Study of the ecophysiological stress effects on HPG and HPI axes, immunity system and reproduction processes in Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus)

The ecophysiological effects of stress in female Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus brood fishes during catch, transport and their confinement in the Kurenski ponds at the Shahid Dr. Beheshti Fish Propagation and Rearing Center were studied. The brood fishes under study were caught at three catch stations located at the Sefidrud River, Sefidrud River estuary and Gorganrud River estuary and were held in ponds at the Shahid Marjani Fish Propagation and Rearing Center.

Rapid assessment of the fish biodiversity of the Mburo-Nakivali wetland systems and Opeta-Bisina wetland systems, Uganda

There are 46 different fish species in the Lake Kyoga basin with some of them endemic. The Nile Perch (Lates niloticus) was introduced into the main Lake Kyoga, Nakuwa and Bisina in the late 1950s to increase the fish production. The Nile Perch profileration in lakes Kyoga and Nakuwa led to the almost complete elimination of many native fish species such as Orechromis esculentus and variabilis, Mormyrus kanumme, Schilbe mystus and several Haplochromines species. Lakes Mburo, Kachera, Nakivali and Kijjanebalora are part of the complex system of lakes separated from Lake Victoria by extended swamps known as the Koki lakes, some of the satellite lakes in the Lake Victoria basin. The fisheries of these lakes are important as they contribute to government efforts of increasing food security, poverty reduction and conservation of natural resource base. These lakes are important biodiversity areas because some of these lakes have been found to contain the native tilapiine Oreochromis esculentus (Ngege), absent or threatened with extinction in the main Lakes Victoria and Kyoga. It’s also important to note that this species is only unique to the Victoria and Kyoga lake basins (Graham, 1929, Worthington, 1929). The values of some of these lake fisheries are however, threatened by human activities such as over exploitation, introduction of exotics especially water hyacinth that is already present in River Rwizi and habitat degradation among others.

Temporal variation of delta C-13 in particulate organic matter and oyster Crassostrea gigas in Marennes-Oleron Bay (France): Effect of freshwater inflow

The temporal variability of delta(13)C in suspended particulate organic matter (POM) and oyster Crassostrea gigas along a salinity gradient was investigated from May 1992 to September 1993 within the estuarine bay of Marennes-Oleron (France). During this period the mean daily discharge of the Charente River exhibited large seasonal variation, with a high discharge from November 1992 to January 1993. Contrary to that at the river mouth and the marine littoral, delta(13)C in POM and in oysters at mid-estuary was affected by the high flood period. The delta(13)C values of POM decreased in mid-estuary and remained at low levels during the high discharge period, indicating an increasing contribution of terrestrial inputs to the estuarine POM pool. At the same site, a remarkable decrease of delta(13)C in oysters occurred between December 1992 and March 1993 (after a time lag compared to the ambient POM), indicating incorporation of terrestrial organic matter in oyster tissues during the high flood discharge. The lag between the delta(13)C decrease in POM and oysters is attributed to the time needed for oyster tissues to incorporate enough newly terrestrial light carbon to be recognized by the delta(13)C measure (about 1 to 2 mo). This time interval depends on tissue turnover time. The delta(13)C POM decrease (i.e. 1.3 parts per thousand) cannot explain entirely the decrease observed in oysters (i.e. 2.3 parts per thousand). In fact, the pattern exhibited by mid-estuarine oysters can be explained by the increasing contribution of terrestrial organic matter to their feeding, and the inability to preferentially utilize specific components of the estuarine POM that are C-13-enriched.

Co-occurrence of Helicobacter pylori with faecal bacteria in Nairobi river basin: public health implications.

Introduction: Overwhelming evidence implicates Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) as an etiologic agent of gastrointestinal diseases including gastric cancer. The mode of transmission of this pathogen remains poorly understood. Objective: This investigation is to establish the presence of H. pylori in the waters of the Nairobi river basin and the predictive value the presence of fecal indicator bacteria would have for H. pylori. Methodology: Physical, chemical and biological assessment of water quality of rivers in Nairobi were carried out using standard methods. H. pylori DNA in water was detected using highly specific primers of glmM gene (294pb). Results: There was high presence of faecal bacteria in the waters sampled. H. pylori DNA was detected in two domestic wells and one river. The wells were located in two different regions of the water basin but influenced by similar human activities. Conclusion: The high presence of faecal bacteria in the waters sampled did not parallel the H. pylori detection in the same waters. H. pylori was detected in the Nairobi river basin, but there was no relationship between the numerical levels of fecal bacteria and H. pylori.

Ecological effects of flow and temperature regimes on fish communities in temperate rivers

Les organismes aquatiques sont adaptés à une grande variabilité hydrique et thermique des rivières. Malgré ceci, la régulation des eaux suscite des changements aux débits qui peuvent provoquer des impacts négatifs sur la biodiversité et les processus écologiques en rivière. Celle-ci peut aussi causer des modifications au niveau des régimes thermiques et des caractéristiques de l’habitat du poisson. Des données environnementales et biologiques décrivant l’habitat du poisson existent, mais elles sont incomplètes pour plusieurs rivières au Canada et de faible qualité, limitant les relations quantitatives débit-température-poissons à un petit nombre de rivières ou à une région étudiée. La recherche menée dans le cadre de mon doctorat concerne les impacts de la génération d'hydroélectricité sur les rivières; soit les changements aux régimes hydriques et thermiques reliés à la régulation des eaux sur la variation des communautés ichtyologiques qui habitent les rivières régulées et naturelles au Canada. Suite à une comparaison d’échantillonnage de pêche, une méthode constante pour obtenir des bons estimés de poisson (richesse, densité et biomasse des espèces) a été établie pour évaluer la structure de la communauté de poissons pour l’ensemble des rivières ciblées par l’étude. Afin de mieux comprendre ces changements environnementaux, les principales composantes décrivant ces régimes ont été identifiées et l’altération des régimes hydriques pour certaines rivières régulées a été quantifiée. Ces résultats ont servi à établir la relation significative entre le degré de changement biotique et le degré de changement hydrique pour illustrer les différences entre les régimes de régulation. Pour faire un complément aux indices biotiques déjà calculés pour l’ensemble des communautés de poissons (diversité, densité et biomasse des espèces par rivière), les différences au niveau des guildes de poissons ont été quantifiées pour expliquer les divers effets écologiques dus aux changements de régimes hydriques et thermiques provenant de la gestion des barrages. Ces derniers résultats servent à prédire pour quels traits écologiques ou groupes d’espèces de poissons les composantes hydriques et thermiques sont importantes. De plus, ces derniers résultats ont servi à mettre en valeur les variables décrivant les régimes thermiques qui ne sont pas toujours inclues dans les études hydro-écologiques. L’ensemble des résultats de cette thèse ont des retombées importantes sur la gestion des rivières en évaluant, de façon cohérente, l’impact de la régulation des rivières sur les communautés de poissons et en développant des outils de prévision pour la restauration des écosystèmes riverains.

Arquitetura da água - Cais palafítico da Carrasqueira

Permitindo uma forma de habitar lugares de grande relação com a água, erguem-se um pouco por todo o mundo, sobre as águas de rios, barragens e lagos estruturas palafíticas. Em Portugal, em 1964 na aldeia da Carrasqueira, extremo sul do estuário do Sado, um cais palafítico começava a ser construído por pescadores-agricultores, que ali viviam, para combater mudanças de maré e aceder tanto a água como a terra. O barco, o abrigo e o caminho são os três elementos fundamentais da arquitetura palafítica aqui encontrada, em que a qualidade da água e da terra são determinantes para o assentamento da estrutura neste local. O rio Sado define-se como o limite geográfico e paisagístico da ocupação, é gerador de características únicas que permitem o desenvolvimento de um novo tipo de habitar que surge sobretudo de uma aproximação ao local e aos materiais que dele provêm. A Carrasqueira traduz o paradigma de uma cultura em adaptação contínua às circunstâncias adversas do meio ambiente. A pouca informação sobre o cais e a unicidade construtiva encontrado na estrutura, faz com que seja de elevada pertinência o estudo, sob o ponto de vista construtivo, da arquitetura palafítica da vila piscatória da Carrasqueira, enquanto matéria mutável sensível às mudanças ambientais e espontâneas. Pretende-se clarificar e identificar as singularidades da arquitetura de expressão espontânea da Carrasqueira, intrinsecamente ligada tanto à água do rio Sado, como à terra que a limita e corporiza. Para o estudo construtivo serão elaborados:  Mapas de desenvolvimento do cais;  Um registo fotográfico das estruturas;  Desenhos, realizados originalmente no decorrer desta investigação no local, de forma a criar um maior entendimento da forma de construção entre as diferentes peças e partes de cada uma das estruturas.  Construção de uma estrutura palafítica.  Vídeo, enquanto registo das fases do trabalho prático mostra parte do trabalho desenvolvido no processo construtivo. A produção dos documentos mencionados testemunha um tipo de vida invulgar na História da Arquitetura Portuguesa. O contacto com locais, pescadores, trabalhadores e gentes da terra também ajudará a entender os sistemas construtivos utilizados, pelo conhecimento construtivo por experiência própria, e proximidade das matérias-primas; ABSTRACT: Allowing life in floodplain areas, palaffitic structures take advantage from water, and appear a bit all over the world. The stilts portray a way of living changing and giving identity to the places and population. In Portugal, 1964 year, in Carrasqueira village, located on the southwest Sado’s river, facing the river side and land, a palaffitic piers was built, to fight the tide changing and allowed the population to get as close as they could to water and reach the land easier when they were coming from the fishing activity. The continuously adaptation of lifestyle in order to follow and adjust themselves to nature shows how strong and unique this culture and people are. The boat, the shelter and the paths are the three fundamental elements used in Carrasqueira’s palaffitic architecture. Water and land, construction and nature, this beautiful balance is only possible because of the river and its qualities. Also the time roles an important paper in the process, it changes with the growing of the main materials. This investigation has the goal to study the palaffitic piers of Carrasqueira by the constructivist point of view, as a spontaneous structure that began with the available materials and was continuously changing and adjusting to fit the land, the lifestyle and the needs of the population that was living there. Clarifying and identifying the singularities of this construction is what the study wants to achieve. Maps, photography’s and intensive drawings will be making on the process. A palaffitic structure will be build and the part of the building process will be available for watch on a short-video, filmed by then. The contact with locals will probably assume the biggest part of the work in main to understand their way of thinking and the process of their work.

Resources of the southern fields and forests, medical, economical, and agricultural : being also a medical botany of the Confederate States; with practical information on the useful properties of the trees, plants and shrubs /

RBC donor (copy 2): Ernest Haywood Collection.

MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF MANGO GERMPLASM FROM THE UPPER ATHI RIVER REGION OF EASTERN KENYA: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON NON- FRUIT DESCRIPTORS

Phenotypic variation in plants can be evaluated by morphological characterization using visual attributes. Fruits have been the major descriptors for identification of different varieties of fruit crops. However, even in their absence, farmers, breeders and interested stakeholders require to distinguish between different mango varieties. This study aimed at determining diversity in mango germplasm from the Upper Athi River (UAR) and providing useful alternative descriptors for the identification of different mango varieties in the absence of fruits. A total of 20 International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) descriptors for mango were selected for use in the visual assessment of 98 mango accessions from 15 sites of the UAR region of eastern Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to identify farmers growing diverse varieties of mangoes. Evaluation of the descriptors was performed on-site and the data collected were then subjected to multivariate analysis including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis, one- way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi square tests. Results classified the accessions into two major groups corresponding to indigenous and exotic varieties. The PCA showed the first six principal components accounting for 75.12% of the total variance. A strong and highly significant correlation was observed between the color of fully grown leaves, leaf blade width, leaf blade length and petiole length and also between the leaf attitude, color of young leaf, stem circumference, tree height, leaf margin, growth habit and fragrance. Useful descriptors for morphological evaluation were 14 out of the selected 20; however, ANOVA and Chi square test revealed that diversity in the accessions was majorly as a result of variations in color of young leaves, leaf attitude, leaf texture, growth habit, leaf blade length, leaf blade width and petiole length traits. These results reveal that mango germplasm in the UAR has significant diversity and that other morphological traits apart from fruits can be useful in morphological characterization of mango.

Modeling and Mapping Agroforestry Aboveground Biomass in the Brazilian Amazon Using Airborne Lidar Data.

Agroforestry has large potential for carbon (C) sequestration while providing many economical, social, and ecological benefits via its diversified products. Airborne lidar is considered as the most accurate technology for mapping aboveground biomass (AGB) over landscape levels. However, little research in the past has been done to study AGB of agroforestry systems using airborne lidar data. Focusing on an agroforestry system in the Brazilian Amazon, this study first predicted plot-level AGB using fixed-effects regression models that assumed the regression coefficients to be constants. The model prediction errors were then analyzed from the perspectives of tree DBH (diameter at breast height)?height relationships and plot-level wood density, which suggested the need for stratifying agroforestry fields to improve plot-level AGB modeling. We separated teak plantations from other agroforestry types and predicted AGB using mixed-effects models that can incorporate the variation of AGB-height relationship across agroforestry types. We found that, at the plot scale, mixed-effects models led to better model prediction performance (based on leave-one-out cross-validation) than the fixed-effects models, with the coefficient of determination (R2) increasing from 0.38 to 0.64. At the landscape level, the difference between AGB densities from the two types of models was ~10% on average and up to ~30% at the pixel level. This study suggested the importance of stratification based on tree AGB allometry and the utility of mixed-effects models in modeling and mapping AGB of agroforestry systems.

New species of Harttia (Loricariidae, Loricariinae) from the Rio Sao Francisco Basin

A new species of the mailed catfish genus Harttia is described from the Sao Francisco River drainage, States of Minas Gerais and Bahia, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from congeners by the combination of an abdominal region covered by small bony plates; plates 3-4 times in eye diameter; interorbital width 3.1-4.0 in head length and greater than eye diameter; body width at anal fin origin 6.3-8.3 in standard length; margins of the head and pectoral fin spine of mature males with elongate and conspicuous odontodes; anal fin of males longer than of females. A key to Harttia species and a comparison with other species are provided.

Ammonium uptake, transport and nitrogen economy in forest trees

AMMONIUM UPTAKE, TRANSPORT AND NITROGEN ECONOMY IN FOREST TREES Francisco M. Cánovas, Concepción Avila, Fernando N. de la Torre, Rafael A. Cañas, Belén Pascual, Vanessa Castro- Rodríguez, Jorge El-Azaz Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Spain. Email: canovas@uma.es Forests ecosystems play a fundamental role in the regulation of global carbon fixation and preservation of biodiversity. Forest trees are also of great economic value because they provide a wide range of products of commercial interest, including wood, pulp, biomass and important secondary metabolites. The productivity of most forest ecosystems is limited by low nitrogen availability and woody perennials have developed adaptation mechanisms, such as ectomycorrhizal associations, to increase the efficiency of N acquisition and metabolic assimilation. The efficient acquisition, assimilation and economy of nitrogen are of special importance in trees that must cope with seasonal periods of growth and dormancy over many years. In fact, the ability to accumulate nitrogen reserves and to recycle N is crucial to determine the growth and production of forest biomass. Ammonium is the predominant form of inorganic nitrogen in the soil of temperate forests and many research efforts are addressed to study the regulation of ammonium acquisition, assimilation and internal recycling for the biosynthesis of amino acids, particularly those relevant for nitrogen storage. In our laboratory, we are interested in studying nitrogen metabolism and its regulation in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster L. Aiton), a conifer species of great ecological and economic importance in Europe and for which whole-transcriptome resources are available. The metabolism of phenylalanine plays a central role in the channeling of carbon from photosynthesis to the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids and the regulation of this pathway is of broad significance for nitrogen economy of maritime pine. We are currently exploring the molecular properties and regulation of genes involved in the biosynthesis and metabolic fates of phenylalanine in maritime pine. An overview of this research programme will be presented and discussed. Research supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and Junta de Andalucía (Grants BIO2015-69285-R, BIO2012-0474 and research group BIO-114).

Integration of a Sedimentation Module to a Hydrologic Model and its Application to a Mercury TMDL Analysis

This research is part of continued efforts to correlate the hydrology of East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) and Bear Creek (BC) with the long term distribution of mercury within the overland, subsurface, and river sub-domains. The main objective of this study was to add a sedimentation module (ECO Lab) capable of simulating the reactive transport mercury exchange mechanisms within sediments and porewater throughout the watershed. The enhanced model was then applied to a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) mercury analysis for EFPC. That application used historical precipitation, groundwater levels, river discharges, and mercury concentrations data that were retrieved from government databases and input to the model. The model was executed to reduce computational time, predict flow discharges, total mercury concentration, flow duration and mercury mass rate curves at key monitoring stations under various hydrological and environmental conditions and scenarios. The computational results provided insight on the relationship between discharges and mercury mass rate curves at various stations throughout EFPC, which is important to best understand and support the management mercury contamination and remediation efforts within EFPC.

Atlantic salmon in regulated rivers : Migration, dam passage, and fish behavior

Hydropower dams block migration routes and disrupt longitudinal connectivity in rivers, thereby posing a threat to migratory fish species. Various fish passage solutions have been implemented to improve connectivity with varying success. A well-functioning passage solution must ensure safe and timely passage routes that are used by a substantial portion of the migrating fish. In this thesis, I report the results from telemetry studies where the behavior and survival of migrating Atlantic salmon spawners, post-spawners and smolts have been evaluated in relation to hydropower dam passage. I evaluate downstream passage performance at dams with no passage solutions in the River Klarälven, and with simple passage solutions in in the Winooski River. In the River Ätran, I study both upstream- and downstream passage performance at a dam with sophisticated passage solutions based on the best available technology. In addition, I have studied the survival and behavior of post-spawners and hatchery-released smolts. A substantial portion of the spawners survived spawning and initiated downstream migration. Most males migrated downstream in autumn following spawning, whereas females tended to stay in the river until spring. For hatchery-reared smolts, early release was associated with faster initiation of migration and higher survival compared to late release. Multiple dam passage resulted in high mortality for both smolts and kelts. For smolts, dam passage, even with simple passage solutions, was associated with substantial delay and mortality. High spill levels were linked to high survival and short delay for downstream migrating salmon. The best available passage solution, which consisted of a nature-like fishway and a low sloping intake rack to guide fish to a bypass, resulted in rapid passage of a large portion of the adult migrants.

Adaptive cultural transmission biases in children and nonhuman primates

Comparative and evolutionary developmental analyses seek to discover the similarities and differences between humans and non-human species that illuminate both the evolutionary foundations of our nature that we share with other animals, and the distinctive characteristics that make human development unique. As our closest animal relatives, with whom we last shared common ancestry, non-human primates have beenparticularly important in this endeavour. Such studies that have focused on social learning, traditions, and culture have discovered much about the ‘how’ of social learning, concerned with key underlying processes such as imitation and emulation. One of the core discoveries is that the adaptive adjustment of social learning options to different contexts is not unique to human infants, therefore multiple new strands of research have begun to focus on more subtle questions about when, from whom, and why such learning occurs. Here we review illustrative studies on both human infants and young children and on non-human primates to identify the similarities shared more broadly across the primate order, and the apparent specialisms that distinguish human development. Adaptive biases in social learning discussed include those modulated by task comprehension, experience, conformity to majorities, and the age, skill, proficiency and familiarity of potential alternative cultural models.

Age and growth of the undulate ray, Raja undulata, in the Algarve (southern Portugal)

Aspects of the population dynamics of the undulate ray, Raja undulata (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae), one of the more abundant elasmobranch fish captured along the Portuguese south coast (Algarve), were studied for the first time. Some traditional elasmobranch vertebral enhancing techniques were compared and the most precise for this species determined to be the cedar wood oil immersion and the alizarin red S stain. The sample consisted of 14 age-classes, with age-classes 3 to 8 being the most represented. Evidence of an annual deposition pattern of a pair of bands (one opaque and one translucent) was found by marginal increment analyses. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were estimated and no differences found between males and females (all data: L-inf=110.22 cm, K=0.11 y(-1) and t(0)=-1.58 y).