Flounders follow the tides to feed: Evidence from ultrasonic tracking in an estuary

Ultrasonically tagged flounders were tracked in the estuary of the River Bann, Northern Ireland, for periods of between 2 and 12 h (11 fish for a total of 92 h and 2·5 km), during their summer residence. Positions were determined by triangulation with two receivers.All fish remained within 400 m of the release point; on average flounders moved about 270 m during one tidal cycle, equivalent to 830 body lengths, or just over 1 body length per minute. Movements were most likely at dusk, but other parameters were not contingent upon time of day, although no data were gathered at dawn. Frequency, direction, distance, speed and duration of movement and turn rate were all significantly contingent upon state of the tide. The movement data are interpreted in terms of feeding behaviour, supported by results from other parts of the study. At high tide flounders made active but meandering searches for food on the inundated mudflats. Similar but faster searches heading downstream on falling tides reflected (a) completion of feeding while littoral invertebrates were still available and (b) avoidance of stranding. Flounders made infrequent but long and linear passages downstream at low tide, when they tended to bury themselves at the edge of the main channel where there was little food. Subsequently, the fish followed the rising tide upstream so that the cycle of movements kept most fish in the same area of the estuary in the short term. It is suggested that tolerance of changing salinities enables flounders, more than other flatfish species, to exploit dense populations of estuarine intertidal invertebrates as food.     

注射外源激素对养殖雄性牙鲆精巢发育的影响

雄性牙鲆在人工养殖条件下,1年可达到性成熟,精巢属于典型的叶型结构。生殖细胞经历了精原细胞、初级精母细胞、次级精母细胞、精子细胞和精子5个发育阶段;精小叶间存在Leydig细胞,小叶内存在Sertoli细胞。牙鲆精子属于原始类型,可明显地区分为头部、中段和尾部,与大多数硬骨鱼类相似;精子头部无顶体,其内含有大小不等的囊泡,尾部具有典型的“9 2”结构。注射外源LHRH-A2或hCG,对牙鲆的精巢发育和排精没有起到促进作用,可能是由于一次注射的外源在血液内很快被清除,或操作胁迫使血浆皮质醇含量升高抑制了下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴的正常功能。建议在进行牙鲆人工催产时,最好采用激素埋植法,在对亲鱼进行操作时,应将其麻醉,增加激素的作用效果。