Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) is an invasive fish species native to Asia that has become increasingly abundant within the Mississippi River Basin during the past decade. Originally introduced to control snails that are an intermediate host for trematode parasites of fishes in aquaculture ponds, Black Carp are now present in several rivers in the U.S. and represent a potential threat to threatened and endangered mussel populations. Black Carp have historically been classified as molluscivores; however, a recent study that examined gut contents of Black Carp collected from the Mississippi River Basin indicated that Black Carp are opportunistic consumers that prey upon a wide variety of invertebrates and are flexible in their feeding modes. Despite the potential for Black Carp to compete with native riverine fish species for invertebrate prey, only one published study has compared Black Carp trophic position with that of native fishes in a small portion of the Black Carp’s invaded range. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to assess trophic overlap between Black Carp and two fish species native to the Mississippi River Basin using isotopic niche analysis and gut contents analysis. Dorsal muscle tissue samples were collected from Black Carp, Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), and Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) and analyzed for δ13C and δ15N to assess each species’ isotopic niche. Freshwater Drum and Blue Catfish gut contents were also removed and analyzed and compared to published Black Carp stomach contents data. Gut contents analysis indicated differences in diet composition between Black Carp and the two native fish species. Chironomidae had the highest frequency of occurrence (67%) and percent of taxa by number (47%) for Freshwater Drum. Trichoptera had the highest frequency of occurrence (58%) and percent of taxa by number (30%) for Blue Catfish, and Gastropoda had the highest frequency of occurrence (16.5%) of any specific prey taxa for Black Carp. Black Carp showed low isotopic niche overlap (≤47%) with both native species when muscle tissue δ13C and δ15N data from all fish collection locations were combined and when assessment of isotopic niches was restricted to the subset of locations where all three species were collected. Isotopic niche overlap was also low (10-48%) between Black Carp and both native species when isotopic niches were compared at individual collection locations. Intraspecific isotopic niche overlap among fish collection locations was highly variable (0-69%) within each of the three species, highlighting the need to assess interspecific isotopic niche overlap by collection location. Broad isotopic niches exhibited by Black Carp in the Mississippi River and tributaries are indicative of substantial trophic diversity among individuals and use of multiple basal energy sources, consistent with a recently published study which found that Black Carp diet composition differed among individuals and that Black Carp consumed a variety of invertebrates, including non-benthic taxa.

No description available.

Oxbow lakes are highly productive waterbodies that host multiple life stages of many freshwater aquatic species. Oxbow lakes also provide habitat to Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), which has enabled populations to grow and expand within the United States. Silver Carp are undesirable because they can compete for resources with native fishes. My goal was to identify patterns of distribution and dispersion of Silver Carp in Moon Lake, Mississippi, to assist and inform precise harvesting of fish. I implanted thirty-five adult Silver Carp with acoustic tags that I released into Moon Lake. I observed that Silver Carp were disproportionately found in locations where water depths ranged from 2.0-5.9 m during all seasons, despite the availability of locations with shallower and deeper water. Silver Carp did aggregate in the wintertime (December-February) in comparison to all other seasons. This information about depth distributions and seasonal aggregations can inform removal programs.

No description available.

Since the late 1990s, common carp and koi production enterprises around the world have suffered enormous losses due to a viral disease caused by cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3). Genetic variation in resistance to CyHV-3 infection was observed in different common carp strains, indicating that disease resistance can be improved by selective breeding. Marker-assisted selection is a breeding strategy that can accelerate genetic gain; however, this approach requires genetic markers and a genetic linkage map. To develop molecular tools for breeding CyHV-3-resistant aquaculture stock, several candidate genes for antiviral innate immune response from common carp were isolated, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. SNP markers for common carp immune response genes were developed for testing their linkage to disease resistance and for generating a genetic linkage map. Common carp immune response genes were isolated using degenerate primers developed from conserved peptide regions among other fish species for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. The amplified products were cloned and sequenced. Gene-specific primers were designed based on the isolated carp gene sequences to amplify gene fragments from genomic DNA of three carp strains and koi. The amplified products were cloned and sequenced to identify SNPs. For the genes that are duplicated, locus-specific primers were used for PCR amplification. SNPs were identified in several genes, including TLR2, TLR3a, TLR3b, TLR4a, TLR4b, TLR7a, TLR7b, TLR9, TLR21, TLR22, MyD88a, MyD88b, TRAF6a, TRAF6b, type I IFN, IL-1β, IL10a and IL10b. Putative SNPs were genotyped in a SNP discovery panel consisting of different common carp strains and koi to evaluate their allele frequencies and in a full-sib family to validate their segregation patterns using the SNaPshot method. Validated SNPs were used to genotype a mapping family. Twenty-three SNPs (19 exonic and 4 intronic SNPs) were informative in a mapping family. Among these genes, polymorphisms in IL10a suggested a possible association with resistant and susceptible phenotypes of CyHV-3-challenged fish. These SNPs will be analyzed with a set of approximately 300 microsatellites to generate a second-generation genetic map and to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting resistance to CyHV-3. Among the common carp genes that were isolated and sequenced, TLR9 is known for its ability to detect viral DNA and requires adaptor molecules MyD88 and TRAF6 for signal transduction. Therefore TLR9, MyD88 and TRAF6 may be important candidate genes for mediating host antiviral response to CyHV-3. To elucidate possible functions of these genes, full-length cDNAs of common carp TLR9, MyD88 and TRAF6 were isolated and tissue-specific mRNA expression was determined. cDNA sequences of MyD88 and TRAF6 revealed that these genes are duplicated. These findings were the first report of MyD88 and TRAF6 duplications in a vertebrate. Protein domain characterization demonstrated that structural characteristics of these genes are conserved and resemble those of other vertebrates, indicating that common carp TLR9, MyD88 and TRAF6 genes may have identical functions with their mammalian orthologs. The mRNA expression of TLR9, MyD88a and b, and TRAF6a and b varied among tissues. Differential expression of the MyD88 and TRAF6 paralogous transcripts were observed in muscle tissues, suggesting that one paralog has evolved and attained a non-immune function. This genomic information will facilitate further research to better understand the ligand specificity of TLR9 and the role of TLR9, MyD88 and TRAF6 in the common carp immune response. / Ph. D.

A floristic survey of the summer species of epigeous fleshy fungi occurring in the George of Carp Creek, University of Michigan Biological Station, Cheboygan County, Michian was made during 1961 and 1962. A comparison was made of the two years. A total of 276 species was collected from the Gorge. Two hundred thirty-one species were collected in 1961 and 145 species were collected in 1962. Of these 100 species were common to both years . One hundred thirty-one species were collected in 1961 which were not collected in 1962, and 45 species were collected in 1962 which were not collected in 1961. The summer of 1961 was considerably wetter than 1962 and had a larger crop of sporocarps and more species. Mixed forest of conifers and hardwoods produced the greatest number of species. Pieca-Thuga bog, Betula forest, and Alnus-Typha swamp produced the next larer number of species respectively. / Master of Science

The objective of this research was to measure the concentrations of the cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc in bass and carp taken from the Occoquan Reservoir in Virginia with three purposes in mind. First, to determine whether the amounts of metals present represent any hazard to humans when the fish are used as food. Second, to assess the degree of change in the concentrations over time when compared with a previous study. Third, to discover whether the geographical patterns of metal concentrations point to source areas of elevated stream contamination. Fish were collected from three stations. Liver and fillet samples were prepared using wet digestion techniques and analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Average concentration in the edible fillet of all fish sampled for all metals studied were below published action levels. Eleven out of sixty-four bass had levels of lead in the fillet above a US FDA action level of 0.25 µg/g. Zinc and copper in bass livers, and zinc in carp livers were significantly higher than in fish sampled in the earlier study. However these increases could be caused by seasonal variations, and not be indicative of a long-term increase in metals levels. Bass from the arm of the reservoir that passes through the most highly developed area of the watershed were found to have significantly higher liver copper levels and fillet mercury levels, than did bass taken from the other stations. / Master of Science

Six rivers within the upper Mumbidgee catchment were sampled for larval and juvenile fish. The rivers represented both regulated and unregulated flow regimes and varied widely in size. There was wide variation in the larval fish communities supported by each river, both in terms of the species diversity and total abundance of fish sampled. The highly regulated reach of the Mumbidgee River sampled during this study had the highest numbers of native species and native individuals of any river sampled. In the two rivers selected for further study, the Murmmbidgee and Goodradigbee, there was a high level of inter-annual consistency in the species composition within the reaches sampled, despite considerable change in the temperature and flow regimes of both rivers. This indicates that at least some spawning of those species sampled may occur each year, regardless of environmental conditions. Estimates of the relative abundance of each species sampled changed markedly between years, and it is argued, on the basis of growth information contained in the otoliths, that differential survival of larvae and juveniles was largely responsible for this shift in relative abundance. Otolith microstructure provided information on the date of spawning and early growth patterns of all species sampled in the upper Mumumbidgee catchment. In addition to determining the age and thus 'birth-date' of an individual, the effect of a particular event or series of events has on growth, and subsequent survival, is permanently recorded in the otolith microstructure. This enables accurate back-calculation and correlation to management actions or natural events. No other research tool has this ability to retrospectively assess, on a daily basis, the impacts of management actions on condition and subsequent survival of fish larvae. Species sampled could be separated into three groups based on spawning requirements; those linked with flow, those linked with temperature and generalist species that appear to have river independent cues, such as photoperiod or moon phase. Patterns in growth rate during the early life history stages enabled quantification of the consequences of variation in environmental conditions on the survival and recruitment of various species. Growth was not always highly correlated with water temperature, in fact, for mountain galaxias, high temperatures appear to negatively affect larval condition and subsequent survival. Conversely, carp exhibited a strategy more consistent with common perceptions, with growth and survival increasing with increasing temperature. The study uncovered spawning and growth patterns that were unexpected. Age analysis of western carp gudgeon demonstrated that they had undertaken a mid-winter spawning, when the water temperature in the main channel was far lower than that at which spawning was previously recorded for this species. Redfin perch from the unregulated Goodradigbee River exhibited growth rates exceeding the published upper limits for this and other closely related species. This growth could not be correlated with either temperature or flow, indicating that there are additional factors that dominate growth rates of redfin perch in the Goodradigbee River. The proportion and abundance of native species alone is not necessarily indicative of a 'healthy' or pristine system; some native species may be positively affected by river regulation, at least as juveniles. Comparison of the current larval fish community with likely pre-European fish communities does provide an indication of change to the system. The results of this study suggest that larval fish growth rates can be strongly influenced by environmental conditions, thus providing a powerful tool for monitoring future change and the factors which cause it. This study has demonstrated the value of larval and juvenile fish age and growth information, derived from otolith microstructure techniques, for many aspects of river management. Current river management priorities for which these techniques provide unique information include the determination of environmental flow regimes and the control of undesirable exotic species such as carp.

Thesis (MPhil (Animal Sciences. Aquaculture))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Chemo-attraction and –stimulation facilitate the initial location (olfactory response) and final consumption (gustatory response) of food in the feeding process of fish. Chemo-attractants or chemo-stimulants is therefore generally included in feeds for especially slow-feeding species to help reduce water fouling and to promote feed efficiency and growth rate through improved feed intake. Considering this, a study was performed to evaluate the attraction and stimulation potential of selected cereals and free amino acids in diets for Japanese koi carp (Cyprinus carpio). Results are presented on the comparative evaluation of five cereals (maize, sorghum, wheat, rye and triticale), raw and cooked forms of maize and concentrations of betaine and selected free amino acids (alanine, arginine, lysine and methionine), as well as their additive effect.

<p>Hemometrijskim metodama (deskriptivna statistika, analiza glavnih komponenti, ve&scaron;tačke neuronske mreže i fazi optimizacija) analizirani su rezultati procesa osmotske dehidratacije mesa srebrnog kara&scaron;a, sa ciljem unapređenja efikasnosti osmotskog tretmana i pronalaženja optimalnih tehnolo&scaron;kih parametara.<br />Osmotski tretman se odvijao u tri osmotska rastvora (vodeni rastvor natrijum hlorida i<br />saharoze, kombinacija vodenog rastvora natrijum hlorida i saharoze i melase i melasa &scaron;ećerne repe) različitih koncentracija, na četiri temperature (10&deg;C, 20&deg;C, 35&deg;C i 50&deg;C) i pri tri vremena procesa (1, 3 i 5h). Posmatrani su sledeći odzivi sistema: gubitak vode, prira&scaron;taj suve materije, povećanje sadržaja suve materije, sniženje aktivnosti vode i promena sadržaja minerala (Na, K, Ca i Mg). Karakterizacijom osmotski dehidriranog ribljeg polupoizvoda, poja&scaron;njeni su efekti osmotskog tretmana i inovatinog osmotskog rastvora na senzorne osobine, hemijski i mikrobiolo&scaron;ki profil tretiranog mesa ribe. Rezultati ispitivanja pokazuju da se primenom procesa osmotske dehidratacije povećava gubitak vode, prira&scaron;taj suve materije i sadržaj suve materije u svim uzorcima mesa srebrnog kara&scaron;a. Za sva tri osmotska rastvora, najveće vrednosti dobijene su nakon 5 časova, pri najvi&scaron;im temperaturama i u najvećim koncentracijama rastvora.<br />Povećavanjem temperature procesa, koncentracije rastvora i vremena trajanja procesa, povećan je sadržaj posmatranih minerala u tretiranom mesu ribe. Rezultati<br />ANOVA testa pokazali su da na vrednosti posmatranih odziva statistički značajno utiču<br />sva tri parametra: vreme, temperatura i koncentracija. PCA analizom procesa utvrđeno je da su pri izračunavanju prve glavne komponente najveći uticaj imale vrednosti svih odziva osim aw vrednosti, dok je ona najvi&scaron;e uticala na proračun druge glavne komponente. Iako su modeli ve&scaron;tačkih neuronskih mreža kompleksniji od modela polinoma drugog reda, mreže su pokazale bolji učinak usled visoke<br />nelinearnosti razvijenih sistema. Primenom fazi optimizacije postignute optimalne vrednosti procesnih parametara za vodeni rastvor natrijum hlorida i saharoze su bile na nižim temperaturama i nižim koncentracijama rastvora, dok su za rastvore sa melasom &scaron;ećerne repe optimalne vrednosti na maksimumima posmatranih opsega temperature i koncentracije rastvora. Procesom osmotske dehidratacije smanjen je inicijalni broj bakterija u mesu srebrnog kara&scaron;a. Hemijskim i senzorskim analizama utvrđeno je da je melasa &scaron;ećerne repe zbog svog kompleksnog nutritivnog sastava<br />povoljnije je delovala na promenu hemijskog sastava i senzorne osobine uzoraka u odnosu na druga dva rastvora.</p> / <p>Chemometric methods (descriptive statistics, principal components analysis, artificial neural networks and fuzzy optimization) were used to analyze the results of osmotic dehydration of silver crucian carp, with the aim of improving the efficiency of the osmotic treatment and finding the optimal technological parameters.<br />The osmotic treatment was carried out in three osmotic solution (aqueous sodium chloride and sucrose solution, sugar beet molasses and the combination of these two solutions) of varying concentrations, at four temperatures (10&deg;C, 20&deg;C, 35&deg;C and 50&deg;C) and at three processing times (1, 3 and 5 h). The observed system responses were: water loss, solid gain, increase in dry matter content, reduction of water activity<br />and changes in mineral content (Na, K, Ca and Mg). The characterization of dehydrated fish, explained the effects of osmotic treatment on its sensory properties, chemical and microbiological profile. Results have shown that the application of osmotic dehydration increases water loss, solid gain and dry matter content in all samples of fish meat. For all three osmotic solution, the highest values were obtained after 5h, at the highest temperatures and in the highest concentration of the solution. By increasing the process temperature, concentration and time, increased the mineral content in the fish meat. The results of the ANOVA test have shown that the values of the observed responses significantly affect all three parameters: time, temperature and concentration. PCA analysis process has found that on calculation of the first principal component all response values except aw value had the greatest impact, while aw value had the most influence on the calculation of the other major component. Although models of artificial neural network models are more complex than second order polynomial, the network showed better performance due to the high nonlinearity of the developed system. Application of fuzzy optimization obtained optimal values of the process parameters for aqueous solution of sodium chloride and sucrose were at lower temperatures and lower concentrations of the solution, while the solutions with molasses optimal values of the maxima observed ranges<br />of temperature and solution concentration. The process of osmotic dehydration has reduced the initial number of bacteria in meat silver carp. Chemical and sensory analyzes have shown that the sugar beet molasses due to its complex nutritional composition has a better effect on changing the chemical composition and sensory characteristics of the samples.</p>