Preliminary biological data on the northeast Mediterranean conger eel Conger conger L., 1758

Los ejemplares de congrio Conger conger L., 1758 provenientes de las campañas de primavera Medits (Mediterranean International Trawl Survey, primavera de 2002) y de otoño Grund (National Group for Demersal Resource Evaluation, otoño de 2001 y 2002) en el mar Adriático (Mediterráneo nororiental), entre 0 y 400 m de profundidad, tienen una longitud que oscila entre 21 y 130 cm y, con mayor frecuencia, entre 30 y 50 cm. La edad, determinada mediante la cuenta de los anillos y la medición del eje mayor de los estatolitos, se estima entre 3 y 8 años, con predominio de ejemplares de 4 y 5 años. El análisis histológico de las gónadas ha permitido identificar solo óvulos inmaduros. La dieta, más abundante en otoño, se constituye principalmente a base de Osteichthyes, Crustacea y Mollusca.Specimens of conger eel Conger conger L., 1758 from spring Medits (Mediterranean International Trawl Survey, spring 2002) and autumn Grund (National Group for Demersal Resource Evaluation, autumn 2001 and 2002) trawl surveys in the Adriatic (northeast Mediterranean) at depths of between 0 and 400 m, were found to measure in length from 21 to 130 cm, with greater frequency in the 30 to 50 cm range. Age determined on the basis of ring count and the length of the greater otolith axis was found to be between 3 and 8 years, with the majority of specimens in the 4- to 5-year range. Histological gonad analysis only revealed immature ovaries. The specimens were found to feed chiefly on Osteichthyes, Crustacea and Mollusca, which are most abundant in autumn.Instituto Español de Oceanografí

BPA-Induced Deregulation of Epigenetic Patterns: Effects on Female Zebrafish Reproduction

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the commonest Endocrine Disruptor Compounds worldwide. It interferes with vertebrate reproduction, possibly by inducing deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms. To determine its effects on female reproductive physiology and investigate whether changes in the expression levels of genes related to reproduction are caused by histone modifications, BPA concentrations consistent with environmental exposure were administered to zebrafish for three weeks. Effects on oocyte growth and maturation, autophagy and apoptosis processes, histone modifications, and DNA methylation were assessed by Real-Time PCR (qPCR), histology, and chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with qPCR analysis (ChIP-qPCR). The results showed that 5 μg/L BPA down-regulated oocyte maturation-promoting signals, likely through changes in the chromatin structure mediated by histone modifications, and promoted apoptosis in mature follicles. These data indicate that the negative effects of BPA on the female reproductive system may be due to its upstream ability to deregulate epigenetic mechanism

Plan de comunicación institucional de la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales Universidad Nacional de Cuyo

Hemos decidido realizar nuestra tesis sobre la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, debido a que ambas hemos realizado nuestras prácticas profesionales en la Secretaría de Extensión, Cooperación y Comunicación. Como las dos realizamos dentro de la carrera de Comunicación Social, la orientación de Comunicación Institucional, pudimos realizar durante nuestra práctica un plan de comunicación integral que planeamos profundizar con esta tesis y de esta forma poder retribuir a la Facultad todo lo que nos ha dado durante los últimos años. Durante nuestras prácticas e investigación de tesis hemos detectado que en la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales existe la necesidad de profundizar en el uso de herramientas y estrategias de comunicación que permitan apoyar a las acciones emprendidas con una repercusión real en la comunidad universitaria. Para ello, se ha emprendido un plan de comunicación que permite estructurar los esfuerzos de proyección y difusión bajo criterios de coherencia, eficacia, eficiencia y sustentabilidad. Este modelo dota a la organización de una gestión que fortalecerá la imagen de la entidad.Fil: Gaitán Russo, Rosana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales.Fil: Piccinetti Le Donne, Sonia Melisa. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales

Nutrición biológica nitrogenada en maíz : ¿Cuánto debería fijar por planta para igualar en porcentaje a la soja?

La soja es una planta de la familia de las Leguminosas de gran importancia económica y nutricional en todo el mundo. La disponibilidad de nitrógeno (N) es uno de los factores clave que influyen en el crecimiento y el rendimiento de la soja. De forma natural tiene la capacidad de adquirir N por dos fuentes naturales, como la disponible en el suelo (básicamente nitrato y amonio) y desde la simbiosis mutualista facultativa con Bradyrhizobium (B. japonicum, B. elkanii y B. diazoefficiens).Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola (IMYZA)Fil: Piccinetti, Carlos Fabián. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; Argentin

Novi nalazi crne voline Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881) (Pisces: Rajidae) iz Jadranskoga mora

Additional records of the Norwegian skate Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881)from the Adri-atic Sea are reported. Two specimens were collected in the southern Adriatic Pit in 2008 and 2010, respectively. The records reported herein improve our knowledge on the distribution of a rarely encountered, deep water species D. nidarosiensis, whose presence has only recently been confirmed in the Mediterranean Sea.U radu su opisani novi nalazi crne voline Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881) iz Jadran-skoga mora. Dva primjerka ulovljena su na području Južnojadranske kotline 2008. odnosno 2010. godine. Ovi nalazi proširuju saznanja o distribuciji ove rijetke dubokomorske vrste čija je prisutnost u Sredozemnom moru tek nedavno utvrđena

Upoznavanje značajki reproduktivne biologije, morfometrije i starosti vrste Chtenopteryx sicula (Cephalopoda: Chtenopterygidae) u Jadranu

The first record of the deep-sea species Chtenopteryx sicula is reported from the Adriatic Sea. Atotal of six specimens of this rare species were caught, with bottom trawl and pelagic trawl nets, in the scope of the Deep Sea Research of the bathyal fauna in the South Adriatic Pit in 2008 and 2010. Specimens were caught at depths down to 1200 m, therefore making it the deepest and northernmost finding of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. The dorsal mantle lengths of analyzed specimens ranged between 21 and 60 mm. Only in females, a visceral photophore on the ventral side of the inc sac was detected. Some new information on morphometric body and beak features was given in the paper, including the description of beak pigmentation. A number of increments in statoliths revealed that individuals were between three and five months old. A positive linear correlation between the length of statoliths and number of increments/age in days was detected. Macroscopic and histological samples of gonads proved that one specimen was sexually mature (August), four specimens were in stages of sexual maturation (May and August) and two were immature (March). The results indicated that the maturation process of the species in the South Adriatic Sea starts in spring and the full sexual maturity is reached during summer.U radu su opisani prvi nalazi dubokomorske vrste Chtenopteryx sicula u Jadranskom moru. Pridnenom i pelagičnom mrežom ulovljeno je ukupno šest primjeraka ove rijetke vrste u sklopu istraživanja dubokomorskih zajednica u južnojadranskoj kotlini 2008 i 2010. godine. Primjerci su ulovljeni na dubinama do 1200 m te predstavljaju najdublji i ujedno najsjeverniji nalaz ove vrste u Mediteranu. Dorzalna dužina plašta analiziranih jedinki kretala se od 21 do 60 mm. Samo u ženki nađeni su visceralni fotofori na ventralnoj strani vrećice sa crnilom. U radu su date nove informacije vezane uz obilježja kljuna, uključujući detaljan opis pigmentacije. Broj zona prirasta u statolitima ukazuje na starost jedinki između tri i pet mjeseci. Utvrđena je pozitivna korelacija između dužine statolita i broja zoni prirasta/starosti u danima. Makroskopski i histološki uzorci gonada potvrdili su da je jedna jedinka bila spolno zrela (kolovoz), četiri jedinke su bile u stadiju spolnog sazrijevanja (svibanj i kolovoz), a dvije su bile spolno nezrele (ožujak). Rezultati ukazuju na to da proces spolnog sazrijevanja ove vrste u južnom Jadranu počinje u proljeće, dok se puna spolna zrelost doseže tijekom ljeta

Environmental infuence on calcifcation of the bivalve Chamelea gallina along a latitudinal gradient in the Adriatic Sea

Environmental factors are encoded in shells of marine bivalves in the form of geochemical properties, shell microstructure and shell growth rate. Few studies have investigated how shell growth is affected by habitat conditions in natural populations of the commercial clam Chamelea gallina. Here, skeletal parameters (micro-density and apparent porosity) and growth parameters (bulk density, linear extension and net calcification rates) were investigated in relation to shell sizes and environmental parameters along a latitudinal gradient in the Adriatic Sea (400 km). Net calcification rates increased with increasing solar radiation, sea surface temperature and salinity and decreasing Chlorophyll concentration in immature and mature shells. In immature shells, which are generally more porous than mature shells, enhanced calcification was due to an increase in bulk density, while in mature shells was due to an increase in linear extension rates. The presence of the Po river in the Northern Adriatic Sea was likely the main driver of the fluctuations observed in environmental parameters, especially salinity and Chlorophyll concentration, and seemed to negatively affect the growth of C. gallina

Reproduction in captivity of Meiacanthus grammistes

Rotifers and Artemia salina nauplii are the most widely used live prey for newly hatched larvae, but they do not always promote optimal survival and growth. Alternative food sources such as copepods, which bypass these inadequacies and promote adequate growth, are needed and they are viewed with considerable interest by the scienti¢c community. The aim of the present study was to test two diierent diets [rotifers and A. salina nauplii (group A) and a mixture (group B) of rotifers/Tisbe spp. copepods and A. salina nauplii/copepods] during the larval rearing of the striped blenny Meiacanthus grammistes. The analysis of the survival rate, size (total length and wet weight) and metamorphosis time during the larval phase of this species showed thatTisbe spp. administration can signi¢cantly improve larval survival and growth and also reduce the metamorphosis time. The results obtained are related to the fatty acid content of the live prey used and are essential in order to improve the captive production of M. grammistes through a closed system and, in turn, to preserve natural stocks

Upoznavanje značajki reproduktivne biologije, morfometrije i starosti vrste Chtenopteryx sicula (Cephalopoda: Chtenopterygidae) u Jadranu

The first record of the deep-sea species Chtenopteryx sicula is reported from the Adriatic Sea. Atotal of six specimens of this rare species were caught, with bottom trawl and pelagic trawl nets, in the scope of the Deep Sea Research of the bathyal fauna in the South Adriatic Pit in 2008 and 2010. Specimens were caught at depths down to 1200 m, therefore making it the deepest and northernmost finding of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. The dorsal mantle lengths of analyzed specimens ranged between 21 and 60 mm. Only in females, a visceral photophore on the ventral side of the inc sac was detected. Some new information on morphometric body and beak features was given in the paper, including the description of beak pigmentation. A number of increments in statoliths revealed that individuals were between three and five months old. A positive linear correlation between the length of statoliths and number of increments/age in days was detected. Macroscopic and histological samples of gonads proved that one specimen was sexually mature (August), four specimens were in stages of sexual maturation (May and August) and two were immature (March). The results indicated that the maturation process of the species in the South Adriatic Sea starts in spring and the full sexual maturity is reached during summer.U radu su opisani prvi nalazi dubokomorske vrste Chtenopteryx sicula u Jadranskom moru. Pridnenom i pelagičnom mrežom ulovljeno je ukupno šest primjeraka ove rijetke vrste u sklopu istraživanja dubokomorskih zajednica u južnojadranskoj kotlini 2008 i 2010. godine. Primjerci su ulovljeni na dubinama do 1200 m te predstavljaju najdublji i ujedno najsjeverniji nalaz ove vrste u Mediteranu. Dorzalna dužina plašta analiziranih jedinki kretala se od 21 do 60 mm. Samo u ženki nađeni su visceralni fotofori na ventralnoj strani vrećice sa crnilom. U radu su date nove informacije vezane uz obilježja kljuna, uključujući detaljan opis pigmentacije. Broj zona prirasta u statolitima ukazuje na starost jedinki između tri i pet mjeseci. Utvrđena je pozitivna korelacija između dužine statolita i broja zoni prirasta/starosti u danima. Makroskopski i histološki uzorci gonada potvrdili su da je jedna jedinka bila spolno zrela (kolovoz), četiri jedinke su bile u stadiju spolnog sazrijevanja (svibanj i kolovoz), a dvije su bile spolno nezrele (ožujak). Rezultati ukazuju na to da proces spolnog sazrijevanja ove vrste u južnom Jadranu počinje u proljeće, dok se puna spolna zrelost doseže tijekom ljeta

Distribution and Population Structure of Greater Weever, Trachinus draco (Linnaeus, 1758.), in the Northern and Central Adriatic Sea

This study describes the distribution patterns and population structure of greater weever in the Adriatic Sea. Biological data were obtained during MEDITS surveys in the spring-summer period. The aim of this study is to provide recent data for better understanding of species biology and to create basis for fisheries management based on ecological approach