Fertilization success and sexual behavior in male medaka, Oryzias latipes, exposed to tributyltin

We evaluated the effects of tributyltin (TBT), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and a mixture of TBT and PCBs on reproduction, gonadal histology, and sexual behavior in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). We administered TBT (1 microg g(-1) body weight [b.w.] daily), PCBs (1 microg g(-1) b.w. daily), or both to medaka for 3 weeks. We assessed reproductive success during week 3 and the sexual behavior of male medaka after the exposure period. Fertilization success was significantly decreased in groups that received TBT. The profiles of fertility developed a bimodal distribution in the TBT and TBT+PCBs groups, and the numbers of males that performed "following" and "dancing" were significantly decreased in the TBT+PCBs group. The frequency of "dancing" also decreased after treatment with TBT, whereas fish that received PCBs only showed no difference in sexual behavior. Testes that had oocytes showed normal spermatogenesis, even though two of the five males treated with TBT+PCBs had some indication of testis-ova, which did not occur in any other group. Our results indicate that TBT, but not PCBs, affects sexual behavior and reproduction in medaka.     

Suppression of sexual behavior in male Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposed to 17beta-estradiol

Mating pairs of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) received 17beta-estradiol (E2; dose, 3 and 30 microg/g body weight daily) in their diet and E2-free diet (control) for two weeks. The effect on reproductive success was assessed in the mating pairs, and sexual and nonsexual behaviors in the male were quantified. The fecundities of the E2-treated groups were reduced significantly (p < 0.05) compared with those of control, and the sexual behaviors (following, dancing, floating, and crossing) of male fish in response to prostaglandin F2alpha (PG)-injected E2-unexposed females were suppressed dramatically. While the fertility of spawned eggs and the frequencies of the nonsexual behaviors of resting and swimming in a straight line performed by male were unchanged in E2-exposed groups. Therefore, sexual behavior in male may be linked with reproductive success in mating pair of madaka exposed to E2. This assay for sexual behavior using PG may provide a useful tool for assessing the effect of endocrine-disrupting chemicals.     

Why is competition more intense if food is supplied more slowly?

We investigated competition for food among two groups of six clone amagos (salmonids), Oncorhynchusmasoumacrostomus, in a laboratory experiment with different rates of food input. We examined the effect of temporal clumping of food resources on the inequality of food sharing between competitors. Monopolization of food by dominants was greater at a low input rate (one food item per 10 s) than at a high input rate (1 food item per 1 s). Aggressive behavior by dominants was more frequent at the low input rate than at the high input rate; its purpose was presumably to interfere with the feeding behavior of subordinates. We assessed the relative importance of three foraging factors (the number of approaches to food items, the chance per approach and the gain per chance) in enhancing inequality in food gain between individuals. Dominants had a disproportionately high chance per approach and gain per chance at the low input rate, but not at the high input rate. The chance of obtaining a food item per approach depended on how many competitors approached simultaneously. The gain per chance depended on the competitive ability of the approaching fish. There was an interaction between these components, such that the number of approaches affected the chance per approach and gain per chance. We evaluated the independent effect of the chance per approach, and showed that it was higher for dominants than for subordinates at the low input rate, but not at the high input rate. This implies that subordinates changed their behavior and became more likely to avoid approaching food at the same time as dominants at the low input rate. Received: 13 August 1996 / Accepted after revision: 30 November 1996     

Preparation and characteristics of high performance paper containing titanium dioxide photocatalyst supported on inorganic fiber matrix

A novel paper-based material containing titanium dioxide (TiO₂) photocatalyst was successfully prepared by a papermaking technique with the internal addition of inorganic fibers on which TiO₂ particles were supported. Photodegradation performance of acetaldehyde gas, an indoor pollutant, and the durability of the TiO₂-containing papers were investigated under UV irradiation. Ceramic fiber suspension and polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride as a cationic flocculant were mixed, followed by the addition of TiO₂ suspension and anionic polyacrylamide. Subsequently, the inorganic mixture was poured into a pulp suspension, and TiO₂ handsheets then prepared by a papermaking method. The tensile strength of TiO₂-containing paper without a ceramic carrier decreased by more than 30% after 240-h UV irradiation (2 mW/cm²), although the strength of the TiO₂ sheet with ceramic fibers remained reasonably stable. The efficiency of acetaldehyde decomposition by the TiO₂ paper containing an inorganic carrier was nearly equal to that of the carrier-free TiO₂ paper. Scanning electron microscopic observation suggested that most TiO₂ particles were predominantly supported on the inorganic fiber matrix, and were mostly out of contact with organic pulp fibers. The TiO₂ paper with an inorganic carrier demonstrated both excellent photocatalytic performance and durability, which before had been mutually incompatible for organic materials containing TiO₂ photocatalyst. The two-stage mixing procedure for TiO₂ sheet-making is promising for the simple manufacture of high performance paper with photocatalytic ability.     

Juvenile hormone agonists affect the occurrence of male Daphnia

The water flea Daphnia magna reproduces primarily by cyclic parthenogenesis. Environmental stimuli that signal a change to adverse conditions induce the organisms to switch from parthenogenesis to gamogenetic reproduction. During the gamogenetic period, they produce male daphnids and dormant resting eggs, which can survive prolonged periods of environmental adversity. However, little is known about the mechanisms associated with the switch from parthenogenesis to gamogenetic reproduction. We investigated the effects of several juvenoids on sex determination in Daphnia. Females less than 24 h old were exposed to various concentrations of the test substance and were observed for 21 days. It was found that they can trigger the appearance of male daphnids: the percentage of males in the population increases to a level greater than what occurs under ordinary environmental conditions. We found that methylfarnesoate, juvenile hormone III, methoprene, and the phenoxyphenoxy derivatives pyriproxyfen and fenoxycarb (both insecticides) reduced the production of offspring and produced sex ratios dominated by male daphnids. Pyriproxyfen and fenoxycarb showed striking effects at low concentrations. Exposure to either of these chemicals at a concentration of 330 ngl(-1) caused adult females to produce almost all male neonates. Methylfarnesoate, juvenile hormone III, and methoprene showed an effect in inducing male production at higher concentrations (3.7 x 10(3), 3.3 x 10(5), and 1.3 x 10(5) ngl(-1), respectively). Our findings suggest that juvenile hormone agonists, including some insecticides, affect the chemical signaling responsible for inducing the production of male offspring.     

Modeling Solute Transport in Volcanic Ash Soils with Cation Exchange and Anion Retardation

Groundwater under agricultural lands is often contaminated by nitrate. In southern Japan, aquifers are covered by volcanic ash soils that can leach nitrate to the groundwater. In this study, column experiments using two volcanic ash soils (Kuroboku and Akahoya) were carried out. A mixed solution of KNO₃ and K₂SO₄ was used in the leaching experiments. Based on the experiments, a reactive transport model was developed using the Constrained Interpolation Profile method for ion transport and used to calculate chemical equilibrium for the cation exchange reactions. Anion adsorption was modeled by retardation in the numerical model. The developed simulation model results were compared to results obtained by the reactive transport model PHAST. The developed model was shown to quite well reproduce general characteristics of the experimental results. Also, the developed model results agreed well with results from PHAST. Slight discrepancy between observed and calculated breakthrough curves was probably caused by ignoring the kinetic reaction in the model calculations.     

Investigation of arsenic removal in batch wise water treatments by means of sequential hydride generation flow injection analysis

Arsenic water pollution is a big issue worldwide. Determination of inorganic arsenic in each oxidation state is important because As(III) is much more toxic than As(V). An automated arsenic measurement system was developed based on complete vaporization of As by a sequential procedure and collection/preconcentration of the vaporized AsH(3), which was subsequently measured by a flow analysis. The automated sensitive method was applied to monitoring As(III) and As(V) concentrations in contaminated water standing overnight. Behaviors of arsenics were investigated in different conditions, and unique time dependence profiles were obtained. For example, in the standing of anaerobic water samples, the As(III) concentration immediately began decreasing whereas dead time was observed in the removal of As(V). In normal groundwater conditions, most arsenic was removed from the water simply by standing overnight. To obtain more effective removal, the addition of oxidants and use of steel wools were investigated. Simple batch wise treatments of arsenic contaminated water were demonstrated, and detail of the transitional changes in As(III) and As(V) were investigated.     

Evaluation of the water quality of the Hakata River based on diatoms

We investigated the epilithic diatom assemblage of samples collected from three sites of the Hakata River, Fukuoka, Japan, on November 26, 2008. Each taxon was photographed and identified. The 1747 diatom frustules collected were classified into 33 taxa belonging to 17 genera. Nitzschia fonticola was abundant at all sites. The DAIpo (the diatom assemblage index to organic water pollution) values for sites 1, 2, and 3 were 50.2, 44.1 and 48.0, respectively, indicating that the water quality of the Hakata River was at β-mesosaprobic level.