The distribution of estuarine fish larvae: nutritional condition and co-occurrence with predators and prey

Fish larvae were collected monthly between March and September 1997 in the Mira and Guadiana estuaries (southern Portugal). Hydrological parameters were registered and zooplankton samples were obtained simultaneously. Densities of fish larvae (ind.100 m(-3)) were calculated from 211 samples and larval nutritional condition measured as RNA/DNA ratios were obtained for 346 individuals, using a fluorimetric method for nucleic acid quantification. Correlating variables were further studied using multiple regression analysis in order to assess the relative importance of abiotic and biotic factors affecting within-year trends in abundance and nutritional condition of estuarine fish larvae. Results indicated that: 1) the abundance of fish larvae seems conditioned by temperature and predation; and 2) their nutritional condition is dependent on temperature and prey availability. Temperature is an important variable structuring estuaries and therefore conditions the behaviour and physiology of fish larvae. Furthermore, the co-occurrence of predators and larvae might be related to similar feeding patterns or comensalism. Whenever feeding conditions are suitable, they usually determine enhanced growth and nutritional condition. However, predation seems to control this latter relationship through its effect on larval mortality. (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et Medicales Elsevier SAS.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Laboratory investigation of daily food intake and gut evacuation in larvae of African catfish Clarias gariepinus under different feeding conditions

Abstract Temporary accumulation of ascorbic acid 2-sulfate (AAS) was measured to estimate food intake and gut evacuation in larvae of African catfish. Fish larvae were fed decapsulated cysts of Artemia containing AAS. In a first experiment it was found that no biosynthesis of AAS occurs in the larvae of this species. In a second experiment, the gut contents of the fish larvae fed were calculated as they changed during development. In a third experiment, the gut evacuation rate of fish larvae was determined during continuous and discontinuous feeding regimes in the first five days after the start of exogenous feeding. Food consumption by catfish larvae increased from 46.5% of their body dry weight (BDW) on day 1 after the start of exogenous feeding to 53.8% BDW on day 3. Thereafter, food consumption decreased to 27.8% BDW on day 5. A similar pattern was observed for gut evacuation, which increased during the first days of exogenous feeding and decreased as fish growth continued. The rate of gut evacuation in a continuous feeding regime was significantly higher (P <0.05) than that under discontinuous feeding. On day 1 post-hatch and 7 h after first food ingestion the fish larvae evacuated 87% of the food in continuous feeding compared with 43% under discontinuous feeding. It was found that gut emptying differs during larval development. Under continuous feeding, on days 1 and 3 post-hatch and 11 h after the first meal 90% of the food was evacuated compared with 71% evacuated on day 5. The advantages and limitations of the AAS method for estimation of food consumption by fish larvae are discussed

Hubungan Kerapatan Lamun dengan Kelimpahan Larva Ikan di Pulau Pramuka, Kepulauan Seribu Jakarta

Larval stage is the early phase of the life cycle for the fish. The larvae are aquatic biota that are planktonic and included into the type meroplankton. Seagrass ecosystems in Pramuka Island, has important ecological functions in coastal areas, where the ecosystem is one of the nursery ground and feeding ground for fish larvae. The big difference the density of seagrass and the presence of food can influence abundance of fish larvae. Thus, it will be the base for doing this research on The relations between Seagrass Density and Fish Larvae Abundance in Pramuka, Seribu Island Jakarta. This research aims to determine the abundance of fish larvae in different seagrass densities and determine the influence of the seagrass density on the abundance of fish larvae. The method used is survey method in determining the point of sampling using purposive sampling method. The results obtained are at station I the densities in dense seagrass (34156 individuals/100m2) abundance of fish larvae value at 756 individuals/200m2 consisting of eight families. Station II medium density (26410 individuals/100m2) the value of the abundance of fish larvae is 579 individuals/200m2 consisting of 6 families, and station III precision rarely (6321 individuals/100m2) the value of fish larvae abundance at 426 individuals/200m2 consisting of 4 families. The correlation values between the abundance of fish larvae with the density of seagrass in the amount of r = 0,772. Based on the above, we can conclude that there is a close relationship between the abundance and composition of fish larvae families with seagrass density. The higher the density of seagrass, the higher the families abundance and composition of fish larvae. Similarly, the lower the density value then the value of seagrass abundance and composition of fish larvae are also lower

Swimming abilities of temperate pelagic fish larvae prove that they may control their dispersion in coastal areas

The Sense Acuity and Behavioral (SAAB) Hypothesis proposes that the swimming capabilities and sensorial acuity of temperate fish larvae allows them to find and swim towards coastal nursery areas, which are crucial for their recruitment. To gather further evidence to support this theory, it is necessary to understand how horizontal swimming capability varies along fish larvae ontogeny. Therefore, we studied the swimming capability of white seabream Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758) larvae along ontogeny, and their relationship with physiological condition. Thus, critical swimming speed (U-crit) and the distance swam (km) during endurance tests were determined for fish larvae from 15 to 55 days post-hatching (DPH), and their physiological condition (RNA, DNA and protein contents) was assessed. The critical swimming speed of white seabream larvae increased along ontogeny from 1.1 cm s(-1) (15 DPH) to 23 cm s(-1) (50 and 55 DPH), and the distance swam by larvae in the endurance experiments increased from 0.01 km (15 DPH) to 86.5 km (45 DPH). This finding supports one of the premises of the SAAB hypothesis, which proposes that fish larvae can influence their transport and distribution in coastal areas due to their swimming capabilities. The relationship between larvae's physiological condition and swimming capabilities were not evident in this study. Overall, this study provides critical information for understanding the link between population dynamics and connectivity with the management and conservation of fish stocks.Funding Agency Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology SFRH/BD/104209/2014 Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology UID/Multi/04326/2019 FCT, under the Transitional Norm DL57/2016/CP[1361]/CT[CT0008 CLIMFISH project-A framework for assess vulnerability of coastal fisheries to climate change in Portuguese coast n2/SAICT/2017-SAICTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Study of Diversity and Abundance of Fish Larvae in the South-western Part of the Sea of Oman in 2011-2012

The study presents results on the taxonomic composition and abundance of fish larvae collected in south-western part of the Oman Sea (near Muscat and Sohar) from October 2011 to October 2012. 40 families of larval fishes were identified, which included 47 genera and 28 species. The four most common families, arranged in order of decreasing abundance, were Sparidae, Scombridae, Clupeidae and Nemipteridae. Fish larvae from 13 families occurred both in Sohar and Muscat areas (Blenniidae, Carangidae, Gerreidae, Haemulidae, Mullidae, Pomacentridae, Sphyraenidae, Teraponidae, Sparidae, Scombridae, Clupeidae, Nemipteridae and Sciaenidae). Monthly changes in abundance and diversity of fish larvae were studied. Majority of fish larvae taxa occurred in samples in February and July 2012. The higher abundance was observed in February with a density of 1534 larvae/100m3 and in July (385 larvae/100m3). In overall, Sohar was the richest in diversity of fish larvae and also had the highest average density (207.3 larvae/100m3) compared to Muscat. Keywords: fish larvae, diversity, abundance, distribution, Sea of Oman

Comparison of biochemical and histological methods for the evaluation of the in situ nutritional condition of marine fish larvae

To estimate the importance of starvation induced mortality for recruitment of marine fish larvae three distinct methods were applied to determine the nutritional condition of fish larvae in situ. In addition to highly sensitive fluorescence techniques for analysing RNA/DNA ratios and tryptic enzyme activities histological standard methods were used to compare the nutritional status of fish larvae of the genus Vinciguerria (Photichthyidae) caught in two ecologically different areas of the Indian Ocean: In the central Arabian Sea and on the continental shelf of Pakistan. A comparison of the results elaborated by the distinct methods shows a trend towards better nutritional conditions for fish larvae from the offshore region

Fish larvae and zooplankton biomass around Faial Island (Azores archipelago). A preliminary study of species occurrence and relative abundance.

Plankton hauls were conducted off Faial island (Azores archipelago, NE Atlantic), to a depth of 100 m, between February and June 1998, covering the spawning period of a number of commercially important fish species. Seventy-three fish larvae taxa were identified, of which 51 were quantified, one of them a new record for the region, Glossanodon leioglossus (Valenciennes, 1848). The fish larvae community was dominated by mesopelagic and bathypelagic elements (namely Myctophidae and Gonostomatidae), a typical oceanic island environment composition. Total zooplankton showed a biomass peak in May that could correspond to the Spring “bloom”. However, the fish larvae showed an abundance minimum in May and a maximum in June, presenting a general negative relationship with zooplankton biomass and indicating a temporal asynchrony between their annual cycles of production. The comparison of fish larvae abundance with those of other NE Atlantic regions suggests that the zooplankton production in the Azores may be similar to the one found in the Iberian Peninsula continental shelf. Significant spatial density gradients (for fish larvae and zooplankton) were not found with either bathymetry or distance from shore

Gut microbiota of migrating wild rabbit fish (Siganus guttatus) larvae have low spatial and temporal variability

We investigated the gut microbiota of rabbit fish larvae at three locations in Vietnam (ThuanAn-northern, QuangNam-intermediate, BinhDinh-southern sampling site) over a three-year period. In the wild, the first food for rabbit fish larvae remains unknown, while the juveniles and adults are herbivores, forming schools near the coasts, lagoons, and river mouths, and feeding mainly on filamentous algae. This is the first study on the gut microbiota of the wild fish larvae and with a large number of individuals analyzed spatially and temporally. The Clostridiales order was the most predominant in the gut, and location-by-location alpha diversity showed significant differences in Chao-1, Hill number 1, and evenness. Analysis of beta diversity indicated that the location, not year, had an effect on the composition of the microbiota. In 2014, the gut microbiota of fish from QuangNam was different from that in BinhDinh; in 2015, the gut microbiota was different for all locations; and, in 2016, the gut microbiota in ThuanAn was different from that in the other locations. There was a time-dependent trend in the north-south axis for the gut microbiota, which is considered to be tentative awaiting larger datasets. We found limited variation in the gut microbiota geographically and in time and strong indications for a core microbiome. Five and fifteen OTUs were found in 100 and 99% of the individuals, respectively. This suggests that at this life stage the gut microbiota is under strong selection due to a combination of fish-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions