Dietary vitamin A,ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol affect the gonad development and reproductive performance of starry flounder Platichthys stellatus broodstock

The present trial was conducted with starry fl ounder Platichthys stellatus broodstock to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin A,ascorbic acid,and α-tocopherol on the gonadal development and reproductive performance.8 000 IU/kg diet vitamin A(VA group),500 mg/kg diet ascorbic acid(Vcpp group),or 250 mg/kg diet α-tocopherol(α-TA group)was added into basal diet to create 3 vitamin experimental diets,respectively.Each diet was fed to 450 starry fl ounder broodstock for 104 days.Samples were collected weekly.The gonadosomatic index(GSI)of 3 vitamin experimental groups fi rst decreased and then increased.Maximum GSI of Vcpp group was higher than that of α-TA group but lower than that of VA group.The spawning periods of 3 vitamin experimental groups lasted 49,56,and 45 days,respectively.No mature eggs were observed in the control group during the trial.The absolute fecundity(AF)and relative fecundity(RF)of α-TA group was higher than that of Vcpp group but lower than that of VA group.The results suggest that different vitamins play different roles in the fi sh reproductive process.Vitamin A stimulated the maturation of the ovary,ascorbic acid prolonged the spawning period,and α-tocopherol affected the development of the eggs.     

澄黄滨珊瑚、大管孔珊瑚和丛生盔形珊瑚性腺发育与繁殖力的研究

运用组织学显微观察方法,以徐闻珊瑚礁保护区澄黄滨珊瑚(Porites lutea)、大管孔珊瑚(Goniopora djiboutiensis)和丛生盔形珊瑚(Galaxea fascicularis)为研究对象,研究了其性腺发育周期、配子排放时间和有性繁殖类型和繁殖力。结果表明:澄黄滨珊瑚和大管孔珊瑚的繁殖类型为排出配子体外受精的雌雄异体型,丛生盔形珊瑚为排出配子体外受精的雌雄同体型。3种珊瑚的配子发育均为年发育周期,可划分为4个时相。澄黄滨珊瑚卵母细胞发育始于11月底12月初,经5—6个月发育成熟;精巢在2月中下旬开始发育,经3—4个月发育成熟。大管孔珊瑚卵母细胞发育始于9月中旬,经8—9个月发育成熟;精巢在3月初开始发育,至5月底发育成熟。丛生盔形珊瑚卵母细胞发育始于8月中旬至9月初,经9—10个月发育成熟,精巢在11月开始发育,但卵母细胞发育成熟时精巢并未发育成熟。3种珊瑚排卵时间集中在5—6月份,澄黄滨珊瑚从5月初持续到月底,大管孔珊瑚从5月中旬持续到6月底,丛生盔形珊瑚从5月底持续到6月中旬。珊瑚生殖腺螅体内脂质含量随着生殖腺的发育成熟而逐渐升高,3种珊瑚螅体内脂质含量差异显著(P0.05)。大管孔珊瑚和丛生盔形珊瑚与澄黄滨珊瑚比较,成熟卵母细胞直径较大、单个螅体内成熟生殖腺和单个生殖腺卵母细胞数量均较多,而单位面积内螅体数量较少。3种珊瑚单位面积螅体内所含的总卵母细胞数量差异不显著。     

Sexual traits plasticity of the potentially invasive limpet Bostrycapulus odites (Gastropoda: Calyptraeidae) within its natural distribution in South America

The slipper limpet Bostrycapulus odites has recently been reported as an introduced species on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Another species in the family Calyptraeidae, Crepidula fornicata, is a problematic invasive species in the Northeast Atlantic, which makes the closely related Bostrycapulus introduction a matter of concern. Information on the biology of B. odites in its natural environment can facilitate predictions on where the species could find favourable conditions for settlement and expansion. Size and sex were recorded for individuals in four populations over 2600 km of the Southwestern Atlantic shoreline, in Argentina and Brazil, covering the whole native latitudinal range of this widely distributed species. Animals were collected by hand in the intertidal or by SCUBA in subtidal locations; specimens were examined to determine shell length, sex, and the presence and number of brooded egg capsules in females. Mean shell length for the whole population did not differ significantly among populations. However, this species experiences sequential hermaphroditism (protandrism), and the size at sexual maturity (minimum male size) increased significantly with latitude. The fecundity of females at all sites increased with size, and the number of brooded egg capsules as well as the average size of capsules was larger in bigger individual females; however, mean fecundity varied among sites independent of mean female body size. This limpet species modifies its reproductive traits with local conditions, and sexual characters develop earlier in more temperate localities.     

Diurnal movements of the New Zealand fur seal at Kaikoura

At Kaikoura the greatest number of seals were ashore during mid afternoon, especially when this coincided with low tide. This is the best time of the day to count them.     

Batch fecundity and spawning frequency of southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) in the southwest Atlantic Ocean

The reproductive biology of southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) inhabiting waters of the southwest Atlantic Ocean (52°‐53°S and 57°‐62°W) was studied through histological analysis of the ovaries. During 2003, the spawning peak occurred at the beginning of September south of the Malvinas Islands. Batch fecundity of this species ranged from 35 000 (41 cm total length, TL) to 245 000 (62 cm TL) oocytes and relative batch fecundity was 122 ± 43 (Mean ± SD, n = 24) oocytes per gram somatic weight. The average proportion of mature females with stage‐0 post‐ovulatory follicles was 0.25 for September 2003, which indicated a spawning frequency of 4 days during the peak of the season. Large females produced more egg batches than small spawners during the same period, but no significant relationship was found between oocyte dry weight and female size of southern blue whiting.     

Population dynamics of southern elephant seals: a synthesis of three decades of demographic research at Marion Island

Southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina numbers declined precipitously throughout most of their circumpolar distribution since the 1950s. A long-term intensive demographic programme was initiated in 1983 on the relatively small population of southern elephant seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island in an attempt to identify causative mechanisms associated with this decline. Weaned pups have been tagged annually since 1983, and this has produced a large number of individuals of known identity. A regular resighting programme yielded a mark-recapture dataset that has been subjected to numerous survival-based models. This ongoing programme produced a substantial body of scientific literature on population growth patterns, vital rates (survival and fecundity) and population regulation in southern elephant seals, which are reviewed in this synthesis. We briefly describe the analytical framework common to much of the demographic research, highlight important conclusions concerning population regulation of elephant seals at Marion Island, and discuss priorities for future research.     

湖北道观河水库细鳞鲴的个体生殖力

研究了道观河水库细鳞鲴的个体生殖力。细鳞鲴样本由2~ -5~ 龄鱼组成,其个体绝对生殖力与体长、体重和年龄分别呈直线、对数函数和幂函数相关,体长相对生殖力与体长、体重和年龄分别呈双曲线、对数函数和幂函数相关,体重相对生殖力与它们相关不显著。多元逐步回归分析其绝对生殖力和体长相对生殖力均与体重和成熟系数密切相关,而体重相对生殖力仅与成熟系数相关。