Host choice and fitness of anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris (Perciformes: Pomacentridae) living with host anemones (Anthozoa: Actiniaria) in captive conditions.

In this study, we investigated the host choice of naïve Amphiprion ocellaris, a specialist, at two different stages of development (newly settling juveniles and post-settlement juveniles). The fish were exposed to their natural and unnatural host species in the laboratory and their fitness was assessed in terms of activity and growth rate. Newly settling juveniles exhibited little host preference, while post-settlement juveniles immediately associated with their most common host in the wild.

Effects of low-frequency ultrasound on heterogenous deacetylation of chitin.

The effects of low frequency ultrasound to the heterogeneous deacetylation of chitin from the shell of white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) were examined. The deacetylation process was carried out in the range of NaOH concentrations from 35% to 65% (w/w) with and without the ultrasound in the frequency of 37kHz, RMS=300W. The chitosan obtained was characterized in the degree of deacetylation, solubility, FT-IR and X-ray diffraction.

High accuracy mass spectrometry comparison of Conus bandanus and Conus marmoreus venoms from the South Central Coast of Vietnam.

Cone snail (genus Conus) venoms provide a rich source of small bioactive peptides known as conopeptides or conotoxins, which are highly interesting in pharmacological studies for new drug discovery. Conus species have evolved expressing a variety of conopeptides, adapted to the biological targets of their own specific preys at their living environments. Therefore, the potential proteomic evaluation of Conus venom components, poorly studied, is of great interest.