Defining the reproductive period of freshwater fish species using the Gonadosomatic Index: a proposed protocol applied to ten species of the Patos Lagoon basin

This contribution records the reproductive periods of ten dominant freshwater fish species from the Patos Lagoon and Guaíba Lake (Astyanax fasciatus, Cyphocharax voga, Hoplias malabaricus, Oligosarcus jenynsii, Oligosarcus robustus, Hoplosternum littorale, Loricariichthys anus, Parapimelodus nigribarbis, Trachelyopterus lucenai, Pachyurus bonariensis). Data were derived from monthly samples in Casamento Lake (northern Patos Lagoon; Nov. 2002 to Apr. 2004) and Guaíba Lake (Jun. 2005 to May 2006). The reproductive period was determined according to the monthly variation of the gonadosomatic index (GSI). Fish reproduction was identified during all months of the year. Oligosarcus jenynsii started reproduction in winter, but extended spawning to spring (early warming-water reproduction). Three species also presented reproduction during warming water months, but beginning in spring and finishing in summer (late warm-water reproduction): P. nigribarbis, T. lucenai and P. bonariensis. Three species presented relatively short reproduction periods on summer (spotted warm-water reproduction): H. malabaricus, H. littorale and L. anus, and only one species reproduces almost continuously during warmer waters (long-season warm-water reproduction): A. fasciatus. Finally, two other species presented a very distinct reproductive pattern, starting reproduction on late summer but increasing GSI values along autumn and winter (long-season cooling-water reproducers): C. voga and O. robustus.(AU)

Esta pesquisa registra o período reprodutivo de dez espécies de peixes dulcícolas dominantes na região límnica da Laguna dos Patos e Lago Guaíba (Astyanax fasciatus, Cyphocharax voga, Hoplias malabaricus, Oligosarcus jenynsii, Oligosarcus robustus, Hoplosternum littorale, Loricariichthys anus, Parapimelodus nigribarbis, Trachelyopterus lucenai, Pachyurus bonariensis). Os dados derivam de amostras mensais realizadas na Lagoa do Casamento (Nordeste da Laguna dos Patos; Nov. 2002 a Abr. 2004) e no Lago Guaíba (Jun. 2005 a Maio 2006). A reprodução de peixes foi identificada durante todos os meses do ano. Oligosarcus jenynsii iniciou a reprodução no inverno, mas prolongou a desova até a primavera (reprodução no início do ciclo de aquecimento da água). Três espécies também apresentaram reprodução durante os meses de aquecimento da água, mas começando na primavera e terminando no verão (reprodução tardia do ciclo de aquecimento da água): P. nigribarbis, T. lucenai e P. bonariensis. Três espécies apresentaram períodos de reprodução relativamente curtos no verão (reprodução concentrada em período de água quente): H. malabaricus, H. littorale e L. anus, e apenas uma espécie se reproduz quase continuamente durante águas mais quentes (reprodução de longa duração em período de água quente): A. fasciatus. Finalmente, duas outras espécies apresentaram um padrão reprodutivo muito distinto, iniciando a reprodução no final do verão, mas aumentando os valores do IGS ao longo do outono e inverno (reprodutores de longo período com águas em resfriamento): C. voga e O. robustus.(AU)

PERFIL DE ESTEROIDES SEXUALES DEL CAPITÁN DE LA SABANA (Eremophilus mutisii) DURANTE UN CICLO HIDROLÓGICO COMPLETO

Fueron capturados, mensualmente, adultos de Eremophilus mutisii, en la parte alta del río Bogotá (Municipio de Suesca). Los ejemplares fueron anestesiados, pesados y medidos. Posteriormente, se tomaron muestras de sangre, se extrajeron y se pesaron las gónadas, para cálculo del índice gonadosomático (IGS). Se determinaron testosterona (T) y estradiol (E2), por quimioluminiscencia. La proporción de hembras fue mayor que la de machos, existiendo muestreos en los que solo se obtuvieron hembras. Los niveles de T en hembras permanecieron muy bajos durante todo el ciclo, manteniéndose así o indetectables, con un único pico en octubre. En machos, los niveles fueron superiores, alcanzando valores mayores en abril, septiembre, noviembre y diciembre, con pico en noviembre. El E2 en hembras mostró niveles variables, observándose niveles elevados durante noviembre, diciembre y enero, con pico en diciembre. En machos, solo fue posible determinar E2 en noviembre, diciembre, marzo, abril y mayo, puesto que durante febrero, junio, agosto y septiembre, los valores fueron indetectabes y en los meses restantes, no se capturó ningún macho. El valor máximo fue en noviembre y el mínimo en marzo y abril. En hembras, los picos de E2 coincidieron con los valores más altos de IGS, mientras que la T mantuvo su valor bajo, independientemente de dicho índice. En machos, la relación entre T e IGS también fue coincidente, aunque no de manera tan evidente como en hembras. No se observó una tendencia clara entre la relación de E2 e IGS para machos.

Specimens of Eremophilus mutisii were captured monthly on the upper part of the Bogotá River (municipality of Suesca). The specimens were anesthetized, weighed and measured. Subsequently, a blood sample was taken. The gonads were extracted and weighed to calculate the gonadosomatic index (GSI). Testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) were determined by chemiluminescence technique. The proportion of females was always greater than that of males, and there were months in which only females were obtained. The T values of the females remained very low during the whole cycle, remaining low or imperceptible levels, with a single peak in October. In males, levels were always higher reaching high values in April, September, November, and December, with a peak in November. E2 in females showed variables values with high levels in November, December and January with a peak in December. In males, it was only possible to determine E2 in November, December, March, April and May, since, during February, June, August, and September the values were imperceptible and in the remaining months no male was captured. The maximum value was obtained in November and the minimum in March and April. In females, the peaks of E2 coincided with the higher values of GSI, while T maintained its low value, independently of this index. In males, the relationship between T and GSI was also coincident, although not as evident as in females. Also, a clear trend was not observed between the E2 and GIS ratio for males.

Investigation of symbiotic Armillaria species with Chinese traditional medicinal fungus Polyporus umbellatus / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To identify symbiotic Armillaria species with Polyporus umbellatus. METHODS: Armillaria was cultured on PDA paltes. To determine whether the strains were pure culture, the internal intergenic spacer (IGS) region were sequenced. Furthermore, the NCBI BLAST program was used to search similar sequences in the GenBanksequence database for the IGS sequence of the species on homology, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on neighbor-joining method. RESULTS: All isolates were similar in colony morphology and grew well in PDA medium with well-developed rhizomorphs. The isolated 22 strains were pure culture of the fungus. Phylogenetic analysis based on IGS sequence indicated that the symbiotic Armillaria species with Polyporus umbellatus belonged to A. cepistipes, A. gallica, A. ostoyae, and A. mellea. CONCLUSION: In the present study, phylogenetic analysis based on molecular method was carried out for the symbiotic Armillaria species with P. umbellatus for the first time. The results suggest that Armillaria species have no specificity with P. umbellatus, which is different from the previous reports. Further research will be done on the growth of P. umbellatus affected by different kinds of Armillaria species.

Growth and reproduction aspects of Pimelodus maculatus Lacépède, 1803 (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae) of the Cachoeira Dourada reservoir, state of Goiás and Minas Gerais, Brazil / Aspectos da dinâmica populacional e reprodutiva de Pimelodus Maculatus (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae) no reservatório de Cachoeira Dourada (GO-MG), Brasil.

Growth and reproduction parameters of the yellow-mandi, Pimelodus maculatus Lacépède, 1803 (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae), were determined for the Cachoeira Dourada reservoir (GO/MG). The field work occurred throughout February 2007 to January 2008 (with the exception of December 2007). Gill nets with mesh sizes from 1.5 to 10 centimeters were placed in three different areas in the reservoir and were collected 24 hours later. A total of 538 specimens were captured, amongst which 242 were females, 219 were males and 77 could not have their sex determined. Sex ratio differed from 1:1 only during July 2007 and January 2008, with males and females predominating in each of those months. Males occupied the medium length classes (18.9 to 24.3 cm) while females were most abundant in the superior classes (from 27 to 37.8 cm).The growth constant K was statistically equal for males (K=0.1851) and females (K=0.1708), however, females P. maculatus may have a greater investment in reproductive tissue, a fact indicated by the elevated values of Kn and GSI during the summer. Bearing in mind that P. maculatus reproduces in the rainy season, a greater gain in weight is expected during the months before the reproduction season, and that after it occurs the fish loses fat and weight as a consequence of metabolic effort. Still, the absence of juveniles may be an indication that the species did not find in the reservoir the proper conditions for reproduction and growth of its fry.

O presente estudo procurou averiguar os parâmetros de crescimento e reprodução do mandi-amarelo, Pimelodus maculatus Lacépède, 1803 (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae), no reservatório de Cachoeira Dourada (GO/MG). As coletas ocorreram de fevereiro de 2007 a janeiro de 2008 (exceto em dezembro de 2007), em três pontos do reservatório, com auxílio de baterias de redes com malhas variando de 1,5 a 10,0 cm entre nós adjacentes durante 24 horas. Foi capturado um total de 538 indivíduos dentre os quais 242 fêmeas, 219 machos e 77 de sexo indeterminado. A proporção sexual diferiu de 1:1 em julho de 2007 e janeiro 2008, com o predomínio de machos e fêmeas, respectivamente. Os machos concentraram-se nas classes de comprimento medianas (18,9 a 24,3 cm) enquanto que as fêmeas nas superiores (de 27 a 37,8 cm). A constante de crescimento K foi estatisticamente igual entre machos (K=0.1851) e fêmeas (K=0.1708), no entanto, P. maculatus fêmeas parecem ter um maior investimento em tecido reprodutivo, fato indicado pelos elevados valores de Kn e IGS durante o verão. Tendo em vista sua desova durante o período chuvoso, é esperado um maior ganho de peso nos períodos que antecedem a reprodução e que após esse processo haja uma perda de gordura ou peso devido aos gastos metabólicos envolvidos. Ainda, a ausência de captura de P. maculatus juvenis pode ser uma indicação de que a espécie não encontrou na área condições adequadas para tal.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Fusarium. solani and F. oxysporum associated with crown disease of oil palm

Crown disease (CD) is infecting oil palm in the early stages of the crop development. Previous studies showed that Fusarium species were commonly associated with CD. However, the identity of the species has not been resolved. This study was carried out to identify and characterize through morphological approaches and to determine the genetic diversity of the Fusarium species. 51 isolates (39%) of Fusarium solani and 40 isolates (31%) of Fusarium oxysporum were recovered from oil palm with typical CD symptoms collected from nine states in Malaysia, together with samples from Padang and Medan, Indonesia. Based on morphological characteristics, isolates in both Fusarium species were classified into two distinct morphotypes; Morphotypes I and II. Molecular characterization based on IGS-RFLP analysis produced 27 haplotypes among the F. solani isolates and 33 haplotypes for F. oxysporum isolates, which indicated high levels of intraspecific variations. From UPGMA cluster analysis, the isolates in both Fusarium species were divided into two main clusters with the percentage of similarity from 87% to 100% for F. solani, and 89% to 100% for F. oxysporum isolates, which was in accordance with the Morphotypes I and II. The results of the present study indicated that F. solani and F. oxysporum associated with CD of oil palm in Malaysia and Indonesia were highly variable.

Ovarian development and spawning of Serra Spanish mackerel in coastal waters of Northeastern Brazil / Desenvolvimento ovariano e desova da Serra nas águas costeiras do nordeste do Brasil

The Serra Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus brasiliensis is an important fishery resource of the Atlantic Ocean and is a major component of artisanal fisheries in northern and northeastern Brazil. Ovarian development and spawning period of S. brasiliensis were investigated using both macroscopic and histological techniques. Mean monthly values of GSI and ovarian maturation indicate that the main spawning period occurs during the rainy season.

A Serra, Scomberomorus brasiliensis, é uma espécie marinha de valor comercial do oceano Atlântico sendo um maior componente de pesca artesanal no norte e nordeste brasileiros. Desenvolvimento ovariano e época de desova de S. brasiliensis foram investigados utilizando-se técnicas macroscópicas e histológicas. Valores mensais médios de IGS e maturação gonadal indicam que a época de desova ocorre durante o período de chuva.

Genetic polymorphism in brazilian microcystis spp. (Cyanobacteria) toxic and non-toxic through RFLP-PCR of the cpcBA-IGS

The escalating occurrence of cyanobacterial toxic blooms demands a better understanding of genetic variability as an auxiliary expedient in species identification, collaborating with the monitoring of water destined to public supply. This study aimed at the unraveling of genetic polymorphism in the toxic and nontoxic strains of Microcystis (Cyanobacteria) species, isolated from diverse Brazilian localities through the RFLP-PCR technique applied to the c-phycocyanin encoding operon and its intergenic spacer (cpcBA-IGS). Eighteen strains belonging to M. aeruginosa, M. panniformis, M. protocystis and M. wesenbergii, plus two other unidentified strains, were analyzed by means of the morphological and molecular data. The molecular data constituted three groups with low similarity values unrelated to the geographical origin, toxicity or morphospecies. A high genetic variability among the studied populations was unveiled by the results. Brazilian populations of Microcystis spp. displayed high genetic diversity when compared to those from Australia, Japan, United States and Europe. This ample genetic diversity could be observed through the diverse eletrophoretic profiles obtained among the strains from a single species. The presence of toxic and non-toxic strains was observed in the same species, as M. aeruginosa.

A ocorrência de florações de cianobactérias tóxicas demanda um melhor entendimento da variabilidade genética como um instrumento auxiliar na identificação de espécies colaborando, assim, com o monitoramento de águas destinadas ao abastecimento público. Este estudo objetivou o conhecimento do polimorfismo genético de linhagens tóxicas e não tóxicas de espécies de Microcystis (Cyanobacteria), isoladas de diversas localidades brasileiras, utilizando a técnica molecular RFLP-PCR para o operon que codifica para a c-ficocianina e seu espaçador intergênico (cpcBA-IGS). Foram analisadas dezoito linhagens pertencentes as espécies Microcystis aeruginosa, M. panniformis, M. protocystis, M. wesenbergii e duas outras não identificadas através de dados morfológicos e moleculares. Os resultados moleculares formaram três agrupamentos com baixos valores de similaridade entre si os quais não foram relacionados à origem geográfica, toxicidade ou morfoespécies. As populações brasileiras de Microcystis spp. apresentaram alta diversidade genética quando comparadas com as da Austrália, Japão, Estados Unidos e Europa. Esta ampla diversidade genética pode ser vislumbrada através de diversos perfis eletroforéticos obtidos entre linhagens de uma mesma espécie. Nós encontramos a presença de linhagens tóxicas e não tóxicas em uma mesma espécie, como em M. aeruginosa.

Nucleotide Divergence Analysis of IGS Region in Fusarium oxysporum and its formae speciales Based on the Sequence

The intergenic spacer(IGS) sequence of Fusarium oxysporum have been reported to provide reliable information concerning intraspecific variation and phylogeny of fungal species. The eleven strains of Fusarium oxysporum and its formae speciales belonging to section Elegans were compared with sequencing analysis. The direct sequencing of partial IGS was carried out using PCR with primer NIGS1(5'-CTTCGCCTCGATTTCCCCAA-3')/NIGS2(5'-TCGTCGCCGACAGTTTTCTG-3') and internal primer NIGS3(5'-TCGAGGATCGATTCGAGG-3')/NIGS4(5'-CCTCGAATCGATCCTCGA-3'). A single PCR product was found for each strain. The PCR fragments were sequenced and revealed a few within species polymorphisms at the sequence level. The size of partial IGS sequencing of F. oxysporum was divided into three groups; 526~527 bp including F. o. f. sp. chrysanthemi, cucumerinum, cyclaminis, lycopersici, and fragariae; 514~516 bp including F. o. f. sp. lilii, conglutinans, and raphani; 435 bp for F. o. f. sp. cucumerinum from Korea. Sequence analysis of PCR products showed that transitions were more frequent than transversions as well as the average numbers of substitution per site were range 0.41% to 3.54%.