Biology Commons^™

"Mining" For A Reference Condition In Southern West Virginia Streams, Matthew Rouch

Theses and Dissertations

Quarterly samples were used to estimate assemblage-level (all species combined) fish production within three minimally-impacted, southern West Virginia streams. The total annual fish production estimate was highest in Slaunch Fork (37.52 kg∙ha^-1∙y^-1), a tributary of the Tug Fork River, and lowest in Cabin Creek (10.59 kg∙ha^-1∙y^-1), a Guyandotte River tributary. Creek Chub Semotilus atromaculatus, Mottled Sculpin Cottus bairdii and Blacknose Dace Rhinicthys atratulus were the most abundant species among sites, accounting for >90% of all sampled individuals. Reference condition criteria were also selected and metrics calculated for each of the three …

Reproductive Phase Determination In Male Meagre (Argyrosomus Regius, Sciaenidae): Testis Development And Histologic Corroboration Of A Gross Anatomical Scale, Nuno Prista, Leonel Gordo, José Lino Costa, Maria José Costa, Cynthia Jones

OES Faculty Publications

Reproductive stage determination of male gonads has received sparse attention in fish biology literature with few studies detailing the building of gross anatomical- and histologic scales. The meagre (Argyrosomus regius) is one of the world's largest sciaenids and supports a significant regional fishery in European and North African waters whose reproductive patterns are yet to be fully investigated. In the present study, we derive a macroscopic grading system for meagre testis using semi-quantitative graphs that feature the testis variability along the species size range and time of the year. We then describe the histological stages and reproductive phases of male …

Changes In Tissue-Specific Fatty Acid Composition Of The Freshwater Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus) In Response To Temperature, William D. Schregel

Biology Theses

Ectotherms are known to alter the composition of the cell membrane in response to changes in environmental temperature. Tissue-specific fatty acid composition in the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) was examined in response to both warm and cold temperature challenges administered over an approximate one month period. Gill, muscle, and liver tissues were analyzed prior to the start of the temperature challenge (initial), following the temperature challenges (survivors), and on those fish that did not survive the temperature challenges (mortalities). Significant differences were found between fatty acid composition of initial fish and survivors for membrane-incorporated fatty acids (polar) and for …

Middle Mississippi River Islands: Historical Distribution, Restoration Planning, And Biological Importance, Teresa Cecilia Allen

Dissertations

The Middle Mississippi River’s (MMR’s) hydrology and sedimentation patterns have been altered. These activities contribute to loss of backwaters, islands, secondary channels, and reduced biodiversity. The Fish and Wildlife Service included reasonable and prudent alternatives (RPAs) in its Biological Opinion for the Operation and Maintenance of the Nine-Foot Channel Navigation Project. These RPAs mandate dike notching and island building to increase habitat diversity. My first goal was to examine changes in the number and relative location of islands from 1797 to 2003. I found that the total number of islands increased, the number of central islands decreased, and the number …

Tilapia Fish: Feast Or Famine?, Laura Scott, Dr. Jerald B. Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Tilapia is a commonly farmed fish throughout the world because of its nutritional value, reproductive efficiency, high resistance to disease, and the low-cost of production. However, despite such commercial benefits, there are some characteristics of this fish that are being overlooked. Previous field research in Costa Rica suggests that when tilapia escape from local farms into nearby streams, they negatively impact native fishes, both in terms of abundance and diversity (unpubl. data). The native fish most notably affected are small, livebearing poecealiids.

The Influence Of Elevation On The Life History Of Mottled Sculpin, Aaron Fordham, Dr. Dennis Shiozawa

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Mottled Sculpin Cottus bairdii is found in cool to cold streams, creeks and rivers of northern North America (Page and Burr 1991). Sculpin are a benthic fish, living on the bottoms of the streams and rivers that they occupy. They reach 125 to 200 mm in total length when mature and can grow to 31mm-36mm by autumn of their first year of life (Ludwig and Normen 1969). Very little research has been conducted on the age and growth of C. bairdii and no comparative studies have been done examining the influence of elevation in their growth rates.

Validation Of Antibodies Used To Study Hypoxia Inducible Factors In Two Species Of Fundulus, Jenna D. Hill

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are transcription factors and the master regulators of oxygen-dependent gene expression in animals. The focus of this thesis is the distribution of HIF protein in tissues of the fish Fundulus heteroclitus and F. grandis, two widespread species that occur in naturally hypoxic waters. Polyclonal antibodies against HIF-1α, HIF-2α, and HIF-3α were tested on proteins made in vitro and on extracts made from several tissues of normoxic and hypoxic fish. Antibodies against HIF-1α and 3α bound specifically to full length protein made in vitro, and produced bands on western blots of nuclear extracts of near …

Population Distribution And Abundance Of The Blackfin Sucker (Thoburnia Atripinnis) In The Upper Barren River System, Kentucky And Tennessee., Cory Daniel Stringfield

Online Theses and Dissertations

The blackfin sucker (Thoburnia atripinnis) is a relatively small species of fish (~155mm) endemic to the headwaters of the Barren River System (UBR) in Kentucky and Tennessee. Due to its isolated distribution and relatively small geographic inhabitance, the blackfin sucker is considered a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Kentucky by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. In addition, it is included in Tennessee's list of rare wildlife as a Species of Special Concern. This study focused on determining the distribution and abundance of the blackfin sucker in those tributaries that comprise the UBR system, as well …

Suitability Of Real-Time Quantitative Pcr To Estimate The Relative Telomere Length In European Hake (Merluccius Merluccius Linnaeus, 1758), Estabaliz López De Abechuco, Manuel Soto, Miguel Angel Pardo, Mark F. Haussmann, Guzmán Díez

Faculty Journal Articles

Telomere length measurement has been proposed as a promising tool to estimate the age of individuals in natural populations. We used real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) to measure relative telomere length in four tissues (brain, kidney, liver and muscle) of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in different groups based upon body length an otolith age estimate. We observed a high level of inter-individual differences in the measurements of relative telomere length in hakes of similar age and body length groups. The results of qPCR analysis showed a great variability in all measures and a lack of repeatability and reproducibility with significant statistical …

Na+/K+-Atpase Isoform Regulation In Three-Spine Stickleback (Gasterosteus Aculeatus) During Salinity Acclimation, Shelby Judd

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Most marine and all freshwater fishes regulate the ionic and osmotic composition of their extracellular fluids different from the outside environment. The gills play a prominent osmoregulatory role in maintaining whole body ion and water balance in fish living in both freshwater and saltwater environments. The ability of the gill to regulate salts is dependent on the action of the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase. When euryhaline fishes, fishes able to tolerate changes in external salinity, experience changes in environmental salinity, they alter their gill physiology and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity to handle changing osmotic and ionic stresses. …

Performance And Scaling Of A Novel Locomotor Structure: Adhesive Capacity Of Climbing Gobiid Fishes, Richard W. Blob, Takashi Maie, Heiko L. Schoenfuss

Publications

Many species of gobiid fishes adhere to surfaces using a sucker formed from fusion of the pelvic fins. Juveniles of many amphidromous species use this pelvic sucker to scale waterfalls during migrations to upstream habitats after an oceanic larval phase. However, adults may still use suckers to re-scale waterfalls if displaced. If attachment force is proportional to sucker area and if growth of the sucker is isometric, then increases in the forces that climbing fish must resist might outpace adhesive capacity, causing climbing performance to decline through ontogeny. To test for such trends, we measured pressure differentials and adhesive suction …

Effects Of Pristane On Growth Of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha), Brielle D. Kemis, Bonita Nelson

STAR Program Research Presentations

Pristane is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon that is generated by copepods in marine ecosystems. Organisms that eat copepods do not readily metabolize pristane, which causes it to accumulate throughout the marine food web. Understanding how pristane affects marine fish is essential because pristane is often used as a bioindicator in lab studies and may be influencing results in those studies. Also, this hydrocarbon may significantly reduce growth of marine fish in the wild. A previous study indicated that pristane is an appetite suppressant and growth retardant in fish. However, the study implemented a feeding regime with unnaturally high levels of …

The Contribution Of Young-Of-Year Fishes To Aquatic Food Web Dynamics In An Arid-Land River System (Rio Grande, New Mexico), Corey Anne Krabbenhoft

Biology ETDs

1. Larval fishes have a rich history in ichthyological research. However, relatively little attention has been given to the role of young-of-year (YOY) fishes in ecosystem processes. Despite difficulties of sampling and identifying these small fishes, YOY may serve an important role in the dynamics of some aquatic communities. The specific role of YOY fishes in aquatic, desert food webs remains largely uncharacterized.

2. We hypothesize that YOY fishes may control abundance and community composition of lower trophic levels (i.e., aquatic invertebrates) because they are numerically dominant predators during the growing season. The goal of this study is to determine …

Reproductive Phenology Of Fishes Of The Rio Grande, New Mexico: A Genes-To-Community Approach, Trevor James Krabbenhoft

Biology ETDs

Reproductive phenology is a key life history attribute of long lived organisms that can strongly affect reproductive success and, ultimately, drive community composition. Understanding the ecological causes and consequences and genetic mechanisms shaping reproductive timing is key to predicting the outcome of environmental change (e.g., climate change). The three chapters that comprised this dissertation were focused on elucidating the ecological and genetic underpinnings of reproductive timing in the fish community of an arid-land river, the Rio Grande, New Mexico. In Chapter 1, we assessed reproductive phenology in the Rio Grande fish community with four years of young-of-year sampling data and …

Aggressive Acoustic Behavior In Yasuhikotakia Modesta: Does The Lombard Effect Hold Water?, Bethany Coffey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Lombard effect is the automatic and involuntary change in the intensity of vocalizations in the presence of background noise in order to maintain a constant signal to noise ratio. While this phenomenon is commonly found in vocalizing terrestrial vertebrates, it had not previously been examined in aquatic vertebrates such as fishes. This experiment tests the presence of the Lombard effect in the red-finned loach, Yasuhikotakia modesta, which make two types of sounds: butting and clicking. I recorded three pairs of Y. modesta during aggressive interactions over territory and compared the sounds produced in silence with sounds produced …

Growth Performance, Yields And Economic Benefits Of Nile Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus And Kales Brassica Oleracea Cultured Under Vegetable-Fish Culture Integration, A. P. Shoko, A. Getabu, G. Mwayuli, Y. D. Mgaya

Tanzania Journal of Science

An experiment was conducted for 210 days to demonstrate the role of vegetable-fish culture integration in the growth, yields and economic benefits of fish and vegetables. Two 200 m2 earthen fishponds were stocked with Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus at 20,000 fish fingerlings per hectare. Pond A was fertilized with chicken manure and stocked fish fed on 35% crude protein supplementary diet referred to here as treated fish pond (TFP). Another fish pond was not fertilized and the fish stocked in it did not receive any supplementary diet referred to here as non treated fish pond (NTFP). Twelve vegetable plots of …

Tissue-Specific Thyroid Hormone Regulation Of Gene Transcripts Encoding Iodothyronine Deiodinases And Thyroid Hormone Receptors In Striped Parrotfish (Scarus Iseri), Kaitlin M. Johnson, Sean C. Lema

Biological Sciences

In fish as in other vertebrates, the diverse functions of thyroid hormones are mediated at the peripheral tissue level through iodothyronine deiodinase (dio) enzymes and thyroid hormone receptor (tr) proteins. In this study, we examined thyroid hormone regulation of mRNAs encoding the three deiodinases dio1, dio2 and dio3 – as well as three thyroid hormone receptors trαA, trαB and trβ – in initial phase striped parrotfish (Scarus iseri). Parrotfish were treated with dissolved phase T₃ (20 nM) or methimazole (3 mM) for 3 days. Treatment with exogenous T₃ elevated circulating T₃, while the …

Physical Habitat And Social Conditions Across A Coral Reef Shape Spatial Patterns Of Intraspecific Behavioral Variation In A Demersal Fish, Meagan N. Schrandt, Kristin M. Hardy, Kaitlin M. Johnson, Sean C. Lema

Biological Sciences

As coral reef ecosystems decline in health worldwide, reef-associated fishes are being impacted by changes to their coral reef habitats. While previous studies have shown coral reef structure to affect the demography of reef fishes, changes in reef conditions may also impact the behavior of reef fishes as they cope with altered habitats. In this study, we examined spatial patterns of intraspecific behavioral variation in the bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus) across the fringing reefs of Curaçao (Caribbean Sea), and explored how this behavioral variation associated with physical and social conditions on the reef. Principal components analysis (PCA) condensed …

A Post-Restoration Assessment Of The Fishes And Macroinvertebrates Of Mill Branch, Knox County, Kentucky, With Emphasis On The Blackside Dace (Chrosomus Cumberlandensis), Dwayne Kevin Merrill

Online Theses and Dissertations

The first stream habitat restoration project for the federally threatened blackside dace, Chrosomus cumberlandensis (Starnes and Starnes), was initiated in fall 2005 on Mill Branch, a small headwater stream located in the Upper Cumberland River basin, Knox County, Kentucky. The lower 700 meters of Mill Branch were restored through construction of a new, stable channel with specially designed habitat features for blackside dace. In August 2009, the newly restored channel was connected to the mainstem and the old channel was eliminated. A post-restoration survey was conducted on the fishes (with emphasis on the blackside dace) and benthic macroinvertebrate communities, between …

Biochemical Factors Involved In The Resistance Of Some Smoked Tropical Fish Samples To Insect Attack, Akinola John Akintola, Oluwatoyin Lawal

Turkish Journal of Biology

The role of mineral elements (ppm), protein and oil content (%), and saponification and free fatty acid values in contributing to resistance against insect infestation was investigated in 4 fish species: Clarias gariepinus, Parachuma obscura, Hydrocynus sp., and Malapterus electricus. Smoked fish samples were purchased from a local market in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, packaged, and maintained at 4 ^°C for 7 days. They were later brought out to acclimatise, and then observed for 4 months for possible natural insect infestation. Next, crushed samples of each species were analysed using conventional chemical analysis in order to assess the role of …

The Toxicity Of A Synthetic Industrial Detergent And A Corrosion Inhibitor To Brackish Water Fish (Tilapia Guineensis), Dori̇s Fouwe Ogeleka, Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, Feli̇x E. Okieimen

Turkish Journal of Biology

The lethal effects resulting from incessant release of toxic surfactant-containing industrial chemicals into the Niger Delta Ecological Zone of Nigeria was studied using a laboratory toxicity test. The study employed the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) 203 protocol. The test organism (Tilapia guineensis [fish]) was obtained from a brackish water environment and exposed to Neatex (industrial detergent) and Norust CR 486 (corrosion inhibitor) at concentrations of 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/L for 96 h. The ecological endpoint considered was mortality at 96 h, and the results obtained indicate that concentration and duration of exposure influenced the …

Simulation Of Spatial Movement That Potentially Maximizes Assessment, Presence, And Defence In Territorial And Home-Ranging Animals, With Special Reference To Territorial Sex-Changing Fishes, Thomas R. Brown, Joshua Jowers, Marvin M.F. Lutnesky

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Question: Are there territory sizes, shapes, and movement rules that animals can use to maximize their presence for territorial and reproductive purposes? Features of the model: Individual-oriented simulation model of a focal male, a female (his mate), and six other males in adjacent territories. Simulation variables were territory size and aspect (length-to-width ratio), velocity, step size, and potential movement angle. Each simulation represented 10,000 s of real time, and simulations were repeated until convergence on maximum mean encounter rates (MER) of a focal male with the female and other males was reached. Ranges of variables: Simulations consisted of three velocities …

Variation In Sound Production Of The Blue Catfish, Ictalurus Furcatus., Zachary Ghahramani

Theses and Dissertations

The blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, is an invasive species introduced to Virginia in 1974 and is the largest catfish in the United States. Like other Ictalurids, they are capable of producing disturbance calls via stridulation of the pectoral spine. These sounds can be made in air and water, and catfish can be preyed upon by both aerial and underwater predators. I characterized these putative distress calls by recording them in air and in the fish’s natural habitat. Sounds exhibited a wide variation in acoustic parameters relative to fish ontogeny: larger fish produced higher amplitude sounds with lower frequency bands. Sweep …

Diurnal Rhythms Of Behavior And Brain Mrna Expression For Arginine Vasotocin, Isotocin, And Their Receptors In Wild Amargosa Pupfish (Cyprinodon Nevadensis Amargosae), Sean C. Lema, Lauren J. Wagstaff, Nina M. Gardner

Biological Sciences

Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae) occupy remote desert habitats that vary widely in environmental conditions from day to night. In this study, die! patterns of behavior were documented for pupfish in their natural habitat, and examined relative to changes in the abundance of mRNAs encoding prepro-arginine vasotocin (pro-VT), prepro-isotocin (pro-IT), three distinct vasotocin receptors (V1a1, V1a2, and V2), and an isotocin receptor (ITR) in the brain. The behavior of wild pupfish varied diurnally, with frequent aggression from 12:00 to 15:00 h and courtship and spawning most common between 15:00 and 19:00h. Transcript abundance for pro-VT in the brain …

Identification Of Multiple Vasotocin Receptor Cdnas In Teleost Fish: Sequences, Phylogenetic Analysis, Sites Of Expression, And Regulation In The Hypothalamus And Gill In Response To Hyperosmotic Challenge, Sean C. Lema

Biological Sciences

Vasopressin and its homolog vasotocin regulate hydromineral balance, stress responses, and social behaviors in vertebrates. In mammals, the functions of vasopressin are mediated via three classes of membrane-bound receptors: V1a-type, V1b-type and V2-type. To date, however, only a single class of vasotocin receptor has been identified in teleost fish. Here, cDNAs encoding three putative vasotocin receptors – two distinct V1a-type receptor paralogs (V1a1 and V1a2) and a previously undescribed V2- type receptor (V2) – and a single isotocin receptor were isolated and sequenced from the Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae). RT-PCR revealed that mRNAs …

Functional Feeding Groups, Species Richness, And Spatial Distributions Of Fishes In Rocky And Sandy Beach Habitats Of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Eugene G. Maurakis, George E. Maurakis, Demetri E. Maurakis

Virginia Journal of Science

Objectives were to identify and compare fish species richness, functional feeding group richness and diversity, and delineate distributions of fishes at rocky and sandy beach habitats at St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Visual observations using snorkel and mask were made at 3-m intervals seaward from shore during daylight hours. A total of 69 taxa (67 species) representing 33 families of fishes were observed. Total (53) and average fish species richness (32.7) at rocky beach habitats were greater than those (total=43; average=24.3) at sandy beach habitats. Twelve functional feeding groups were identified (diurnal planktivores, excavators/eroders, macroalgae browsers, macrocarnivores, mobile benthic scrapers, …

Stealth Predation And The Predatory Success Of The Invasive Ctenophore Mnemiopsis Leidyi, Sean Colin, John H. Costello, Lars J. Hansson, Josefin Titelman, John O. Dabiri

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

In contrast to higher metazoans such as copepods and fish, ctenophores are a basal metazoan lineage possessing a relatively narrow set of sensory-motor capabilities. Yet lobate ctenophores can capture prey at rates comparable to sophisticated predatory copepods and fish, and they are capable of altering the composition of coastal planktonic communities. Here, we demonstrate that the predatory success of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi lies in its use of cilia to generate a feeding current that continuously entrains large volumes of fluid, yet is virtually undetectable to its prey. This form of stealth predation enables M. leidyi to feed as …

Diel Fish Habitat Selection In A Tributary Stream, Andria K. Salas, Eric B. Snyder

Peer Reviewed Publications

This study investigated the location and diel habitat preferences (at 100 m reach scale) of fish in a small tributary stream in late spring, early summer. During the day, coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) preferred areas with more cover (deeper, greater extent of undercut banks) vs. night when LWD was preferred (Pearson correlation and step-wise MLR). Chinook (O. tshawytscha) exhibited an opposite pattern, preferring LWD during the day vs. higher velocity at night. This suggests these two potadromous species may be partitioning resources. Pooling coho, chinook and rainbow trout (O. mykiss) indicated reaches with more LWD …

Siderophore, Hemolytic, Protease, And Pyrazinamidase Activities And Antibiotic Resistance In Motile Aeromonas Isolated From Fish, Belgi̇n Erdem, Ergi̇n Kari̇ptaş, Tayfun Kaya

Turkish Journal of Biology

A total of 120 fresh water fish samples were evaluated for the presence of Aeromonas spp. A. hydrophila, A. caviae, and A. veronii bv. sobria were isolated from the gills, intestines, livers, and skins of fish, and 78 isolated Aeromonas spp. strains were further examined for siderophore, hemolytic, protease, and pyrazinamidase activities and antibiotic resistance. Siderophore production was demonstrated in almost all of the A. hydrophila and A. caviae strains except for 2 strains of A. veronii bv. sobria. The strains identified as A. hydrophila and A. veronii bv. sobria were the stronger producers of hemolysin, whereas the A. caviae …

Complex Evolution Of A Highly-Conserved Microsatellite Locus In Several Fish Species, J.-X. Liu, Bert Ely

Faculty Publications

The evolutionary dynamics of a highly conserved microsatellite locus (Dla 11) were studied in several fish species. The data indicated that multiple types of compound microsatellites arose through point mutations that were sometimes followed by expansion of the derived motif. Furthermore, extensive length variation was detected among species in the regions immediately flanking the repeat region.