Egg masses and larvae of the polychaete Nereis falcaria (note)

Larvae from polychaete egg masses obtained from the south Wellington coast were reared to identifiable juvenile worms and were found to be Nereis falcaria (Willey, 1905). Egg masses and larvae closely correspond to those previously recorded by Kirk (1907) from an unknown polychaete.     

甲状腺素对斜带石斑鱼仔鱼变态的影响

用甲状腺素(Thyroxine,T4)处理斜带石斑鱼Epinepheluscoioides仔鱼,研究T4对仔鱼变态的影响。仔鱼在变态前期和变态高峰期,用0.01mg·L-1T4处理7d后仔鱼完成变态,用0.10mg·L-1T4处理4d后仔鱼完成变态,用1.00mg·L-1T4处理3d后仔鱼完成变态,对照组仔鱼在实验期间未能完成变态。用0.01mg·L-1T4处理变态高峰期仔鱼其存活率明显提高和全长增长明显变慢,但对变态前期仔鱼无影响;用0.10和1.00mg·L-1T4处理变态前期和变态高峰期仔鱼,其存活率显著降低和全长增长明显变慢。结果表明,在变态高峰期用0.01mg·L-1T4处理仔鱼能加速它的变态并提高其存活率。     

Eggs and larvae of the trevally caranx georgianus (Teleostei: Carangidae)

The development and distinctive features of the eggs and larvae of Caranx georgianus Cuvier, 1833 are described. Diameters of the egg and oil globule range between 0.76 mm and 0.86 mm, and 0.20 mm and 0.25 mm respectively. At 21 °c, the eggs hatched approximately 28 h after fertilisation.     

条石鲷视觉器官早期发育的组织学观察

应用石蜡切片技术和显微测量法,对条石鲷(Oplegnathus fasciatus)视觉器官的早期发生、分化和形成过程进行了连续观察。结果显示:在水温24℃±1.0℃的条件下,受精后10.5 h,视杯出现;受精后15.5 h,晶状体形成;受精后22 h,在脉络膜裂口处出现角膜;2日龄,巩膜和脉络膜形成;3日龄,虹膜出现;6日龄,视网膜分化完全,由色素层、视锥视杆层、外界膜、外核层、外网状层、内核层、内网状层、神经节细胞层、神经纤维层和内界膜组成;13日龄,角膜分化完全,由外向内依次为复层扁平上皮、前弹性膜、纤维层、后弹性膜和内皮层;21日龄,虹膜完全分化,由内向外依次为色素层、后缘层、基质层、前缘层和内皮层。此时条石鲷眼的各个部分(巩膜、脉络膜、视网膜、晶状体、虹膜、角膜)均发育完善。     

Histopathology of the skin of UV-B irradiated sole (Solea solea) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) larvae.

Larval stages of two economically important flatfish, the sole (Solea solea) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) were exposed to ambient and elevated levels of UV-B. Sole larvae, which naturally occur in the plankton in early spring, demonstrated skin lesions at elevated levels of UV-B. Histopathology of the sole revealed cellular changes in the integument, characteristic of sunburn damage, with a reduction in the size of mucus-secreting cells and an increased epidermal thickening, especially at the highest doses of UV-B (2.15 KJ bio eff/m2). Pigmentation in the sole is restricted to a few isolated melanocytes. The integrity of the heavily pigmented skin of turbot appeared to be unaffected by comparable doses of UV-B. Both species have protective mechanisms, which minimize the effects of naturally-occurring levels of UV-B. However, sole appear to be poorly adapted to accommodate any further increase in solar radiation.     

Particulate peptidoglycan in seawater determined by the silkworm larvae plasma (SLP) assay

Peptidoglycan (PG) is a biopolymer found exclusively in the cell wall of bacteria. Recent chemical analysis of particulate organic matter suggests that a major amount of the muramic acid, an amino sugar present only in PG, could not be accounted for in terms of bacterial cells (Benner and Kaiser, 2003); however, data on particulate PG is quite sparse. In the present study, conducted in 1996, the PG was examined at 5 sampling sites in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and in natural seawater cultures. Particulate PG, which was concentrated using a 96-well filtration plate equipped with Durapore filters (pore size, 0.22 μm), was measured by the silkworm larvae plasma (SLP) assay. The PG concentration generally decreased with depth and correlated significantly with bacterial abundance throughout the entire water column. However, the ratio of particulate PG to bacterial abundance varied with depth. The average ratio was 0.61 ± 0.53 (average ± SD, n = 40) between 50 and 2000 m, which agreed with the bacterial cellular PG content from 0.63 to 1.1 fg cell⁻¹ obtained in seawater cultures. On the other hand, the ratios of PG to bacteria from the surface to 50 m (3.7 ± 2.6, n = 29) and below 2,000 m (2.1 ± 1.7, n = 7) were significantly higher than that between 50 and 2,000 m. These results may suggest that, in the surface and deep layers, a significant fraction of particulate PG was present in bacterial detritus, whereas this fraction was reduced in the middle layer.     

Abundance and composition of decapod larvae at Saint Paul's Rocks (equatorial Atlantic)

We investigated the effect of interannual variation on the biodiversity and distribution of decapod larvae at Saint Paul's Rocks, an isolated small group of equatorial islands linked to the Atlantic Mid‐Ocean ridge. Zooplankton samples were collected between 2003 and 2005 from a range of different environments off the archipelago. Horizontal surface hauls were conducted in the inlet and at three increasing distances from the archipelago, both in the morning and at night, using a 200‐μm mesh net. Decapod larvae collected included 11 species and 37 individual taxa. Seven of them have not previously been recorded in the area. Samples taken at the shortest distance from the archipelago exhibited a significantly greater abundance than samples taken further away. No significant differences were detected between months in terms of decapod larvae abundance in the inlet. However, in the open ocean at night, the mean abundance was much higher in May and July. Decapod larvae abundance was much higher at night for both the open ocean and the inlet. Brachyuran and caridean larvae exhibited the greatest abundance and frequency in the inlet, mainly represented by the first‐stage larvae of: Grapsus grapsus, Plagusia depressa, Platypodiella spectabilis and Alpheidae. In contrast, Sergestidae holopelagic shrimps were the most abundant and the most frequent larvae in the surface waters of the open ocean. The composition, abundance and distribution of decapod larvae were very similar during the 2 years sampled. Species accumulation curves indicate that even greater diversity exists, demonstrating that long‐term research is important for acquiring accurate knowledge about the biodiversity of dynamic ecosystems such as those at Saint Paul's Rocks.     

Sublethal toxicity of orchard stormwater runoff in Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) larvae

The sublethal effects of stormwater runoff from sections of a plum orchard treated with esfenvalerate or diazinon were evaluated in 7-day-old Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) larvae. Fish were exposed to eight runoff samples using the USEPA standard static renewal method for 96 h acute toxicity testing, then transferred to clean water for three-month to assess the survival, growth, histopathological abnormalities, and heat stress proteins (hsp). No significant mortality was observed at 96 h in exposed fish. At one week, histopathological abnormalities included severe glycogen depletion, cytoplasmic protein droplets, vacuolar degeneration, and cell necroses in liver of all exposure groups. Pyknotic nerve cells were seen in brain of one exposure group. Significantly higher cumulative mortality, lower condition factor, and elevated hsp60 and hsp70 levels (p < 0.05) were occurred in several exposure groups. No histopathological abnormalities were observed after three months in any exposure group. This study confirms that standard acute toxicity tests have underestimated the toxicity of stormwater runoff, and although splittail larvae survived the 96 h exposure, they exhibited reduced survival and growth and showed signs of cellular stress even after a three month recovery period.     

Ingestion and assimilation efficiency of Aeshna brevistyla and Hemicordulia australiae larvae (Odonata)

In a laboratory study of the ingestion and assimilation efficiency of larvae of Aeshna brevistyla Rambur and Hemicordulia australiae Rambur, ingestion was determined using Cerenkov radiation techniques and assimilation efficiency by a double‐labelled isotope technique. Of each prey item (Daphnia carinata), 30% was not ingested but lost as body fluids and as material within the alimentary canal of the prey. Assimilation efficiency was greater than 70% for both dragonfly species, which appears to be typical for most other invertebrate predators. The efficiency with which 12th‐15th‐instar Aeshna assimilated ¹⁴C did not increase with feeding rate, but Hemicordulia increased its efficiency through instars 12–14. When dragonfly larvae were pre‐fed before experimentation, assimilation efficiency decreased in both species.     

金属离子和神经递质对多室草苔虫幼虫附着的影响

研究了4种离子(K 、Ca2 、Mg2 、NH4 )和五种神经递质(r-氨基丁酸,缩写为GABA、乙酰胆碱、L-多巴、多巴胺、5-羟色胺)不同浓度溶液对多室草苔虫Bugula neritina幼虫附着的影响。结果表明,10—70mmol.L-1的K 和高于10mmol.L-1的NH4 均有效地诱导幼虫附着在培养皿底部,而1—50mmol.L-1的Mg2 则明显延长幼虫的浮游时间并抑制幼虫的最终附着。Ca2 对幼虫的附着没有明显的影响。10-2mol.L-1的GABA可以诱导幼虫附着,但低于该浓度则没有明显的作用。乙酰胆碱(10-2—10-3mol.L-1)、L-多巴(10-3—10-5mol.L-1)和多巴胺(10-3—10-4mol.L-1)均诱导幼虫的附着行为,但是却不能诱导幼虫的最终附着,这可能是由于这些物质限制了幼虫的活动能力,进而降低了其在探索过程中寻找到合适基质的机率。10-3—10-5mol.L-1的5-羟色胺通过强迫幼虫维持浮游而抑制幼虫的最终附着,据此推测5-羟色胺及其衍生物应用于开发无毒型的防污漆会有良好的前景。该研究为进一步研究苔藓虫幼虫的附着机制以及开发无毒环境友好型防污物质或是人工养殖苔藓虫提供了科学依据。     

Chemical induction of settlement and metamorphosis in two Babylonia (Gastropoda) larvae

INTRODUCTIONStudiesonchemicalinductionofsettlementandmetamorphosisinmarineGastropodalarvaehaveadvancedconsiderablyoverdecades,manyofwhichfocusonHalionsrufescensandPhestillasibogae.AccordingtotheavailabledataItheeffectivefactorswhichcaninduceGastropodalarvaetosettleandmetamorphose,includenatureinducers,neurotransmittersandtheirstructuralanalogs,inorganicion(K )andorganicsolvents.Sincethemechanismofmetamorphosisingastropodlarvaediffersmarkedlyamongvariousspecies,itisnecessarytoexamineandc…     

Effects of salinity on sublethal toxicity of atrazine to mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) larvae

In coastal marshes, fish larvae may be exposed simultaneously to extreme salinities and to atrazine, a widely used herbicide. To assess the effects of salinity on the toxicity of atrazine, newly-hatched mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) were exposed to atrazine (0, 5, 50 and 500 microg/L) at three salinities (3, 15 and 35PSU). Whole body cortisol was measured after 24 h. Body length, condition factor, whole body proteins, lipids, residual masses and water contents were assessed after 96 h. Significants effects were found for both condition factor and water content. Condition factors were lower at salinity 3 and 35 compared to near isoosmotic salinity, 15PSU. In addition, atrazine decreased condition factor at 500 microg/L. Reduction in condition was likely due to retardation in axial growth since body length, percentages of proteins or lipids were not affected. In the absence of atrazine, salinity had no effect on the prevalence of dehydrated (81% water) or hyperhydrated (85% water) larvae. In larvae exposed to atrazine, the prevalence of hyperhydrated larvae increased at 3PSU and 5 microg/L atrazine and that of dehydrated larvae increased at 15 and 35PSU and 5 microg/L atrazine. Severity of dehydratation increased with atrazine concentration at salinity 35PSU. Thus, a short-term exposure to environmentally realistic concentrations of atrazine affects osmotic control in mummichog larvae with possible effects on buoyancy, survival and recruitment.     

Behavioral effects in mummichog larvae (Fundulus heteroclitus) following embryonic exposure to methylmercury

Embryos of the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, were exposed to concentrations of methylmercury (meHg) below those that can cause morphological abnormalities. After hatching, larvae were kept in clean water and tested periodically for ability to capture prey (Artemia salina) or for their swimming performance and predator avoidance. Embryonic exposure to 10 μg/liter meHg resulted in reduced prey capture ability by early larvae, measured as total Artemia caught in 1 and 5 min. However, older larvae recovered from the behavioral deficits, perhaps owing to a compensation for early CNS insult. Fish from a chronically polluted environment (Piles Creek (PC), a tributary of the Arthur Kill), previously shown to have high tolerance to the teratogenic effects of higher concentrations of meHg, proved to be less susceptible to these behavioral effects than fish from a relatively uncontaminated site (EH). Also, the PC control larvae captured prey far more effectively than the EH larvae, although they made more miscues. When tested for swimming performance after embryonic exposure to 10 μg/liter, EH larvae had increased performance when compared to controls. This effect was also transitory. The improved swimming performance did not correspond to improved ability to avoid predation by grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio). The increased swimming performance may correspond to greater total activity, making them more likely to attract the predator's attention and resulting in increased capture. Thus, negative, though temporary, effects were observed in both prey capture and predator avoidance after embryonic exposure to meHg.