the centre of the Kariba North bank, from 1971 to 1974 are described. Biological studies were carried out on samples of the catch during most of these months. Limnological studies were carried out over a period of four months in 1973. Limnothrissa is breeding successfully and its number have greatly increased. It has reached an equilibrium level of population size at a lower density than that of Lake Tanganyika sardines, but nevertheless is an important factor in the ecology of Lake Kariba. The growth rate, size at maturity and maximum size are all less than those of Lake Tanganyika Limnothrissa. A marked disruption in the orderly progression of length frequency modes occurs in September, for which the present body of evidence cannot supply an explanation.

截线抽样法用于鄱阳湖江豚种群数量研究初报

运用截线抽样法调查了在春季4月间鄱阳湖区长江江豚(Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)的种群密度和数量,得出该地区长江江豚种群密度估计值为0.1940头/km2 ,估计数量为388头。探讨了截线抽样法用于浅水型淡水湖泊调查的可行性和有效性以及要注意的问题。

Communities of gastrointestinal helminths of fish in historically connected habitats: habitat fragmentation effect in a carnivorous catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco from seven lakes in flood plain of the Yangtze River, China

Background: Habitat fragmentation may result in the reduction of diversity of parasite communities by affecting population size and dispersal pattern of species. In the flood plain of the Yangtze River in China, many lakes, which were once connected with the river, have become isolated since the 1950s from the river by the construction of dams and sluices, with many larger lakes subdivided into smaller ones by road embankments. These artificial barriers have inevitably obstructed the migration of fish between the river and lakes and also among lakes. In this study, the gastrointestinal helminth communities were investigated in a carnivorous fish, the yellowhead catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, from two connected and five isolated lakes in the flood plain in order to detect the effect of lake fragmentation on the parasite communities. Results: A total of 11 species of helminths were recorded in the stomach and intestine of P. fulvidraco from seven lakes, including two lakes connected with the Yangtze River, i.e. Poyang and Dongting lakes, and five isolated lakes, i.e. Honghu, Liangzi, Tangxun, Niushan and Baoan lakes. Mean helminth individuals and diversity of helminth communities in Honghu and Dongting lakes was lower than in the other five lakes. The nematode Procamallanus fulvidraconis was the dominant species of communities in all the seven lakes. No significant difference in the Shannon-Wiener index was detected between connected lakes (0.48) and isolated lakes (0.50). The similarity of helminth communities between Niushan and Baoan lakes was the highest (0.6708), and the lowest was between Tangxun and Dongting lakes (0.1807). The similarity was low between Dongting and the other lakes, and the similarity decreased with the geographic distance among these lakes. The helminth community in one connected lake, Poyang Lake was clustered with isolated lakes, but the community in Dongting Lake was separated in the tree. Conclusion: The similarity in the helminth communities of this fish in the flood-plain lakes may be attributed to the historical connection of these habitats and to the completion of the life-cycles of this fish as well as the helminth species within the investigated habitats. The diversity and the digenean majority in the helminth communities can be related to the diet of this fish, and to the lacustrine and macrophytic characters of the habitats. The lake isolation from the river had little detectable effect on the helminth communities of the catfish in flood-plain lakes of the Yangtze River. The low similarities in helminth communities between the Dongting Lake and others may just be a reflection of its unique water environment and anthropogenic alterations or fragmentation in this lake.

Single event molecular signalling for estimation and control

Cell biology is characterised by low molecule numbers and coupled stochastic chemical reactions with intrinsic noise permeating and dominating the interactions between molecules. Recent work [9] has shown that in such environments there are hard limits on the accuracy with which molecular populations can be controlled and estimated. These limits are predicated on a continuous diffusion approximation of the target molecule (although the remainder of the system is non-linear and discrete). The principal result of [9] assumes that the birth rate of the signalling species is linearly dependent on the target molecule population size. In this paper, we investigate the situation when the entire system is kept discrete, and arbitrary non-linear coupling is allowed between the target molecule and downstream signalling molecules. In this case it is possible, by relying solely on the event triggered nature of control and signalling reactions, to define non-linear reaction rate modulation schemes that achieve improved performance in certain parameter regimes. These schemes would not appear to be biologically relevant, raising the question of what are an appropriate set of assumptions for obtaining biologically meaningful results. © 2013 EUCA.

Genetic variation of fish parasite populations in historically connected habitats: undetected habitat fragmentation effect on populations of the nematode Procamallanus fulvidraconis in the catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco

Habitat fragmentation may have some significant effects on population genetic structure because geographic distance and physical barriers may impede gene flow between populations. In this study, we investigated whether recent habitat fragmentation affected genetic structure and diversity of populations of the nematode Procamallanus fulvidraconis in the yellowhead catfish, Pelteobagrus fin't4draco. The nematode was collected from 12 localities in 7 floodplain lakes of the Yangtze River. Using I I intersirnple sequence repeat markers, analysis of molecular variance showed that genetic diversity occurred mainly within populations (70.26%). Expected heterozygosity (He) of P. fulvidraconis was barely different between connected (0.2105) and unconnected lakes (0.2083). Population subdivision (Fst) between connected lakes (0.2177) was higher than in unconnected lakes (0. 1676). However, the connected and unconnected lakes did not Cluster into 2 clades. A Mantel test revealed significant positive correlation between genetic and geographic distances (R = 0.5335, P < 0.01). These results suggest that habitat fragmentation did not cause genetic differentiation among populations or a reduction of diversity in isolated populations of P. fulvidraconis. At least 2 factors may increase the dispersal range of the nematode, i.e., flash flooding in summer and other species of fish that may serve as the definitive hosts. Moreover, lake fragmentation is probably a recent process; population size of the nematode in these lakes is large enough to maintain Population structure.

Development and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)

The finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) is one of the smallest cetacean species widely distributed in the shallow coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific Oceans. The population size of the Yangtze subspecies (N. p. asiaeorientalis) has sharply decreased in the last two decades and access to objective data on its population structure and genetic diversity would be of great assistance for their proper management. Here we report on the isolation of nine polymorphic microsatellite using the "Fast Isolation by AFLP of Sequences Containing repeats" (FIASCO) protocol. Polymorphism was assessed using 30 porpoise individuals randomly sampled in the Yangtze River. The number of alleles per locus varies from 2 to 9, with an average value of 5.56, whereas the ranges of observed and expected heterozygosi ties were 0.300-0.633 (mean 0.496) and 0.473-0.804 (mean 0.659), respectively.

Field and experimental studies on the combined impacts of cyanobacterial blooms and small algae on crustacean zooplankton in a large, eutrophic, subtropical, Chinese lake

Field and experimental studies were conducted to evaluate the combined impacts of cyanobacterial blooms and small algae on seasonal and long-term changes in the abundance and community structure of crustacean zooplankton in a large, eutrophic, Chinese lake, Lake Chaohu. Seasonal changes of the crustacean zooplankton from 22 sampling stations were investigated during September 2002 and August 2003, and 23 species belonging to 20 genera were recorded. Daphnia spp. dominated in spring but disappeared in mid-summer, while Bosmina coregoni and Ceriodaphnia cornuta dominated in summer and autumn. Both maximum cladoceran density (310 ind. l(-1)) and biomass (5.2 mg l(-1)) appeared in autumn. Limnoithona sinensis, Sinocalanus dorrii and Schmackeria inopinus were the main species of copepods. Microcystis spp. were the dominant phytoplankton species and formed dense blooms in the warm seasons. In the laboratory, inhibitory effects of small colonial Microcystis on growth and reproduction of Daphnia carinata were more remarkable than those of large ones, and population size of D. carinata was negatively correlated with density of fresh large colonial Microcystis within a density range of 0-100 mg l(-1) (r = -0.82, P < 0.05). Both field and experimental results suggested that seasonal and long-term changes in the community structure of crustacean zooplankton in the lake were shaped by cyanobacterial blooms and biomass of the small algae, respectively, i.e., colonial and filamentous cyanobacteria contributed to the summer replacement of dominant crustacean zooplankton from large Daphnia spp. to small B. coregoni and C. cornuta, while increased small algae might be responsible for the increased abundance of crustacean zooplankton during the past decades.

Biodiversity changes in the lakes of the Central Yangtze

The Central Yangtze ecoregion in China includes a number of lakes, but these have been greatly affected by human activities over the past several decades, resulting in severe loss of biodiversity. In this paper, we document the present distribution of the major lakes and the changes in size that have taken place over the past 50 years, using remote sensing data and historical observations of land cover in the region. We also provide an overview of the changes in species richness, community composition, population size and age structure, and individual body size of aquatic plants, fishes, and waterfowl in these lakes. The overall species richness of aquatic plants found in eight major lakes has decreased substantially during the study period. Community composition has also been greatly altered, as have population size and age and individual body size in some species. These changes are largely attributed to the integrated effects of lake degradation, the construction of large hydroelectric dams, the establishment of nature reserves, and lake restoration practices.

镇海棘螈繁殖群体生态和遗传结构研究

genetics, such as: population size, reproduction, mating system, growth, development,genetic structure and systematics status; The main results are presented below: The seasonal variation of the operational sexual ratio of this animal was found in the field and the ration always bias the female in the breeding season. Aiming at this character and considering the distance of time and space of both sexual habitat in breeding season, we census female population first by toe-clipping mark-recapture method, then estimated the population size with the definitive sexual ratio. Up to now, this species was found only at the Beilun district of the Ningbo City. The population size of the Ruiyan Temple Forest Park approximates to 369. The status of this population is extremely endangered, so besides protecting this population at the original locality, we also suggested to breed the salamander in fenced locality and to hatch embryos artificially, and send metamorphosed juveniles back to nature. We can transfer some individuals to other similar habitats or breed them under artificial conditions for saving this species from extinction. The early developmental stage of the Chinhai salamander is the same as its relative species, E. andersoni. Their balanceres are poorly developed and disappear very early. Temperature and moisture significantly influence the embryonic development of the Chinhai salamander. The embryonic stage is approx. 29 days under room temperature. The hatchling grows in a logarithmic curve. The larvae stage in water is approx. 58- 88 days. Many factors influence the nomal development, including two aspects of internal and external. Due to these factors, the effective protected measures were presented in detail. The breeding migration of E. chinhaiensis takes place at late March～late April every year. This salamander's hatching rate is high, but the rate of hatchling migrating into water is low. The average effectiveness of all the nest sites is 36.7%. The maternal self-conservation was contrary to the reproductive success of the egg-laying strategy. In the strategy of egg-laying behavior, the first factor selected by the female was its self-conservation, the second is embryonic survival rate, and the last is rate of hatchling survival rate. The oviposition selection is significant for the survival of the larvae. Based on the analysis of the evolutionary process of reproductive behaviors nad egg-laying site selections of all genera of the family Salamandridae, we deduced that perhaps Echinotriton is a transitional type in the evolutionary process from water to land. Due to its location in the adaptive stage in the terrestrial evolution, Echinotriton chinhaiensis's terrestrial nest may be one of important reason that causes this species to be endangered. The genetic deversity analysis shows that although the population size of the Chinhai salamander is quite small compared to other Chinese salamandrid species, the genetic diversity of this population is not reduce remarkably. We explain this phenomena with the polygamy mating system of this species. The result of 4 families' parenthood determinations shows that the parenhood determination can be taken without any paternal information. The "children" of every female include rich genetic information from at least two "fathers". It implies that female Chinhai salamander mates more than once with different males in a breeding season. The molecular evidence, the behavioral observation evidences and the sperm evidence in the female cloaca proved that this species has a polygamy mating system. The kin recognition in the mating of adult salamander was first discussed. The taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships of 12 species representing 6 genera in the family Salamandridae were studied using DNA fingerprinting. The results showed that the DNA fingerprinting. The results showed that the DNA fingerprinting patterns demonstrated rich genetic diversity and species diversity, and also revealed the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationshipes of higher taxa to a certain extent. The results are highly consistent with those obtained from the studies based on the morphology, ecology, cytology and molecular biology. The compreshensive analysis indicate that Tylototrition hainanensis and T. wenxianensis should be valid species; Echinotriton should be a valid genus;Tylotortriton is a natural cluster; Tylotortriton asperrimus should be put in Tylototrition rather than in Echinotriton, Hypselotriton and Allomestriton are synonyms of Cynops and Paramesotriton, respectively. There are three main groups in Chinese salamandride: Cynops, Paramesotriton and Pachytrition from the first group, the species of the Tylototriton from the second, and E. chinhaiensis composes the third.

大熊猫“盛林1号”放归监测

大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)是我国特有的珍稀濒危物种，国家Ⅰ级重点保护野生动物，被称为“国宝”。目前，大熊猫被局限在我国中西部的岷山、邛崃、大相岭、小相岭、凉山和秦岭6大山系中。对大熊猫的保护和研究，我国政府、保护生物学科研人员、社会各界及国际保护组织都做了大量的工作。根据全国三次大熊猫调查结果显示，大熊猫栖息地片段化现象依然存在，形成多个隔离的大熊猫小种群。尤其在小相岭、大相岭、岷山B和岷山C种群，大熊猫数量较少，且栖息地破碎，面临较大威胁。有的山系大熊猫种群数量些已低于最小可存活大熊猫种群的数量，如果不采取人工措施，这些种群的大熊猫存在灭绝的危险。 将圈养大熊猫放归野外，以补充野外大熊猫种群数量，增加其遗传多样性，复壮和扩大野生大熊猫种群，是大熊猫人工繁育的最终目标。为降低放归的风险性，在放归人工繁育大熊猫前，将救护存活的野生大熊猫先有计划放归野外，并对其进行跟踪监测，对积累大熊猫放归经验，进一步研究大熊猫野外生物学习性，丰富放归地大熊猫种群遗传多样性，为人工繁育大熊猫放归野外夯实基础，具有十分重要的意义。2005年8月8日，国家林业局和四川省人民政府联合将救护野生大熊猫“盛林1号”放归于龙溪－虹口国家级自然保护区内岷山B大熊猫种群栖息地，并进行系统监测研究。成功的积累了一些放归经验和放归大熊猫的生物学资料，为人工繁育大熊猫的放归奠定了一定基础。 2005年8月至2007年6月期间，我们采用GPS无线电项圈、粪便DNA检测和红外线自动触发相机陷阱的方法，对大熊猫“盛林１号”进行了追踪监测，获得了以下成果： 1.通过分析“盛林1号”放归后了活动趋势和采用两种贝叶斯方法，利用目前五大山系的已有微卫星遗传数据，检测“盛林１号”与五大山系的遗传关系的远近，推测其来源于邛崃山系的可能性较大。 2.收集了大量“盛林1号”野外生境选择数据。我们认为“盛林1号”放归后经历了应急期、初步稳定期、长途迁徙期三个阶段（这可能是今后放归大熊猫都必经的三个时期），并与当地大熊猫种群已发生交流。目前“盛林１号”仍在寻找适合的巢域。 3.结合过去监测数据分析，在放归区域大熊猫和羚牛尽管同域分布，但由于食性不同，对微生境选择还是有着很大差异，因此保护管理对策要有针对性。 4.“盛林1号”的放归是成功的。救护大熊猫异地放归工作应继续开展，但要改进放归后的监测技术。要改进现有对人工饲养大熊猫野化培训方法和放归方式，才能真正将人工繁殖个体放归野外。 Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an endangered species endemic to China. It was listed as National Protected I Class Species and is crowned as “National treasure” of China. The populations of Giant Panda are limited in 6 mountain system in Center-West of China, i.e. Mingshan, Mt. Qionglai, Mt. Daxiangling，Mt. Xiaoxiangling, Mt. Liangshan and Mt. Qinling. The results of the Third National Survey on Giant Panda showed that the habitats of Giant Panda is still fracted and Giant Panda population is divided into several isolated small populations. Population B from Mt. Daxiangling, Mt. Xiaoxiangling and Mt. Mingshan and Population C from Mt. Mingshan are very small with very fracted habitat and are more endangered. Several populations in those mountain systems are smaller than Minimum Viable Population of Giant Panda. It is very possible that those populations will be extinct without artificial help. The ultimate Goal of Reintroduction caged Giant Panda to wild is to increase wild population size and genetics diversity and rebuild and expand wild Giant Panda population. It is of significant to return rescued wild Giant Panda to wild and monitor their behavior before reintroduction artificial reproduced Giant Panda. It will increase our knowledge on reintroduction of Giant Panda. Aug 8th, 2005, “Shenglin 1”, a rescued wild Giant Panda was returned to Longxi-Hongkou National Nature Reservoir, which is habitat of Giant Panda Population B of Mt. Mingshan. A systematic monitor was carried out on “Shenglin 1”, and the successful return enriched our biological knowledge on Giant Panda reintroduction. It will be very help for future conservation work on reintroduce artificial reproduced Giant Panda. “Shenglin 1” was tracked with GPS collar, DNA in feces and infrared-trigged camera from Aug 2005 to Jun 2007. 1. Locomotion behavior and microsatellites comparison with Giant Panda from the 5 mountain systems indicated that “Shenglin 1” is possibly from Mt. Qionglai. 2. Habitat usage of “Shenglin 1” was studied. It was suggested that there were 3 phases after return, i.e. emergency response, preliminary stable phase and long distance locomotion, which could be a general process for other returned Giant Panda. It was indicated that there was some interaction between “Shenglin 1” and local population. “Shenglin 1” is seeking for suitable home range now. 3. Monitor data also indicated that microhabitat preference of Giant Panda and takin (Budorcas taxicolor) are different because of different diet, though they are sympatric. It was suggested that conservation management for the two species should be plan in particular. 4. The reintroduction of “Shenglin 1” is a successful case. The program of return rescued Giant Panda to other habitats is of value and should be continued. However, more improvement is needed for the monitor technique. More improvement is need for feralization and returning before we return artificial reproduced Giant Panda to wild.

Responses of vegetative gametophytes of Undaria pinnatifida to high irradiance in the process of gametogenesis

The population of Undaria pinnatifida in its ecologic niche sustains itself in high temperature summer in the form of vegetative gametophytes, the haploid stage in its heteromorphic life cycle. Gametogenesis initiates when seawater temperature drops below the threshold levels in autumn in the northern hemisphere. Given that the temperature may fall into the appropriate range for gametogenesis, the level of irradiance determines the final destiny of a gametophytic cell, either undergoing vegetative cell division or initiating gametogenesis. In elucidating how vegetatively propagated gametophytes cope with changes of irradiance in gametogenesis, we carried out a series of culture experiments and found that a direct exposure to irradiance as high as 270 mu mol photons m(-2) s(-1) was lethal to dim-light (7-10 mu mol photons m(-2) s(-1)) adapted male and female gametophytes. This lethal effect was linearly corelated with the exposure time. However, dim-light adapted vegetative gametophytes were shown to be able tolerate as high as 420 mu mol photons m(-2) s(-1) if the irradiance was steadily increased from dim light levels (7-10 mu mol photons m(-2) s(-1)) to 90, 180 and finally 420 mu mol photons m(-2) s(-1), respectively, at a minimum of 1-3 h intervals. Percentage of female gametophytic cells that turned into oogonia and were eventually fertilized was significantly higher if cultured at higher but not lethal irradiances. Findings of this investigation help to understand the dynamic changes of population size of sporophytic plants under different light climates at different site-specific ecologic niches. It may help to establish specific technical details of manipulation of light during mass production of seedlings by use of vegetatively propagated gametophytes.

Characterization of the life history of Bangia fuscopurpurea (Bangiaceae, Rhodophyta) in connection with its cultivation in China

Bangia fuscopurpurea (Rhodophyta) was cultivated in Putian (Fujian province, China). The characteristics of the life history concerned with cultivation were investigated and the cultivation procedure was presented. The gametophytic phase (thallus) and the sporophytic phase (conchocelis) occurred alternately in the life history of B. fuscopurpurea. Young thalli produced archeospores, and the number depended on the environmental factors. Temperature affected the number of archeospore release and percent of germination, and photo flux density (PFD) mainly affected the time of spore release and germination. Thalli matured from December to February and developed into the conchocelis phase through sexual reproduction. The conchocelis grown in shells had three developmental stages: vegetative conchocelis, conchosporangiall formation and conchospore formation. Pit-connections were present in the first 2 stages but absent after conchospore formation. Vegetative conchocelis and conchosporangial. branches can transform into each other. However, conchospores only developed into the gametophytic phase. Cultivation of B. fuscopurpurea was based on characterization of the life history, consisting of 3 steps: zygotospores collection, indoor cultivation of conchocelis and outdoor cultivation of thalli. Young thalli that developed from conchospores produced numerous archeospores before December. Over 90% of the crop was from the development of archeospores. The results indicated that conchosporelings were a good source of archeospores, and the development of the large quantity of archeospores acted as a more prevailing means to increase the population size. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.