Weed preference and growth of young grass carp in New Zealand

In each of eight 5‐day pond experiments carried out at intervals over a year, 0+ to 1 +‐year‐old grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella Val., were offered a choice of at least 10 species of water weeds from the Rotorua area. Water temperature was measured each day. Food selectivity decreased with increasing temperature and size of fish, but preference for the weeds did not change. At summer temperatures the fish ate much weed and grew at about 4g/fish/day, but in winter little food was taken and growth was slow.     

Growth,diet, movement,and abundance of adult banded kokopu (Galaxias fasciatus) in five Coromandel,New Zealand streams

Banded kokopu populations were surveyed seasonally over 1 year in five Coromandel streams to determine the influence of food supply on diet, growth, abundance, and movement. Streams with high benthic invertebrate abundance and drift of aquatic origin had high fish abundance. However, terrestrial drift was the dominant food for adult banded kokopu over all seasons and streams, on average comprising 75% of their diet by number and 89% by weight. Annual growth rates of tagged individuals ranged from 3 mm to 16.5 mm, with smaller fish growing faster than large fish. Low growth rates of large fish were consistent with the recapture of a fish that had only grown from 195 mm to 215 mm in 7 years. Our observations confirmed the strong association between banded kokopu, pool habitat, and cover, and also indicated that high fish abundance restricted growth rates and movement and increased interaction.     

三峡库区短颌鲚(Coilia brachygnathus)新建种群的年龄结构、生长特征及遗传多样性分析

2019~2020年在三峡库区巫山(WS)、万州(WZ)、丰都(FD)、涪陵(FL)4个采样点采集到新建短颌鲚(Coilia brachygnathus)种群153尾个体,基于鳞片和10个微卫星DNA标记进行年龄结构、生长特征与遗传多样性分析。结果显示,短颌鲚种群体长分布范围为102.1~301.6mm,平均体长(196.6±40.0)mm;体重分布范围为1.90~79.70g,平均体重(17.70±13.06)g。短颌鲚种群年龄组为1~5龄,其中2龄和3龄为优势年龄组,占总个体数的82.35%。体长-体重呈幂函数指数关系,属于正异速生长类型。微卫星DNA标记分析结果显示,10个微卫星位点共检测到82个等位基因,各群体平均等位基因数(N_a)为5.600 0~7.300 0,平均有效等位基因数(N_e)为3.541 4~3.831 5,平均观测杂合度(H_o)为0.617 7~0.700 0,平均期望杂合度(H_e)为0.682 3~0.702 9之间,平均多态信息含量(PIC)为0.628 5~0.648 4。4个群体的遗传多样性水平均较高,呈现出由三峡库区下游至上游逐渐减小的特点。遗传结构分析结果显示,群体间遗传分化水平很低,遗传变异主要来源于个体内部。结果表明,三峡库区短颌鲚种群处于快速扩张阶段,4个群体均具有较丰富的遗传多样性,遗传结构未发生显著群体分化,群体间基因交流频繁。由此提示,三峡库区短颌鲚很可能来源于三峡大坝下种群扩张迁入三峡库区水域而繁殖建群。     

Chlorophyll production,in response to nutrient additions,by the algae in Lake Rotorua water

Batch cultures of water and algae from Lake Rotorua were subjected to nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace element additions, singly and in combination, at monthly intervals between June 1975 and May 1976. The algal responses to the additions were assayed after 5 d incubation, by extracting the chlorophyll from the algae and estimating the concentration by fluorescence. The chlorophyll production consistently responded positively to the addition of nitrogen, while responses to the addition of phosphorus and trace elements were minor by comparison. Although the chlorophyll responses to nitrogen may not have been paralleled by actual growth, the consistent pattern of behaviour by algae in the batch cultures was interpreted as evidence of persistent shortage of nitrogen in the Lake Rotorua environment.     

Diet of giant kokopu,Galaxias argenteus

The stomach contents of 105 preserved specimens of giant kokopu, Galaxias argenteus (Gmelin 1789), collected from various locations around New Zealand between c. 1963 and 1994, were used to investigate giant kokopu diet. A total of 76 food taxa, predominantly invertebrates, were identified and categorised as either of aquatic or terrestrial origin from the 91 stomachs that contained food items. Aquatic Trichoptera, Gastropoda, and Hemiptera comprised 29.1, 12.6, and 14.4% by abundance respectively, and terrestrial Coleoptera 12.2% by abundance. Adult terrestrial Coleoptera were the most commonly occurring taxa, and were found in 59% of the stomachs that contained food. Food items of aquatic origin occurred in 94.5% of the giant kokopu stomachs that contained food and comprised 74.9% of the items by abundance. Although fewer items of terrestrial origin were encountered, they nevertheless appeared to be a significant component of the diet, and occurred in 83.5% of the giant kokopu stomachs that contained food, and comprised 25.1% of the items by abundance. Items of terrestrial origin occurred slightly more frequently in giant kokopu from lotic habitats than from lentic habitats. The significance of terrestrial food may be associated with giant kokopu preference for habitats with riparian cover. Fish also appeared to be a significant component of the diet, as 26% of the giant kokopu examined contained fish remains. Giant kokopu are probably best described as generalist feeders, as they utilise a wide range of foods of both aquatic and terrestrial origin.     

Assessing sperm membrane viability using flow cytometry in farmed New Zealand giant kokopu Galaxias argenteus

We employed flow cytometry to assess plasma membrane viability of sperm cells in farmed giant kokopu Galaxias argenteus, an endemic amphidromous New Zealand fish. Specifically, the variables of fish size (TL mm) and weight (grams) were assessed against sperm viability. We found no significant difference (P?G. argenteus. This study shows that flow cytometry is an effective, accurate and rapid method for analysing sperm viability in G. argenteus.     

Food of snapper in western Bay of Plenty,New Zealand

Feeding was examined in 772 snapper, Chrysophrys auratus (Bloch and Schneider), from the western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Occurrence, points (bulk), and numbers methods of food analysis were used in the study. Diet was extremely varied, and, by all methods of food analysis, crustaceans, polychaetes, echinoderms, molluscs, and teleosts formed the main snapper food groups, with crustaceans being the most important. Size of snapper, depth, sampling area, and time of day affected the occurrence, volume, and numbers of food items, while sex did not.

Seasonal feeding patterns on most species/categories of food varied locally within each sampling area, and there were no uniform seasonal feeding patterns for any food/category in the four sampling areas examined.     

Distribution of fish in tributaries of the lower Taieri/Waipori rivers,South Island,New Zealand

The distribution of fish within eight small streams feeding into the lower Taieri and Waipori Rivers on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island was examined. A total of eight native and two introduced species were recorded. Eels (Anguilla spp.) and giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus Gmelin) were the most widely distributed species being located in all streams surveyed. Common bullies (Gobiomorphus cotidianus McDowall) and brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus) were also widely distributed being detected in seven and six of the streams respectively. Three streams of potential conservation significance were identified. These were Picnic Gully Creek which contained a significant population of banded kokopu (Galaxias fasciatus Gray), a Category C threatened species, and Cullens and Alex Creeks which contained significant populations of giant kokopu, a Category B threatened species. The population of giant kokopu in Cullens and Alex Creeks currently represents the largest known population of this species on the east coast of New Zealand (excluding Southland). It has been suggested that brown trout may influence the distribution of native galaxiids. The longitudinal distribution of giant kokopu and brown trout in streams was examined at night using a continuous spotlight sampling approach. Distributions of these two species rarely overlapped at a local scale. Coarse habitat use data indicated that brown trout regularly occupied a variety of habitat types including modified agricultural channels. In contrast, giant kokopu rarely used agricultural channels being predominantly located in pool habitats.