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Daily Feeding Rates (daily + feeding_rate)
Selected AbstractsPalatability of macrophytes to the invasive freshwater snail Pomacea canaliculata: differential effects of multiple plant traitsFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 10 2010PAK KI WONG Summary 1.,By selective grazing, invasive grazers can alter macrophyte-herbivore relationships in shallow freshwater bodies. Evaluating the palatability of macrophytes and understanding the determinants of plant palatability can help predict grazing impact. In no-choice feeding assays, we tested the palatability of 21 species of freshwater macrophytes to the invasive freshwater apple snail Pomacea canaliculata. 2.,Daily feeding rate varied greatly with plant species, ranging from 1.1 to 22% of snail body mass. We assessed six plant properties and examined their correlation with feeding rate. Total nitrogen content was positively related, and C:N ratio and dry matter content (DMC) negatively related, to snail feeding rate. There was no significant correlation between snail feeding rate and plant phenolic content, but the feeding rate on Myriophyllum aquaticum (the plant with the highest phenolic content) was very low. 3.,We repeated the feeding assays for 15 species that were not palatable as fresh leaves with reconstituted plant tissues formed by mixing ground up dried leaves with agar. The feeding rate still differed greatly among macrophyte species. Phragmites australis and Vallisneria natans (two species with the highest DMC) were eaten much more as reconstituted plant than as fresh leaves, indicating that structure (i.e. DMC) may be important in their defence against snail herbivory. For two plants (M. aquaticum and Alternanthera philoxeroides) that had moderate amounts of nitrogen/phosphorus but were consumed very little as fresh and reconstituted tissues, we incorporated their extracts into a palatable agar-based food. The extracts from both species greatly reduced snail feeding rate, indicating the presence of chemical defences in these two species. 4.,These results indicated that feeding was affected by several plant traits. The snail favoured plants with a high nitrogen content and avoided plants with a high DMC. Only a few plants possessed chemical feeding deterrents that were effective against this snail. Given the invasive spread of P. canaliculata in Asia, ecologists and managers should consider plant palatability when selecting plants for use in wetland restoration and when predicting the impact of further invasion by this species. [source] Effects of reduced salinities on growth, food conversion efficiency and osmoregulatory status in the spotted wolffishJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2001A. Foss No significant differences in mean mass between groups were found at any time in spotted wolffish Anarhichas minor, mean (±S.D.) initial mass 76 (±21) g, reared at salinities of 12, 17, 25 and 34, for 12 weeks at 8° C. Salinity did not have a significant effect on daily feeding rates, total food consumption, food conversion efficiency and protein efficiency ratio. Growth trajectories varied between groups, but no overall difference in growth was found. Plasma osmolality and plasma chloride levels decreased with salinity in a 48 h abrupt exposure trial, and in the growth experiment the low salinity groups (12 and 17,) exhibited significantly lower values compared with 25 and 34,. The decrease was moderate and concentrations were well within the range described for other marine species. The results indicate that the spotted wolffish is a strong osmoregulator which could be reared at various salinity levels. [source] Effect of Multiple-batch Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, Stocking Density and Feeding Rate on Water Quality, Production Characteristics, and CostsJOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006Brent E. Southworth To quantitatively define relationships among stocking densities, feeding rates, water quality, and production costs for channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, grown in multiple-batch systems, twelve 0.1-ha earthen ponds were stocked at 8,600, 17,300, 26,000, or 34,600 fingerlings/ha along with 2,268 kg/ha of carryover fish. Fish in all ponds were fed daily to apparent satiation using 32% protein floating feed. Temperature and dissolved oxygen in each pond were monitored twice daily; pH weekly; nitrite-N, total ammonia nitrogen, and Secchi disk visibility every 2 wk; nitrate-N, chlorophyll a, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand monthly; and chloride every other month. The costs of producing channel catfish at different stocking densities were estimated. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) as a result of stocking density among treatment means of (1) gross or net yields, (2) mean weights at harvest, and (3) growth or survival of fingerlings (24,36%) and carryover fish (77,94%). Mean and maximum daily feeding rates ranged from 40 to 53 kg/ha/d and 123 to 188 kg/ha/d, respectively, and feed conversion ratios averaged 1.75. There were no differences in any feed-related parameter as a result of density. Water quality variables showed few differences among densities at samplings and no differences when averaged across the production season. Yield of fingerlings increased as stocking density increased with significant differences between the two highest and the two lowest stocking densities. Breakeven prices were lower at the higher stocking densities as a result of the higher yield of understocked fish and similar mean individual fish weights produced at these higher stocking densities. Overall, varying stocking densities of fingerlings in multiple-batch systems had little effect on production efficiency and water quality. Additional research on managing the population structure of carryover fish in commercial catfish ponds may be warranted. [source] Production Characteristics, Water Quality, and Costs of Producing Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus at Different Stocking Densities in Single-batch ProductionJOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 1 2006Brent E. Southworth Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus farming is the largest component of aquaculture in the USA. Culture technologies have evolved over time, and little recent work has been conducted on the effects of stocking density on production characteristics and water quality. Twelve 0.1-ha ponds were stocked with 13- to 15-cm fingerlings (16 g) at either 8600, 17,300, 26,000, or 34,600 fish/ha in single-batch culture with three replicates per treatment. Fish were fed daily to apparent satiation with a 32% floating commercial catfish feed. Nitrite-N, nitrate-N, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand (COD), Secchi disk visibility, chlorophyll a, chloride, total alkalinity, total hardness, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were monitored. Ponds were harvested after a 201-d culture period (March 26, 2003 to October 13, 2003). Net yield increased significantly (P < 0.05) as stocking density increased, reaching an average of 9026 kg/ha at the highest density. Growth and marketable yield (>0.57 kg) decreased with increasing stocking density. Survival was not significantly different among densities. Mean and maximum daily feeding rates increased with density, but feed conversion ratios did not differ significantly among treatments (overall average of 1.42), despite the fact that at the higher stocking densities, the feeding rates sometimes exceeded 112 kg/ha per d (100 lb/ac per d). Morning DO concentrations fell below 3 mg/L only once in a 34,600 fish/ha pond. Concentrations of chlorophyll a, COD, nitrite-N, and TAN increased nominally with increasing feed quantities but did not reach levels considered problematic even at the highest stocking densities. Breakeven prices were lowest for the highest stocking density even after accounting for the additional time and growth required for submarketable fish to reach market size. While total costs were higher for the higher density treatments, the relatively higher yields more than compensated for higher costs. [source] | ||||||||||