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Natural Photoperiod (natural + photoperiod)
Selected AbstractsWinter survival and oviposition before and after overwintering of a parasitoid wasp, Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)ENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2004Takeshi TERAOKA Abstract Winter survival and oviposition before and after overwintering in Ooencyrtus nezarae, an egg parasitoid of phytophagous heteropterans, were examined in Osaka, Japan. Eggs of Riptortus clavatus parasitized by O. nezarae were kept under natural photoperiod and temperature. When honey was supplied, some female adults emerging from early September to late November overwintered. The percentage of overwintering individuals increased as the date of adult emergence advanced. Most female adults supplied with honey and hosts oviposited soon after emergence, then stopped laying eggs. Female adults emerging in mid-October and early November laid eggs and then overwintered. The induction of diapause in the field seems to vary greatly depending on host availability. Without honey, the survival time of female adults was very short, whether host eggs were supplied or not. After overwintering, most females began to lay eggs in early May if host eggs were supplied, and they produced both male and female progeny. In the study area, a legume field in Osaka, parasitization by O. nezarae was observed from early July to November. [source] Circannual control of the life cycle in the Varied Carpet Beetle Anthrenus verbasciFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2003T. Nisimura Summary 1Anthrenus verbasci shows a circannual pupation rhythm, and a transfer from long-day to short-day conditions caused a phase shift. Short-day conditions produced synchronous pupation, and the critical day-length was between 13 and 14 h, which corresponded to the natural day-length in September. 2A decrease in temperature does not seem to act as a zeitgeber under natural conditions, because a change from 25 to 20 °C caused no or little phase shift. 3Under conditions of natural photoperiod and temperature, larvae pupated synchronously in April, although under natural day-length at 20 °C larvae pupated in February. Therefore, a decrease in day-length crossing the critical value in September probably shifts the phase of the circannual rhythm so that the gate to pupation opens in February, and probably low temperatures in winter suppress pupation until April. 4Newly hatching larvae transferred outdoors pupated successfully only when transferred between late April and mid-September, although larvae transferred after mid-July developed into smaller pupae than those transferred earlier. Therefore, synchronous pupation and emergence in spring are needed to allow larvae of the next generation to grow sufficiently before winter. [source] Successful gonadal development and maturation of tench (Tinca tinca L.) in small concrete pondsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 3 2003J. M. Carral Summary The experiments were performed in a tench farm from autumn until the spawning season (June,July). Tench broodstocks from natural habitats were maintained in 25 × 6 × 1 m concrete ponds and fed on commercial trout pellets. Females and males were separated and maintained under natural photoperiod and temperature conditions at densities around 2 kg m,2. Water flow throughout was supplied at the rate of 15 L s,1. When females showed external signs of advanced gonadal development, induction of spawning was made by luteinizing hormone releasing factor (LH-RH) synthetic analogue administration at three different periods of the reproductive season (June,July). A single intramuscular injection (20 ,g kg,1 body weight) was administered to 110 mature females selected from a total of 150. The females were stripped 42 h (22°C) after hormone administration. The mean rate of stripped females to the number injected was 77%. Mean relative egg weight in relation to the weight of the stripped females was 5.61%. More than 90% of the males provided semen without hormonal induction. Differences in egg production and external egg quality were observed at different times of the spawning period. It was proven that tench maintained in small concrete tanks and fed on artificial diets were able to reach gonadal maturation. [source] Annual pattern of plasma melatonin and progesterone concentrations in hair and wool ewe lambs kept under natural photoperiod at lower latitudes in the southern hemisphereJOURNAL OF PINEAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2006L. A. Coelho Abstract:, ,To study the annual pattern of plasma melatonin and progesterone concentrations in hair [Santa Inęs (SI)] and wool [Romney Marsh (RM) and Suffolk (SU)] ewe lambs kept under natural photoperiods at 21°59,S, 12 ewe lambs (four/breed) were used. For melatonin, blood samples were collected monthly throughout the year at the onset (17:00, 19:00 and 21:00 hr) and end (04:00, 06:00 and 08:00 hr) of the night, and for progesterone the samples were collected in the morning, two to three times a week throughout the year. Plasma melatonin concentrations at different times of the day changed according to the season. In diurnal periods (17:00 and 8:00 hr) no seasonal differences were observed but they became evident in the nocturnal intervals (21:00 and 4:00 hr) and transitional night,day (6:00 hr) times. The patterns of melatonin secretion were higher in winter and autumn than in spring and summer. The patterns of plasma progesterone secretion were affected by interaction between breed and season. There was no seasonal variation in plasma progesterone concentrations for SI females. The progesterone pattern for RM and SU females varied with season. The plasma levels were higher in autumn and winter than in spring and summer. At 21°59,S hair and wool ewe lambs showed the same annual pattern of plasma melatonin concentration while the annual progesterone profiles were quite different. For SI females this pattern was constant along all seasons and for RM and SU females this pattern was higher during autumn and winter than spring and summer. [source] Seasonal changes in selected muscle quality parameters in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) reared under natural and continuous lightAQUACULTURE NUTRITION, Issue 3 2003U. Nordgarden Abstract In order to investigate how seasonal variation in growth affects selected fillet quality parameters, immature Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) were reared under simulated natural photoperiod (SNP) for 12 months or continuous light (LL) from January to June followed by SNP until December. Photoperiod treatments advanced the growth rate pattern of the LL group compared with the SNP group and influenced macronutrient metabolism, evaluated both as trends in protein and lipid retention and in fillet lipid and protein levels. Good growth was associated with low fillet lipid and protein level, in addition to reduced levels of fillet tocopherol and astaxanthin, indicating increased oxidative stress. Elevated levels of thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARs) further supported this. Slaughtering during periods of high growth may therefore reduce postmortem quality, both because of increased susceptibility to fillet lipid peroxidation and reduced astaxanthin levels, which were lowered in vivo and might consequently be depleted further after slaughter. Specialized use of antioxidant-rich feed prior to slaughter is suggested if slaughtering is expected to occur during periods of high growth rate. [source] Timing and duration of constant light affects rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) growth during autumn,spring grow-out in freshwaterAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 13 2009John Taylor Abstract Photoperiod enhancement of growth is becoming an area of increasing interest as a means of enhancing rainbow trout production efficiency in commercial practice. This paper examines the possible implications of shortening periods of constant light (LL) exposure on rainbow trout growth during autumn,spring grow-out under ambient water temperatures in freshwater to portion size. Triplicate groups of juvenile all-female rainbow trout were permanently exposed to LL in October, November, December or January. Growth was monitored and compared with those maintained under a simulated natural photoperiod (SNP) until the following May. Permanent exposure to LL (all treatments) resulted in significantly greater weight gain of rainbow trout than those under SNP. Furthermore, greatest growth was achieved when fish were left permanently exposed to LL from October. These findings suggest there may be implications for fish farmers if the period of photoperiod exposure is reduced, or timing of application is not considered with regards to ambient water temperatures. [source] Long-term effect of photoperiod manipulation on growth, maturation and flesh quality in Atlantic halibutAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 11 2009Albert K Imsland Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of continuous light at different stages during the production cycle of Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus L. on growth, age at first maturity, endocrine parameters and flesh quality. A group of juvenile halibut [mean (SD), initial weight 191.3 g (44.7)] was reared in indoor tanks under ambient temperature conditions for 38 months until harvesting (mean final weight, 4.6 kg). The entire photoperiod experiment was divided into four phases, where the fish in each phase were exposed to either natural photoperiod (62°33,N) or continuous light (L). Thus, the following five photoperiod combinations were tested: (a) Control group (NNNN), (b) Group 2A (NLNN), (c) Group 2B (NNLN), (d) Group 2C (NNNL) and (e) Production group (LNNN). Exposure to continuous light stimulated growth, and the final mean weights of Groups 2A and 2B were 23% and 11% higher than those of the Control group (NNNN). The final plasma 11-ketotestosteron levels were lower in Groups 2A (2.94 ng mL,1) and 2B (2.46 ng mL,1) compared with the Control (5.29 ng mL,1), Group 2C (5.09 ng mL,1) and the Production group (4.78 ng mL,1) during spring 2007 (age 4 years), indicating higher age at first maturity in Groups 2A and 2B. Photoperiod regime had only a minor, and transient, effect on flesh-quality traits of the fish, whereas a significant seasonal effect was seen with a tendency towards increased gaping, lower pH, lower hardness and lower shear force in July compared with December and March. [source] Seasonal variation in osmoregulatory and metabolic parameters in earthen pond-cultured gilthead sea bream Sparus auratusAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 11 2009Luis Vargas-Chacoff Abstract Seasonal variations in osmoregulatory and metabolic parameters were assessed in juvenile gilthead sea bream (Sparus auratus) cultured in earthen ponds under a natural photoperiod and temperature. Specimens were sampled, and the plasma, gill, kidney and liver were collected during winter 2005 and 2006 (January), spring 2005 (April), summer 2005 (July) and autumn 2005 (October). Plasma osmoregulatory parameters showed higher values in summer, while metabolic parameters presented different patterns of variations. Gill Na+,K+ -ATPase activity decreased significantly in winter, while gill metabolite levels showed different patterns of variations among seasons. The enzymatic activities tested did not present a clear pattern of variation [(glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.2) (GDH) and hexokinase (EC 2.7.1.11) (HK)] or significant differences along seasons [glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49)]. Kidney Na+,K+ -ATPase activity decreased during summer and autumn. Different patterns of variation were observed in kidney metabolite levels while all the enzymatic activities assessed [lactate dehydrogenase-oxidase (EC 1.1.1.27) (LDH-O), HK and GDH] presented the highest values during summer. In the liver, metabolite levels and enzymatic activities did not show significant variations or present clear patterns of variation along different seasons. These results indicated seasonal variations in the osmoregulatory and metabolic parameters of different organs (blood, gill, kidney and liver) in earthen pond-cultured gilthead sea bream (S. auratus), which could be mainly attributed to seasonal changes in temperature. [source] Effect of the dusk photoperiod change from light to dark on the incubation period of eggs of the spotted rose snapper, Lutjanus guttatus (Steindachner)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 4 2008Neil J Duncan Abstract Spotted rose snapper, Lutjanus guttatus (Steindachner), eggs were incubated under different photoperiods to examine the effect of photoperiod on incubation. The eggs from two fish were incubated under five artificial photoperiods: constant dark (D), constant light (L) from 06:00 hours and 6, 10 and 14 h of light from 06:00 hours. The eggs from seven other fish were incubated under a natural photoperiod. Different spawning times (21:00 , 01:00 hours) and different photoperiods combined to give the start of the dusk photoperiod change after 11,23 h of incubation. Constant light or applying the dusk photoperiod change after ,20 h of incubation appeared to extend the hatching period. The mean hatching period for groups of eggs incubated in darkness or that received the dusk photoperiod change after ,19 h of incubation (n=8 different groups) was 2 h 15±10 min, which was significantly lower (P<0.05) than the mean hatching period of 4 h±37 min for groups that did not receive the dusk photoperiod change or that received the dusk photoperiod change after ,20 h of incubation (n=9 groups). However, despite these differences, the majority of the eggs hatched during a 2,3 h period from 17 to 20 h of incubation, and a sigmoid regression (r2=0.9) explained the relationship between percentage hatch and hours of incubation for all photoperiod groups. [source] The effects of dietary NaCl supplement on hypo-osmoregulatory ability and sea water performance of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) smoltsAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 10 2000Magne Staurnes Groups of one-year-old smolts of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) reared under a simulated natural photoperiod were fed pelleted feed with a NaCl content of either 1.5% or 9.5% for 6 weeks before release in a river in northern Norway. There were no differences in growth before release between fish fed the two diets. Smolts fed the 9.5% NaCl diet had better hypo-osmoregulatory ability than those fed the 1.5% diet, and a level of gill Na+ -K+ -ATPase activity that was several times higher. One of the two groups that had been fed the 9.5% NaCl diet had both a significantly higher recapture rate and growth in sea than the two groups fed the 1.5% NaCl diet, whereas this was not true for the other 9.5% NaCl diet group. The results indicate that a NaCl-enriched diet could be used to ensure sufficient hypo-osmoregulatory ability of charr smolts that would otherwise have insufficient regulatory ability. [source] Melatonin Implants Disrupt Developmental Synchrony Regulated By Flexible Interval TimersJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 11 2003M. R. Gorman Abstract Siberian hamsters born into short daylengths near the end of the breeding season are reproductively inhibited from birth and delay gonadal maturation until the following spring. This vernal transition to a reproductive phenotype coincides with an abrupt increase in body weight, and both processes are triggered by an interval timing mechanism that becomes insensitive, or refractory, to short-day inhibition. It was previously demonstrated that hamsters born into simulated natural photoperiods in early August became photorefractory at later ages than hamsters born into September photoperiods. As a consequence of flexibility in the duration programmed by the interval timer, development of seasonal birth cohorts was synchronous with respect to the calendar date simulated by laboratory photoperiod. In the present study, hamsters were born into simulated August or September photoperiods. Hamsters from each cohort were given removable constant release melatonin implants to reversibly obscure the neuroendocrine representation of daylength between 3 and 9 weeks or 9,15 weeks of age. When control hamsters were given beeswax capsules throughout, August-born males were approximately 6 weeks older than September males at the onset of photorefractoriness as assessed by accelerated increases in body weight and testicular size. Females exhibited the same pattern in body weight. These measures were synchronized with respect to calendar date. Synchronization of cohorts was disrupted by melatonin capsules from 3,9 weeks of age but not by later implants. Melatonin implants altered synchronization by influencing the developmental trajectory of September-born hamsters without influencing the August cohort. These results demonstrate that the function of the interval timer underlying photorefractoriness is influenced by photoperiod and by melatonin. The endogenous pattern of melatonin signals adjusts the duration measured by the interval timer to insure that developmental milestones of seasonal cohorts are synchronized with environmental conditions. [source] Annual pattern of plasma melatonin and progesterone concentrations in hair and wool ewe lambs kept under natural photoperiod at lower latitudes in the southern hemisphereJOURNAL OF PINEAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2006L. A. Coelho Abstract:, ,To study the annual pattern of plasma melatonin and progesterone concentrations in hair [Santa Inęs (SI)] and wool [Romney Marsh (RM) and Suffolk (SU)] ewe lambs kept under natural photoperiods at 21°59,S, 12 ewe lambs (four/breed) were used. For melatonin, blood samples were collected monthly throughout the year at the onset (17:00, 19:00 and 21:00 hr) and end (04:00, 06:00 and 08:00 hr) of the night, and for progesterone the samples were collected in the morning, two to three times a week throughout the year. Plasma melatonin concentrations at different times of the day changed according to the season. In diurnal periods (17:00 and 8:00 hr) no seasonal differences were observed but they became evident in the nocturnal intervals (21:00 and 4:00 hr) and transitional night,day (6:00 hr) times. The patterns of melatonin secretion were higher in winter and autumn than in spring and summer. The patterns of plasma progesterone secretion were affected by interaction between breed and season. There was no seasonal variation in plasma progesterone concentrations for SI females. The progesterone pattern for RM and SU females varied with season. The plasma levels were higher in autumn and winter than in spring and summer. At 21°59,S hair and wool ewe lambs showed the same annual pattern of plasma melatonin concentration while the annual progesterone profiles were quite different. For SI females this pattern was constant along all seasons and for RM and SU females this pattern was higher during autumn and winter than spring and summer. [source] | |||||||||||||