The role of salinity in recovery of white sturgeon () from stimulated angling stress.

White sturgeon () in the Lower Fraser River are the focus of a catch-and-release angling fishery in British Columbia, Canada. However, the lower region of the catch area includes areas where tidal waters invade, and the consequence of salinity levels on recovery from an angling challenge are not characterized in sturgeon, despite theoretical implications of its import. We acclimated white sturgeon to various salinities (0, 10 and 20‰ (parts per thousand)) to investigate the effects of acclimation on recovery from stimulated angling stress that was induced through manual chasing.

Enhanced oxygen unloading in two marine percomorph teleosts.

Teleost fishes are diverse and successful, comprising almost half of all extant vertebrate species. It has been suggested that their success as a group is related, in part, to their unique O transport system, which includes pH-sensitive hemoglobin, a red blood cell β-adrenergic Na/H exchanger (RBC β-NHE) that protects red blood cell pH, and plasma accessible carbonic anhydrase which is absent at the gills but present in some tissues, that short-circuits the β-NHE to enhance O unloading during periods of stress. However, direct support for this has only been examined in a few species of salmonids.

Sex Chromosome Evolution: So Many Exceptions to the Rules.

Genomic analysis of many nonmodel species has uncovered an incredible diversity of sex chromosome systems, making it possible to empirically test the rich body of evolutionary theory that describes each stage of sex chromosome evolution. Classic theory predicts that sex chromosomes originate from a pair of homologous autosomes and recombination between them is suppressed via inversions to resolve sexual conflict. The resulting degradation of the Y chromosome gene content creates the need for dosage compensation in the heterogametic sex.

Signature of sexual conflict is actually conflict resolved.

There has been substantial interest of late in using population genetic methods to study sexual conflict, where an allele increases the fitness of one sex at some cost to the other (Mank, 2017). Population genomic scans for sexual conflict offer an important advance given the difficulties of identifying antagonistic alleles from more traditional methods, and could greatly increase our understanding of the extent and loci of sexual conflict. This is particularly true for studies in natural populations, for which obtaining accurate fitness measurements for each sex can be challenging.

Enhanced hemoglobin-oxygen unloading in migratory salmonids.

Recent findings indicate that some teleost fishes may be able to greatly enhance hemoglobin-oxygen (Hb-O) unloading at the tissues under conditions that result in catecholamine release. The putative mechanism relies on the high pH sensitivity of teleost hemoglobin (Hb), intracellular red blood cell (RBC) pH regulation via β-adrenergic Na/H exchanger (β-NHE) activity, and plasma-accessible carbonic anhydrase at the tissues that short-circuits RBC pH regulation. Previous studies have shown that in rainbow trout, this system may double Hb-O unloading to red muscle compared to a situation without short-circuiting.