PCR‐based techniques to determine diet of the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea): a comparison with morphological analysis

Comprehensive dietary information for the endangered Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) is currently limited by the deficiency and poor quality of identifiable prey remains recovered from regurgitate and faeces and the difficulty of observing feeding in the wild. In this study, we investigated DNA‐based prey detection methods using conventional (end‐point) and quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) on faeces collected from two captive Australian sea lions fed experimental diets of whole teleost fish, squid and shark tissue. PCR prey detection methods using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S genes combined with clone sequencing were compared with prey identified using traditional hard part analysis. The molecular results indicated that prey DNA was degraded. However, prey amplification was successful by targeting short (71 bp) DNA fragments. Both conventional PCR and qPCR techniques significantly increased prey detection compared with analysis of hard parts. For both sea lions, the hard part analysis was constrained by sporadic and extremely low recovery of fish otoliths (<2%), and cephalopod beaks were not recovered from the 116 squid fed. Comparisons between PCR techniques indicated comparable prey detection frequencies for all species tested; however, the sensitivity and greater resolution of qPCR improved prey detection by ~25% in one sea lion fed the experimental squid and perch. The detection of squid DNA ≤ 6 day post‐ingestion by qPCR further exhibits the ability and potential of this method to detect low concentrations of infrequent or pulse prey. This study highlights the use of DNA‐based analysis to detect prey taxa in the absence of identifiable hard prey remains.     

放养密度对西伯利亚杂交鲟摄食、生长以及肌肉组分的影响

研究了放养密度对西伯利亚杂交鲟幼鱼生长、摄食以及肌肉组分的影响。结果表明,经过80d的野外试验观察,发现在初始养殖密度分别为:3.9、6.3、8.7和11.0kg/m3的微流水环境中,高密度组(D组)和低密度组(A组)的死亡率、日摄食量、饵料系数(FCE)和摄食率差异显著(P0.05);西伯利亚杂交鲟幼鱼的最终体重、特定生长率(SGR)、日增重(DWG)都随着养殖密度的增大而降低,而单位水体日增重显著升高,最终体长和肥满度无显著差异(P0.05)。试验结束时,高密度组西伯利亚杂交鲟幼鱼肌肉中水分和灰分所占的比重越大,而在粗蛋白质含量和粗脂肪含量方面则表现出相反的趋势,但均无显著性差异。综合各种因素,建议西伯利亚杂交鲟幼鱼阶段的养殖密度为6~9kg/m3。     

湿地松新梢化学成分与粉蚧为害关系初步研究

用五点法进行抽样调查并探讨了湿地松粉蚧（Ｏｒａｃｅｌｌａ ａｃｕｔａ Ｌｏｂｄｅｌｌ）侵入后,湿地松（Ｐｉｎｕｓｅｌｌｉｏｔｉｉ）新植树皮化学成分与粉蚧为害的关系。结果表明：均衡、协调的营养对粉蚧生长和繁殖有利;粉蚧为害主要导致新梢树皮蛋白质、粗灰分含量明显增加,还原糖含量明显减少;粉蚧发生高峰期,新梢树皮蛋白质含量与与粉蚧虫口密度呈显著正相关。     

湛江硇洲岛文昌鱼(Branchiostoma belcheri)的食性研究

于2006年4~7月在湛江硇洲岛海域采集文昌鱼,进行春夏季节不同性别、不同体长组等的胃含物观察分析。结果表明,湛江硇洲岛文昌鱼消化道残留食物成分以泥沙碎屑为主,可辨生物成分有34种,大部分为底栖硅藻,占58.8%,也有少量甲藻、瓣鳃类幼虫、底栖桡足类幼虫和原生动物等。春夏季节的文昌鱼的摄食喜好不尽相同,饵料生物的出现率随着季节的变化有所变化。不同性别文昌鱼的摄食喜好比较相近。文昌鱼到了性腺成熟后才开始进食动物性食物。研究结果表明,文昌鱼摄食藻类、微生物等而自身转化为其他动物的较高营养层次食物,在海洋食物网中具有一定的重要作用。     

Genetic diversity and population structure of three dominant myctophid fishes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Diaphus theta,Stenobrachius leucopsarus</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">S. nannochir</Emphasis>) in the North Pacific Ocean

We compared the genetic diversity of three dominant myctophid fishes in the North Pacific Ocean that have different diel vertical migration patterns on the basis of the nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial gene for cytochrome b. No genetic structure was detected for each of these three species. The genetic diversity progressively increased for Diaphus theta, a diel migrant species showing clear diel vertical migration; Stenobrachius leucopsarus, a semi-diel migrant, in which only part of the population migrates vertically; S. nannochir, a non-diel migrant. All three species were suggested to have experienced a recent, sudden population expansion. Interspecific differences in genetic diversity might be attributable to differences in the degree of population size reduction during the glacial periods; this degree in turn corresponds to the energy demand of the fishes.     

Habitat preferences and life history of the red scorpion fish, Scorpaena notata, in the Mediterranean

Scorpaena notata is a small, sedentary scorpaenid species widely distributed in the Mediterranean and adjacent waters of the Atlantic. In the western Mediterranean it inhabits coastal continental shelf bottoms. In the Balearic Islands, these bottoms are characterised by the presence of the facies with red algae, including both Peyssonnelia and mäerl beds. These beds enhance the structural complexity, biodiversity and secondary production of the soft bottoms. Due to the oceanographic conditions of the Islands, the facies with red algae are especially rich in terms of biomass and algal coverage, and are widespread distributed between 40 and 90 m depth, where trawlers exploiting the continental shelf operate. The present work studies the biology of S. notata and its relationship with habitat characteristics. Special attention is focused on the aspects related to fish condition and growth as a tool to assess the importance of the facies with red algae for fish.     

饥饿胁迫条件下黑鮸（Miichthys miiuy）仔鱼的生长与存活过程研究

采用实验生态学方法研究了延迟投饵对黑鮸仔鱼摄食、存活生长及体成分组成的影响。结果表明,在24℃,仔鱼在3日龄时开口摄食,4日龄时卵黄囊吸收完毕,6日龄仔鱼如不能建立外源性营养即进入饥饿死亡不可逆点（PNR）,而延迟投饵3天（6日龄）以上的仔鱼在8日龄前全部死亡。正常投喂仔鱼（16％）和延迟投饵1天仔鱼（15％）的存活率明显高于延迟2天投饵仔鱼（9％）。它们的高死亡（日死亡率为5％-6.5％）集中发生在3-8日龄期间,但低于3-7日龄内延迟投饵3天和完全饥饿仔鱼（日死亡率为18.5％）。在7日龄时,正常投喂仔鱼（9.9％）的特殊生长率（SGR）明显高于延迟投饵仔鱼（4.6％-8.4％）。在36日龄时,正常投喂仔鱼与延迟投饵1天仔鱼之间的生长差异消失,与延迟投饵2天的仔鱼之间的生长差异显著。延迟投饵引起开口摄食阶段仔鱼体内脂肪和蛋白质含量明显减少,但延迟投饵1-2天的存活仔鱼在后期发育过程中可以达到正常投饵仔鱼的营养水平。因此,不论在养殖条件下还是在自然水域,黑鮸仔鱼必须在开口后2天之内建立起主动摄食能力才可能保证其仔鱼的正常发育、生长和存活。     

The feeding habits of Austrolethops wardi, a gobiid fish inhabiting burrows of the thalassinidean shrimp Neaxius acanthus

The feeding habit of Austrolethops wardi (Gobiidae) in the seagrass beds of Barrang Lompo and Bone Batang Island in the Spermonde Archipelago, South West Sulawesi, Indonesia, was investigated through gut content analysis. The feeding preferences of this species are very similar on both islands: A. wardi, a burrow associate of Neaxius acanthus, was found to feed almost exclusively on seagrass (which was found in 100% of the investigated stomachs and made up >94% of food items). However, seagrass epiphytes (<5% of food items) and animal food (<1% of food items) occurred in the guts as well, the latter predominantly in terms of copepods and to a lesser degree in other small invertebrates. These results indicate that animal food is of little importance for A. wardi. Some specimens even contained no parts of animal food.     

Prey consumption by the juvenile soles, Solea solea and Solea senegalensis, in the Tagus estuary,Portugal

The soles Solea solea and Solea senegalensis are marine flatfish that use coastal and estuarine nursery grounds, which generally present high food availability, refuge from predators and favourable conditions for rapid growth. Two important nursery grounds for these species juveniles have been identified in the Tagus estuary, one in the upper part of the estuary (nursery A) and another in the south bank (nursery B). While S. solea is only present at the uppermost nursery area, S. senegalensis is present at both nurseries. Although they are among the most important predators in these nursery grounds, there are no estimates on their food consumption or on the carrying capacity of the system for soles. The Elliott and Persson [1978. The estimation of daily rates of food consumption for fish. Journal of Animal Ecology 47, 977–993] model was used to estimate food consumption of both species juveniles in both nursery areas, taking into account gastric evacuation rates (previously determined) and 24 h sampling surveys, based on beam-trawl catches carried out every 3 h, in the summer of 1995. Monthly beam trawls were performed to determine sole densities over the summer. Density estimates and daily food consumption values were used to calculate total consumption over the summer period. Sediment samples were taken for the estimation of prey densities and total biomass in the nursery areas. Daily food consumption was lower for S. solea (0.030 g wet weight d⁻¹) than for S. senegalensis (0.075 g wet weight d⁻¹). It was concluded that thermal stress may be an important factor hindering S. solea's food consumption in the warmer months. Total consumption of S. solea over the summer (90 days) was estimated to be 97 kg (wet weight). Solea senegalensis total consumption in nursery A was estimated to be 103 kg, while in nursery B it was 528 kg. Total prey biomass estimated for nursery A was 300 tonnes, while for nursery B it was 58 tonnes. This suggests that food is not a limiting factor for sole in the Tagus estuary. However it was concluded that more in-depth studies into the food consumption of other species and prey availability are needed in order to determine the carrying capacity of this system for sole juveniles.