Assessing habitat fragmentation on marine epifaunal macroinvertebrate communities: an experimental approach     

Ana Beatriz Pierri-Daunt  Marcel O. Tanaka 《Landscape Ecology》2014,29(1):17-28

Habitat fragmentation is considered a major cause of biodiversity loss, both on terrestrial and marine environments. Understanding the effects of habitat fragmentation on the structure and dynamics of natural communities is extremely important to support management actions for biodiversity conservation. However, the effects of habitat fragmentation on marine communities are still poorly understood. Here we evaluated whether habitat fragmentation affects the structure of epifaunal communities in the sublittoral zone, in the northern coast of São Paulo state, Brazil. Five experimental landscapes were constructed, each one forming a large continuous patch. After 4 weeks, each landscape was cut on three patches of different sizes. Epifaunal macroinvertebrate communities were sampled at the edge and interior of experimental landscapes before manipulation to evaluate edge effects. After four more weeks, communities from the three patch sizes were also sampled to evaluate patch size effects. We compared the diversity of communities at different levels of fragmentation by total abundance, rarefied taxon richness, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, Simpson’s dominance index, and abundance of dominant taxa. Higher taxon richness and gastropod abundance were recorded in the patch edges, but no significant differences were found among patch sizes. We found a significant effect of habitat fragmentation, with lower abundances of Gammaridea (the dominant taxon), Ophyuroidea, and Pycnogonida after the experimental fragmentation. Lower abundances of dominant taxa resulted in higher diversity and lower dominance in fragmented landscapes when compared to integral, pre-manipulation landscapes. Our results suggest that fragmentation of landscapes in the system studied can reduce dominance, and that even small patch sizes can be important for the conservation of macroinvertebrate diversity.  相似文献   

Saliva chromogranin A in growing pigs: A study of circadian patterns during daytime and stability under different storage conditions     

Damián Escribano  Ana M. Gutiérrez  María Fuentes-Rubio  José J. Cerón 《Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)》2014,199(3):355-359

Salivary chromogranin A (CgA) is considered to be a biomarker of activation of the sympatho-adrenomedullary system, and has recently been proposed as a useful indicator of the acute stress response in pigs. The aim of the present study was to determinate whether salivary CgA concentrations in healthy growing pigs exhibits any circadian pattern during the daytime, and to evaluate its stability under different storage conditions. A total of 80 pigs (40 in spring and another 40 in autumn) of two different ages and genders were used. To establish the circadian pattern, saliva samples were collected at 07.00, 11.00, 15.00 and 19.00 h on two consecutive days. Pooled samples were used for the stability study and were measured on the day of sampling and periodically for up to 360 days later. Samples were stored at 4 °C, ?20 °C or ?80 °C and the effect of repeated freezing and thawing was also evaluated.No circadian pattern was detected for salivary CgA in either season and there were no significant effects of gender or age. However, mean salivary CgA concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in the pigs sampled in autumn, compared to those sampled in the spring. Short term storage at 4 °C is recommended for up to 2 days, whereas frozen samples can be stored for 1 year at ?20 °C or ?80 °C, without substantial reduction in CgA values. In addition, samples can be frozen and thawed up to seven times without significant loss of the biomarker.  相似文献   

Microsatellite variability in natural populations of the blackspot seabream Pagellus bogaraveo (Brünnick, 1768): a database to access parentage assignment in aquaculture     

Andreia Lemos  Ana Isabel Freitas  Ana Teresa Fernandes  Rita Gonçalves  José Jesus  Carlos Andrade  & António Brehm 《Aquaculture Research》2006,37(10):1028-1033

Eight microsatellite loci previously reported were assessed for their utility in parentage assignment in 96 individuals belonging to natural populations of the blackspot seabream Pagellus bogaraveo (Brünnick, 1768) from the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic regions. At the mtDNA level, no differentiation was found between these two regions but based on microsatellite data an overall discrete genetic differentiation is perceivable between the two regions separated by the Strait of Gibraltar. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 8 to 30. A database constructed with allele frequency data from six populations was used in a simulation parentage assignment test using the software cervus . The test showed that the number of markers used is enough to perform parentage assignments with real data. The polymorphic information content for each locus was very high (mean value of 0.849), with a total exclusionary power of 0.9995. In summary, seven of the eight microsatellites analysed proved to be sufficient and powerful tools for parentage assignment in hatcheries and the allele frequency data given here can be used to perform pedigree analysis against which real data may be tested.  相似文献   

Combined effects of temperature and diet on growth and biochemical composition of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg) spat     

Cecilia Flores-Vergara  Beatriz Cordero-Esquivel  Ana Nallely Cerón-Ortiz  & Bertha O Arredondo-Vega 《Aquaculture Research》2004,35(12):1131-1140

Temperature and quality of the available food are important factors that influence the physiology of oysters; however, the combined effects have not been well studied. We evaluated the impacts of the temperature and diet on the growth, survival and biochemical composition in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas spat, cultured in the laboratory for 8 weeks at 23, 26, 29 and 32°C and fed Isochrysis sp.‐Pavlova lutheri (IP) and Dunaliella tertiolecta (Dt). The growth and biochemical composition showed a pattern, which changed in response to rising temperature. The shell length was significantly longer, in spat fed the IP diet, except at 32°C, where both diets produced poor growth results. The survival was <50% after 5 weeks at 32°C, whereas at all other temperatures it was >88%. High temperatures directly increased lipids and saturated fatty acids, while the proteins, carbohydrates and unsaturated fatty acids decreased. High temperatures achieved in the environment, as those reached on clear summer days during low tides, are an important stressor in oyster spat, especially when the quality of the available food is poor.  相似文献   

Quantitative genetic parameter estimates for size and growth rate traits in Pacific white shrimp, Penaeus vannamei (Boone 1931) when reared indoors   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  

Carlos I Pérez-Rostro  & Ana M Ibarra 《Aquaculture Research》2003,34(7):543-553

Heritabilities of size traits and growth rate traits, as well as genetic, phenotypic and environmental correlations were estimated at three ages for a captive population of Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) grown indoors. A covariate, mean size or mean growth rate during early growth in individual tanks before tagging and mixing, was introduced in the analyses to reduce the error caused by unique previous growth conditions on variance components. Heritabilities of size traits increased with age, with the h² for TL, AL, TWt and Wi1AS being 0.15, 0.20, 0.20 and 0.22, respectively, at 17 weeks, increasing to 0.28, 0.33, 0.34 and 0.35 at 29 weeks of age. Heritabilities of growth rate traits estimated between consecutive growth periods decreased from the first (h² for ΔTL 0.65, ΔAL 0.71, ΔTWt 0.63 and ΔWi1AS 0.84) to the second period (h² for ΔTL 0.34, ΔAL 0.50, ΔTWt 0.54 and ΔWi1AS 0.52). Phenotypic correlations were always larger than genetic correlations for both, size and growth rate traits. Genetic correlations between size traits within age were high (r_G >0.95), but those between the same size trait at different ages decreased as the age difference increased in spite of a consistently high environmental correlation (r_E 0.80–0.85) between the same trait at different ages. Phenotypic and genetic correlation's between the same growth rate trait at the two different growth periods evaluated were negative or zero (r_G TL –0.26, AL –0.24, Wi1AS 0.00) with the exception of total weight (r_G TW 0.35) and the environmental correlations between growth periods were also low (r_E 0.13–0.32).  相似文献   

Characterization of Amaranthus cruentus L. seed proteins by 2-DE and LC/MS–MS: Identification and cloning of a novel late embryogenesis-abundant protein     

Enrique Maldonado-Cervantes  José A. Huerta-Ocampo  Gabriela M. Montero-Morán  Alberto Barrera-Pacheco  Eduardo Espitia-Rangel  Ana P. Barba de la Rosa 《Journal of Cereal Science》2014

Amaranth is taking great attention as an important cereal crop that could fulfill food requirements for the growing population, especially in developing countries. However, the protein composition of these seeds is not well known yet. We have used the proteomics tools to characterize amaranth seed proteome. About 400 proteins spots were resolved on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and protein spots were analyzed by LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry). Identified proteins were related to stress and defense responses, metabolic, respiratory, and oxide-reduction processes. One abundant spot was identified as a Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) protein and the gene was cloned and characterized. The AcLEA cDNA contains a 418 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 139 amino acids. Bioinformatics analysis showed that AcLEA belongs to LEAs Group 5. Proteomics is a powerful technique that could be used even in non-sequenced organisms such as amaranth. The obtained information reveals that amaranth seed, beyond the classical seed storage proteins, contains proteins related to protection against stress. The identification of these proteins opens the door to the application of new strategies to improve the quality of amaranth production.  相似文献   

Polyunsaturated Aldehydes from Large Phytoplankton of the Atlantic Ocean Surface (42°N to 33°S)     

Ana Bartual  Néstor Arandia-Gorostidi  Andrés Cózar  Soledad Morillo-García  María Jesús Ortega  Montserrat Vidal  Ana María Cabello  Juan Ignacio González-Gordillo  Fidel Echevarría 《Marine drugs》2014,12(2):682-699

Polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) are organic compounds mainly produced by diatoms, after cell wounding. These compounds are increasingly reported as teratogenic for species of grazers and deleterious for phytoplanktonic species, but there is still scarce information regarding concentration ranges and the composition of PUAs in the open ocean. In this study, we analyzed the spatial distribution and the type of aldehydes produced by the large-sized (>10 μm) phytoplankton in the Atlantic Ocean surface. Analyses were conducted on PUAs released after mechanical disruption of the phytoplankton cells, referred to here as potential PUAs (pPUAs). Results show the ubiquitous presence of pPUA in the open ocean, including upwelling areas, as well as oligotrophic gyres. Total pPUA concentrations ranged from zero to 4.18 pmol from cells in 1 L. Identified PUAs were heptadienal, octadienal and decadienal, with heptadienal being the most common (79% of total stations). PUA amount and composition across the Atlantic Ocean was mainly related to the nitrogen:phosphorus ratio, suggesting nutrient-driven mechanisms of PUA production. Extending the range of trophic conditions considered by adding data reported for productive coastal waters, we found a pattern of PUA variation in relation to trophic status.  相似文献   

Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Effects of Diterpenes Isolated from the Marine Alga,Dictyota menstrualis     

Laura de Andrade Moura  Ana Carolina Marqui de Almeida  Thaisa Francielle Souza Domingos  Fredy Ortiz-Ramirez  Diana Negr?o Cavalcanti  Valéria Laneuville Teixeira  André Lopes Fuly 《Marine drugs》2014,12(5):2471-2484

Cardiovascular diseases represent a major cause of disability and death worldwide. Therapeutics are available, but they often have unsatisfactory results and may produce side effects. Alternative treatments based on the use of natural products have been extensively investigated, because of their low toxicity and side effects. Marine organisms are prime candidates for such products, as they are sources of numerous and complex substances with ecological and pharmacological effects. In this work, we investigated, through in vitro experiments, the effects of three diterpenes (pachydictyol A, isopachydictyol A and dichotomanol) from the Brazilian marine alga, Dictyota menstrualis, on platelet aggregation and plasma coagulation. Results showed that dichotomanol inhibited ADP- or collagen-induced aggregation of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), but failed to inhibit washed platelets (WP). In contrast, pachydictyol A and isopachydictyol A failed to inhibit the aggregation of PRP, but inhibited WP aggregation induced by collagen or thrombin. These diterpenes also inhibited coagulation analyzed by the prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time and on commercial fibrinogen. Moreover, diterpenes inhibited the catalytic activity of thrombin. Theoretical studies using the Osiris Property Explorer software showed that diterpenes have low theoretical toxicity profiles and a drug-score similar to commercial anticoagulant drugs. In conclusion, these diterpenes are promising candidates for use in anticoagulant therapy, and this study also highlights the biotechnological potential of oceans and the importance of bioprospecting to develop medicines.  相似文献   

Phaseolus vulgaris L. Leaves Increase Short-Chain Fatty Acid (SCFA) Production,Ameliorating Early Metabolic Alterations     

Becerril-Campos  Adriana Araceli  Ocampo-Anguiano  Perla Viridiana  Mondragón-Jacobo  Candelario  Escobar-García  Konisgmar  Camacho-Barrón  Mariela  Anaya-Loyola  Miriam Aracely  Feregrino-Perez  Ana Angélica  García-Gasca  Teresa  Ahumada-Solórzano  Santiaga Marisela 《Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)》2022,77(3):421-426

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - High-fat/high-fructose diets promote early metabolic disorders in weight and lipid and glucose metabolism. Bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and fiber...  相似文献   

Effect of different methods for the induction of spermiation on semen quality in European eel   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Juan F Asturiano  Luz Pérez  Daniel L Garzón  David S Peñaranda  Francisco Marco-Jiménez  Silvia Martínez-Llorens  Ana Tomás  & Miguel Jover 《Aquaculture Research》2005,36(15):1480-1487

Five hormonal treatments with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were tested for the induction of maturation and spermiation in male farmed eels. The main aim was to optimize previously used hormonal treatments to achieve shorter induction treatments, longer spermiation periods and/or higher sperm quality. Fish treated for just 3 weeks (treatment E) or until the onset of spermiation (treatment C) showed the worst results, while the treatment consisting of weekly administration of 1.5 IU hCG g^?1 fish (treatment A) induced the highest percentage of spermiating males, the highest number of sperm samples and sperm volumes and densities similar to the rest of the treatments (B: half hormone dosage, or D: biweekly administration). Evaluation of the sperm quality was performed by computer‐assisted sperm analysis (CASA), considering the percentage of total motile spermatozoa, the percentage of fast and medium‐velocity spermatozoa, as well as different motility parameters. Sperm samples from A‐D groups showed between 44% and 54% motile spermatozoa, and between 10% and 15% fast spermatozoa, while samples from E‐treated males showed 0% motile cells. No significant differences were found in the spermatozoa straight line velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL) or the angular velocity (VAP), neither spermatozoa beating cross frequency (BCF) between A–D groups.  相似文献