Advances in studies of the effects of starvation on growth and development of fish larvae

Starvation has important effects on early development of fish. It determines the survival and growth of fish larvae, and plays an important role in the dynamics of fish population and fisheries recruitment, in this review, we discuss the current studies about the effects of starvation on growth and development of fish larval stage. The goals of this review are to understand some adap- tive mechanisms and ecological countermeasures of starved fish larvae and to provide the scientific guideline for exploring early life history processes, evaluating the nutrition condition and growth of larval fish, protecting fish resource and breeding fish larvae.     

Formation and early development of tetraspores of Polysiphonia urceolata (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)

Polysiphonia urceolata is one type of potential commercial red seaweeds used for breeding and cultivation, because of its significant biochemical and biomedical application. However, the information of breeding and seedling incubation for cultivation is limited, especially the early development. In this study, tetrasporohyte and gametophyte of P. urceolata were taken as the study materials in Huiquan Bay, Qingdao, China. The cleaned and sterilized tetrasporophytes and gametophytes were pre-cultured in sterilized seawater, then nurtured at 18℃, 25 μmol photons m-2 s-1 in 12:12 h (light:dark) photoperiod. Continuous observation under microscope showed that the early development consists of bipolar division stage and seedling stage. In the division stage, tetraspores germinate into bipolar sporelings that further differentiate into a colorless rhizoidal portion and a lightly pigmented upright shoot. The lightly pigmented rhizoidal cell develops to a rhizoid and the larger pigmented cell transforms to an erect axis. In the seedling stage, several quasi-protuberances appear on the erect axis and form juvenile seedlings. The results demonstrate the culture of P. urceolata from tetraspores under laboratory conditions.     

Effects of temperature and salinity on the development of embryos and larvae of the veined rapa whelk Rapana venosa （Valenciennes, 1846）

The major population of the veined rapa whelk Rapana venosa(Valenciennes, 1846), which is an important fishery resource, is facing a large decline in China. We studied the effects of incubation temperature(16–34℃ at salinity 30) and salinity(5–45 at 25℃) on the incubation period and subsequent larval development. In the temperature experiment, the shortest incubation period was 12 days at 34℃, the lower temperature limit was 16℃, the longest mean shell length(1 193±17 μm) occurred at 25℃ and the highest survival rate 72.28%±5.62% was observed at 28℃. In the salinity experiment, the shortest incubation period was 15 days at 25. The salinity tolerance range was 15–40, the longest mean shell length(855±9 μm) and the highest survival rate 72.93%±4.85% were both observed at 35. This study demonstrated that, during the egg–mass stage, temperature and salinity regimes infl uence later growth and survival of larvae. These observations deepen our understanding of the ecology and conservation of natural populations of Rapana venosa.     

Formation and early development of tetraspores of Polysiphonia urceolata （Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta）

Polysiphonia urceolata is one type of potential commercial red seaweeds used for breeding and cultivation, because of its significant biochemical and biomedical application. However, the information of breeding and seedling incubation for cultivation is limited, especially the early development. In this study, tetrasporohyte and gametophyte of P. urceolata were taken as the study materials in Huiquan Bay, Qingdao, China. The cleaned and sterilized tetrasporophytes and gametophytes were pre-cultured in sterilized seawater, then nurtured at 18°C, 25 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ in 12:12 h (light:dark) photoperiod. Continuous observation under microscope showed that the early development consists of bipolar division stage and seedling stage. In the division stage, tetraspores germinate into bipolar sporelings that further differentiate into a colorless rhizoidal portion and a lightly pigmented upright shoot. The lightly pigmented rhizoidal cell develops to a rhizoid and the larger pigmented cell transforms to an erect axis. In the seedling stage, several quasi-protuberances appear on the erect axis and form juvenile seedlings. The results demonstrate the culture of P. urceolata from tetraspores under laboratory conditions. Supported by National Key Technology Support Program, Development Program of China (No.2006AA09Z21), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40618001 and N_CUHK438/06) and Shandong Agricultural Seed Stock Breeding Project     

New phenomenon in early development of sporelings in Gracilaria asiatica Chang et Xia （Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta）

1 INTRODUCTION The red alga Gracilaria belongs to Gracilari- aceae, Gigartinales, Florideophyceae, and includes over 100 recorded species, wildly distributing in tropical and temperate regions (Oliveira and Plastino, 1994), and is useful for producing val…     

Impact of microzooplankton and Calanus sinicus (Brodsky, 1962) on phytoplankton in the Yellow Sea during early summer

Dilution incubations and Calanus sinicus addition incubations were simultaneously conducted at five stations in the Yellow Sea in June of 2004 to evaluate the impact of microzooplankton and Calanus sinicus on phytoplankton based on the Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) levels. The Chl-a growth rates (k) ranged from 0.60–1.67 d⁻¹, while microzooplankton grazed the Chl-a at rates (g) of 0.29–0.62 d^t-1. The addition of C. sinicus enhanced the Chl-a growth rate (Z) by 0.004–0.037 d⁻¹ ind.⁻¹ L. C. sinicus abundance ranged from 84.1–160.9 ind. m⁻³, which occupied 90.7%–99.1% of the copepod (>500 μm) population. The in-situ increase in phytoplankton by C. sinicus community was estimated to be 0.000 4–0.005 9 d⁻¹. These results showed that microzooplankton were the main grazers of phytoplankton, while C. sinicus induced a slight increase in the levels of phytoplankton.     

Histological observation of germ cell development and discovery of spermatophores in ovoviviparous black rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli Hilgendorf) in reproductive season

Black rockfish(Sebastes schlegeli) is an important species for culture; however, its reproductive characteristics have not been fully documented. In this study, we investigated the morphology and developmental process of germ cells in this ovoviviparous rockfish in reproductive season(October 2011–November 2012) with histological methods. We found that the gonad of mature fish showed notable seasonal changes in developmental characteristics and morphological structure. The sperm cells matured during a period lasting from October to December, significantly earlier than the oocytes did. A large number of spermatozoa and other cells occurred in testis at different developmental stages. Vitellogenesis in oocytes began in October, and gestation appeared in April next year. Spermatophores were discovered for the first time in Sebastes, which assembled in testis, main sperm duct, oviduct and genital tract, as well as ovarian cavity in October and April. These organs may serve either as production or hiding places for spermatophores and spermatozoa which were stored and transported in form of spermatophores. Testicular degeneration started from the distal part of testis in April, with spermatophores assembled in degenerating testis and waiting for transportation. The copulation probably lasted for a long period, during which the spermatozoa were discharged in batches as spermatophores. These spermatophores were coated with sticky materials secreted from the interstitial areas of testis and the main sperm duct, then transported into ovary.     

北部湾墨西哥湾扇贝形态性状与闭壳肌质量的关系

为寻找墨西哥湾扇贝中对其闭壳肌重量影响最显著的形态学特征,在整个扇贝的生长过程中,每一个月测一次壳高(mm)、壳宽(mm)、铰合线长(mm)、体质量(g)和闭壳肌质量(g),每一轮的样本采集量为60,通过通径分析研究这些形态学特征对闭壳肌质量的影响。结果显示,根据各形态学特征对闭壳肌质量的直接的、间接的、总路径的贡献,发现体质量的影响是最显著的(p<0.01),其他的形态学特征如壳高、壳宽和铰合线长对于闭壳肌生长既不限制也不促进。