Vitro culture of axe-head glochidia in pink heelsplitter Potamilus alatus and mechanism of its high host specialists.

The basal media M199 or MEM was utilized in the classical method of vitro culture of glochidia where 1-5% CO2 was required to maintain stable physiological pH for completion of non-parasitic metamorphosis. The classical method encounters a great challenge to those glochidia which undergo development of visceral tissue but significantly increase in size during metamorphosis. The improved in vitro culture techniques and classical methods were firstly compared for non-parasitic metamorphosis and development of glochidia in pink heelsplitter.

Monogonont Rotifer, Brachionus calyciflorus, Possesses Exceptionally Large, Fragmented Mitogenome.

In contrast to the highly conserved mitogenomic structure and organisation in most animals (including rotifers), the two previously sequenced monogonont rotifer mitogenomes were fragmented into two chromosomes similar in size, each of which possessed one major non-coding region (mNCR) of about 4-5 Kbp. To further explore this phenomenon, we have sequenced and analysed the mitogenome of one of the most studied monogonont rotifers, Brachionus calyciflorus. It is also composed of two circular chromosomes, but the chromosome-I is extremely large (27 535 bp; 3 mNCRs), whereas the chromosome-II is relatively small (9 833 bp; 1 mNCR).

[Effects of diets on growth, serum biochemical indices and lipid metabolism in Coilia nasus].

Effects of diets on growth, serum biochemical indices, and enzyme activities related to lipid metabolism in fingerlings Coilia nasus at age of 6 months were investigated during 60-day experiment in this study. Fingerlings with similar body length and mass were fed with one of 3 types of diets (diet 1: soft pellet; diet 2: soft pellet mixed with fish oil; diet 3: slow-sinking hard pellet). Fish fed with diets 2 or 3 had significantly higher total body mass, rate of mass gain, specific growth rate, and fullness coefficient than those fed with diet 1.