Fish Assemblage of Cedar Fork Creek, Ohio, Unchanged for 28 Years

Author Institution: Dept of Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Mansfield, OHAuthor Institution: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Dept of Ichthyology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MAA 270 m section of Cedar Fork Creek, a clear, gravel-bottomed, headwater stream of the Ohio River System in north-central Ohio, was sampled 48 times from 1975-2003. During the 28 year period 32,237 individuals of 10 fish families and 44 species were collected. Eight taxa made up 86% of the total number collected. Cyprinids (Luxilus cornutus, Campostoma anomalum, Pimephales notatus, Semotilus atromaculatus, and Notropis buccatus) accounted for 65% of the individuals. Two darter species Etheostoma caeruleum, E. nigrum) made up 17.4% of the total, and the white sucker, Catostomus commersoni, accounted for 3.3%. The same common species were abundant throughout the 28 years, and the same rare species were consistently present in small numbers. Species richness averaged 23 species per year. Margalef’s index of diversity varied only slightly from 2.8 to 3.6 during the study indicating the constancy of species composition. Two jackknife estimators (nonparametric resampling procedures) suggested that the collections detected 97-100% of the species present. Exotic species failed to make inroads into the Cedar Fork community except for carp, Cyprinus carpio, that have been in Ohio since 1879, and brown trout, Salmo trutta, that were recently stocked by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Ecological Analysis of the Fish Distribution in Green Creek, A Spring-Fed Stream in Northern Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Zoology, The Ohio State UniversityThe distribution of fishes in Green Creek, a spring-fed tributary of Sandusky Bay in northern Ohio, was studied from June 1976 through June 1977. A total of 31 species representing 22 genera and 10 families was taken at 8 stations along the length of the creek. Two cold water springs interrupt the longitudinal succession of fishes and cause the stream to be divided into 4 divisions, each with its own ecological characteristics and fauna: I. Upland warm water tributaries with Catostomous commersoni and cyprinids dominant. II. Cold water trout stream produced by stocking Salmo gairdneri near the spring; Coitus bairdi is an abundant native species in this division. III. Marl substrate of low gradient with Catostomous commersoni, cyprinids, darters, and Coitus bairdi. IV. Estuary of Lake Erie with typical lake fishes. The stations with the highest macroinvertebrate biomass also had the highest fish biomass. Various physical and chemical measurements were made, and it was determined that the marl deposits of the springs were not conducive to fish productivity. The distribution of fishes in Green Creek does not follow the classical pattern of longitudinal zonation but is determined by the unusual physical and chemical parameters induced by the springs

Incidence of Black Spot Disease in Fishes in Cedar Fork Creek, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Zoology, The Ohio State University, Mansfield CampusA total of 4175 fishes belonging to 29 taxa in 6 families was examined for black spot disease. Of that total, 89% were infected with one or more metacercariae of the strigeid fluke, Uvulifer ambloplitis. Rhinichthys atratulus, Semotilus atromaculatus and Campostoma anomalum had the highest incidence of infection and the greatest number of individual parasites. Other pool-dwelling minnows such as Notropis cornutus and Pimephales notatus were also heavily infected, whereas Noiropis photogenus, which prefers deep, swift riffles, had very few cysts. The only non-minnows to approach the high totals of the pool-dwelling cyprinids were Catostomus commersoni and Etheostoma nigrum. Hypentelium nigricanz, which prefers faster water than Catostomus and three species of Etheostoma, which, unlike E. nigrum, are rime dwelling forms, also had lower incidences of infection and fewer cysts. Coitus bairdi, another rapid water species, did not develop black spot disease. Only 1 specimen of 225 Ericymba buccata, which occur over shifting, sandy bottoms, had a single cyst. Our data suggest that the species which inhabit the slower flowing waters of a stream are likely to be more heavily infected than their relatives which prefer faster water because snail hosts are absent and any cercariae present are more likely to be swept away in rapid water and thus have less of a chance to penetrate a host

M-CSF Signals through the MAPK/ERK Pathway via Sp1 to Induce VEGF Production and Induces Angiogenesis In Vivo

BACKGROUND: M-CSF recruits mononuclear phagocytes which regulate processes such as angiogenesis and metastases in tumors. VEGF is a potent activator of angiogenesis as it promotes endothelial cell proliferation and new blood vessel formation. Previously, we reported that in vitro M-CSF induces the expression of biologically-active VEGF from human monocytes. METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS: In this study, we demonstrate the molecular mechanism of M-CSF-induced VEGF production. Using a construct containing the VEGF promoter linked to a luciferase reporter, we found that a mutation reducing HIF binding to the VEGF promoter had no significant effect on luciferase production induced by M-CSF stimulation. Further analysis revealed that M-CSF induced VEGF through the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway via the transcription factor, Sp1. Thus, inhibition of either ERK or Sp1 suppressed M-CSF-induced VEGF at the mRNA and protein level. M-CSF also induced the nuclear localization of Sp1, which was blocked by ERK inhibition. Finally, mutating the Sp1 binding sites within the VEGF promoter or inhibiting ERK decreased VEGF promoter activity in M-CSF-treated human monocytes. To evaluate the biological significance of M-CSF induced VEGF production, we used an in vivo angiogenesis model to illustrate the ability of M-CSF to recruit mononuclear phagocytes, increase VEGF levels, and enhance angiogenesis. Importantly, the addition of a neutralizing VEGF antibody abolished M-CSF-induced blood vessel formation. CONCLUSION: These data delineate an ERK- and Sp1-dependent mechanism of M-CSF induced VEGF production and demonstrate for the first time the ability of M-CSF to induce angiogenesis via VEGF in vivo

Incidence of Teratological Fishes from Cedar Fork Creek, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Zoology, Ohio State UniversityA total of 18,361 specimens belonging to 34 species and 6 families was examined for external morphological anomalies. Forty-seven defective fishes (0.26%) were found. The most widespread abnormality was spinal curvature, occurring 16 times in 5 species. Deformed or missing fins were found in 10 specimens of 4 species. Two deformed mouths were recorded from 2 species, and one specimen had an incomplete operculum. There were 18 cases of pugheadedness in Pimephales notatus. The frequency of anomalies in this undisturbed community agrees well with figures in the literature for other areas. This information is intended to serve as base line data for future studies of Cedar Fork Creek

Freshwater Fish Distribution

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Art, ichthyology, Charles Darwin and the Northern Territory of Australia

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Charles Darwin\u27s paradigm shift

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