PERIVITELLINE pH OF SALMONIDE EGGS IN RELATION TO AMBIENT pH1

ABSTRACT: Eggs from salmon and brown trout were reared at 6 pH levels in the pH range 4.1–7.5. By micropuncture, the pH of the perivitelline fluid (PVF) was measured at different stages of development with an antimony microelectrode system. The pH of the PVF falls with decreased pH of the ambient media, although no point of equilibrium was found at the lower pH levels. When eggs were reared at pH levels 4.1–4.7, the pH of the PVF in salmon eggs was 0.4 units above the ambient media, while that in trout eggs was 1.0 pH units above. Decreased pH of the PVF during the later, actively ion accumulation, embryonic stages will subject the embryos to ion regulating stresses similar to those registered for adult fishes.     

Sharing developed countries’ post-2012 greenhouse gas emission reductions based on comparable efforts

The Bali Action Plan as adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2007, states that Annex I (developed) countries should reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, based on comparable efforts. Within this context, we have explored various comparable effort approaches (for example, equal marginal abatement costs for all countries) for reducing emissions by the year 2020 for individual countries and regions. In all calculations, the total reduction for Annex I countries as a group is assumed to be 30% below 1990 levels. In the analysis, we compare the reduction targets as calculated from the different approaches with the emission reductions as pledged by these countries as part of the Copenhagen Accord, as drafted under the UNFCCC in 2009. Our analysis indicates that the different elements in these calculations may cause a diversity in outcomes and that, therefore, individual countries may favour certain elements over others. These elements include (a) the choice of the approach itself (the same approach may produce very different outcomes for countries with diverging national circumstances, such as Canada and Russia); (b) the reference year (such as 1990 or 2006 emissions, is very important for countries with an increase in emissions since 1990 (e.g. the United States, Canada) or for those that have lower emission levels (e.g. Russia, the Ukraine)); and (c) rules on land use (these are important for countries with large forest areas). It should be noted that the stringency of the individual countries’ reductions as pledged, differs substantially from the stringency of the reduction targets calculated from the effort-sharing approaches. The current pledges by both the European Union and the United States, are lower than the reductions that would be obtained in the effort-sharing approaches for a 30% overall reduction in Annex I countries.     

Population Modeling of the Fish Species Roach (<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Rutilus rutilus</Emphasis>) to Investigate How Latitudinal Variations in Life History Traits Affect the Sensitivity to Anthropogenic Stress

Anthropogenic stressors, such as pollution and habitat degradation, have affected natural fish populations (and other species) by increased mortality and/or impaired reproduction. Depending on the life history of a population, the sensitivity to a particular stress varies. Demographic population models can be used to evaluate these differences and determine which populations are most sensitive to a specific impact. In the present study, five populations of roach (Rutilus rutilus) with different life histories were modeled and compared for sensitivities to reductions in fecundity or survival. The five populations reflected a north–south gradient with increasing life span, delayed maturity, and reduced fecundity at higher latitudes. Furthermore, three types of population models were used and compared. The population models were an unstructured model, a two-stage model with juveniles and adults and an age-structured model with age-dependent fecundity. The results of the population models showed that populations at higher latitudes are more sensitive to a reduction in survival but less sensitive to a reduction in fecundity. Current methods in ecological risk assessment are based on oversimplifications due to a lack of ecological theory. The use of population models may increase the ecological relevance and help produce better risk assessments. The two-stage model provided results that were similar to the results of the more complex age-structured model in most cases. The unstructured model, however, deviated significantly from the other two models.     

Amphimixis and the individual in evolving populations: does Weismann’s Doctrine apply to all,most or a few organisms?

The German biologist August Weismann (1834–1914) proposed that amphimixis (sexual reproduction) creates variability for natural selection to act upon, and hence he became one of the founders of the Neo-Darwinian theory of biological evolution. He is perhaps best known for what is called “Weismann’s Doctrine” or “Weismann’s Barrier” (i.e. the irreversible separation of somatic and germ cell functionalities early during ontogeny in multicellular organisms). This concept provided an unassailable argument against “soft inheritance” sensu Lamarck and informed subsequent theorists that the only “individual” in the context of evolution is the mature, reproductive organism. Herein, we review representative model organisms whose embryology conforms to Weismann’s Doctrine (e.g. flies and mammals) and those that do not (e.g. freshwater hydroids and plants) based on this survey and the Five Kingdoms of Life scheme; we point out that most species (notably bacteria, fungi, protists and plants) are “non-Weismannian” in ways that make a canonical definition of the “individual” problematic if not impossible. We also review critical life history functional traits that allow us to create a matrix of all theoretically conceivable life cycles (for eukaryotic algae, embryophytes, fungi and animals), which permits us to establish where this scheme Weismann’s Doctrine holds true and where it does not. In addition, we argue that bacteria, the dominant organisms of the biosphere, exist in super-cellular biofilms but rarely as single (planktonic) microbes. Our analysis attempts to show that competition among genomic variants in cell lineages played a critical part in the evolution of multicellularity and life cycle diversity. This feature was largely ignored during the formulation of the synthetic theory of biological evolution and its subsequent elaborations.     

Influence of feeding procedure on biomarkers in caged rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) used in environmental monitoring

Biomarkers in feral fish can be a useful tool for environmental monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. Drawbacks, however, are that suitable fish species are not always available and that natural variations can bias the results. An alternative strategy is to use farmed fish placed in cages. There is, however, still a risk that factors other than pollution level could have an impact on the biomarkers and the observed responses in the fish. The present study evaluates the effects of feeding procedure on biomarkers in caged fish. Two feeding rations (2% and 8% weekly feeding) have been examined for a large number of biomarkers in caged rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Significant effects of feeding rations were found on hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and catalase activity, PAH metabolites in bile, plasma ion concentrations and the presence of immature red blood cells. The influence on EROD activity and PAH metabolites seems to be caused by elevated uptake of pollutants when feeding ratios are higher. The effects on other biochemical and physiological variables are more likely caused by stress due to insufficient feeding. According to these results, valid comparison of fish groups in environmental monitoring requires standardized feeding levels.