Broad-nosed Pipefish Syngnathus Typhle Research Articles

The source of microbial transmission influences niche colonization and microbiome development.

Early life microbial colonizers shape and support the immature vertebrate immune system. Microbial colonization relies on the vertical route via parental provisioning and the horizontal route via environmental contribution. Vertical transmission is mostly a maternal trait making it hard to determine the source of microbial colonization in order to gain insight into the establishment of the microbial community during crucial development stages. The evolution of unique male pregnancy in pipefishes and seahorses enables the disentanglement of both horizontal and vertical transmission, but also facilitates the differentiation of maternal versus paternal provisioning ranging from egg development, to male pregnancy and early juvenile development. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and source-tracker analyses, we revealed how the distinct origins of transmission (maternal, paternal and horizontal) shaped the juvenile internal and external microbiome establishment in the broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle. Our data suggest that transovarial maternal microbial contribution influences the establishment of the juvenile gut microbiome whereas paternal provisioning mainly shapes the juvenile external microbiome. The identification of juvenile key microbes reveals crucial temporal shifts in microbial development and enhances our understanding of microbial transmission routes, colonization dynamics and their impact on lifestyle evolution.

Helicometra fasciata (Rudolphi, 1819) complex from new fish host in the Black sea, the broadnosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle Linnaeus, 1758, with notes on biology of this trematode species

This paper reports on the first record of Helicometra fasciata (Rudolphi, 1819) complex (Opecoelidae) maritae from black-striped pipefish, Syngnathus typhle Linnaeus, 1758, in the Black Sea. Ten fish specimens caught near the Kerch Strait (north-eastern part of the Black Sea) in July 2007 were examined and one of them was found to be parasitized by a single H. fasciata complex ovigerous marita. Description and drawing of the trematode found are given. S. typhle and fish of the Syngnathidae family as a whole are believed to be accidental definitive hosts of H. fasciata complex. Cases of Helicometra spp. ovigerous maritae records in fresh waters are discussed. The expansion of H. fasciata complex definitive host range in the Black Sea ( S. typhle is its 33d known fish host from here) reflects a complexity of food webs in the shelf zone of this sea.

Vibrio syngnathi sp. nov., a fish pathogen, isolated from the Kiel Fjord.

A new Vibrio strain, K08M4T, was isolated from the broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle in the Kiel Fjord. Infection experiments revealed that K08M4T was highly virulent for juvenile pipefish. Cells of strain K08M4T were Gram-stain-negative, curved rod-shaped and motile by means of a single polar flagellum. The strain grew aerobically at 9-40° C, at pH 4-10.5 and it tolerated up to 12 % (w/v) NaCl. The most prevalent (>10 %) cellular fatty acids of K08M4T were C16 : 1 ω7c and C16 : 0. Whole-genome comparisons revealed that K08M4T represents a separate evolutionary lineage that is distinct from other Vibrio species and falls within the Splendidus clade. The genome is 4,886,292 bp in size, consists of two circular chromosomes (3,298,328 and 1, 587,964 bp) and comprises 4,178 protein-coding genes and 175 RNA genes. In this study, we describe the phenotypic features of the new isolate and present the annotation and analysis of its complete genome sequence. Based on these data, the new isolate represents a new species for which we propose the name Vibrio syngnathi sp. nov. The type strain is K08M4T (=DSM 109818T=CECT 30086T).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle (Linnaeus, 1758)

In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle (Linnaeus, 1758) (Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae) has been sequenced by next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,488bp, includes 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition\\ of \ he broad-nosed pipefish is 27.72% for A, 27.81% for C, 16.53% for G, 27.94% for T and show 87% identities to Syngnathus schlegeli (GenBank: AP012318). The complete mitogenome of the broad-nosed pipefish, provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for seahorse family.

Bateman’s principle and immunity in a sex‐role reversed pipefish

In diverse animal species, from insects to mammals, females display a more efficient immune defence than males. Bateman's principle posits that males maximize their fitness by increasing mating frequency whereas females gain fitness benefits by maximizing their lifespan. As a longer lifespan requires a more efficient immune system, these implications of Bateman's principle may explain widespread immune dimorphism among animals. Because in most extant animals, the provisioning of eggs and a higher parental investment are attributes of the female sex, sex-role reversed species provide a unique opportunity to assess whether or not immune dimorphism depends on life history and not on sex per se. In the broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle, males brood and nourish the eggs in a ventral pouch and thus invest more into reproduction than females. We found males to have a more active immune response both in field data from four populations and also in an experiment under controlled laboratory conditions. This applied to different measures of immunocompetence using innate as well as adaptive immune system traits. We further determined the specificity of immune response initiation after a fully factorial primary and secondary exposure to a common marine pathogen Vibrio spp. Males not only had a more active but also a more specific immune defence than females. Our results thus indeed suggest that the sex that invests more into the offspring has the stronger immune defence.

Male broad‐nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle do not locate females by smell

Broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle were used to investigate whether males used scent in their search for mates. When the males in an experiment had access to olfactory cues only, they did not locate females better than they located males. Thus, S. typhle, was less successful in mate search when visual cues were absent.

Straight‐nosed pipefish Nerophis ophidion and broad‐nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle avoid eelgrass overgrown with filamentous algae

In a habitat choice experiment straight-nosed pipefish Nerophis ophidion and broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle avoided eelgrass Zostera marina covered with filamentous algae. Both juveniles as well as brooding adult males of the two species clearly preferred to position themselves in Z. marina without growth of filamentous algae.

The ovarian structure and mode of egg production in two polygamous pipefishes: a link to mating pattern

In this study, the ovarian structure and mode of egg production were examined in two pipefishes, the broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle and the straight-nosed pipefish Nerophis ophidion, which show different types of polygamous mating patterns. Syngnathus typhle showed an ovary with one germinal ridge and asynchronous egg production, corresponding to previous findings in other polygamous Syngnathus pipefishes. In contrast, the ovary of N. ophidion had two germinal ridges and eggs were produced synchronously in groups, similar to what has been observed in monogamous syngnathids. The egg production of N. ophidion, however, is clearly distinguished from that of monogamous syngnathids by the additional egg production after an ovulation. It is suggested that the differences in female mating strategies result from the difference in egg production process and that this is related to the difference in mating pattern between these two polygamous species.