Spinibarbus Sinensis Research Articles

Physiological and behavioral responses to social isolation and starvation in a social fish

Changes in the social environment, such as segregating an individual who would typically reside within a social group, may elicit physiological and behavioral responses to external stimulus such as starvation. However, such changes in phenotypic traits receive a little attention in social fish. Here, we used qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) with high level of sociability as animal model in order to examine the physiological and behavioral responses of this fish species to social environment (isolation vs. grouping) and nutritional state (well-fed vs. starvation). We found that differences in the reduction of body masses between the group-reared and the isolation-reared fish during periods of starvation can be partially attributed to variations in water volume within the tanks. Additionally, the decrease in standard metabolic rate was more pronounced in the group-reared fish compared to the isolation-reared fish when deprived of food, except for maximum metabolic rate and aerobic scope. Interestingly, only the group-reared fish experienced a decline in constant acceleration swimming performance after food deprivation, while this was not observed in the isolated fish. Neither social isolation nor starvation had any impact on personality expression (e.g., exploration, activity, and boldness). However, both exploration and boldness exhibited temporal effects with an increase in these two personality traits. Social isolation tended to elevate anxiety-like behavior levels. Both social isolation and starvation did not affect upper thermal tolerance; however, starvation enhanced cold resistance of the fish. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of how social environment combined with trophic stress influences phenotypic traits and may offer valuable insights into animal welfare considerations for both natural habitats and aquaculture practices.

Effects of Starve and Shelter Availability on the Group Behavior of Two Freshwater Fish Species (Chindongo demasoni and Spinibarbus sinensis).

In complex environments, fish often suffer from reduced physiological functioning due to starvation, which may have a significant effect on their behavioral adaptive strategies to predator attacks. We selected qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis, which prefers flowing water habitats) and demasone cichlid (Chindongo demasoni, which prefers still water habitats), to investigate the differences in group distribution and dynamics between the two species when faced with a simulated predation attack under different trophic states (fasted for 2 weeks or fed). We chose to conduct our experiments in a six-arm maze that included a central area and six arms of equal length and width and to obtain evidence of how the fish used the various areas of the maze to respond to simulated predation attacks. We found that the two fish species differed in their responses to simulated predation attacks under different trophic states. The group structure of the two species was relatively stable, and the effect of fasting on the qingbo group was not significant, whereas the demasone cichlid group was more susceptible to the effects of fasting, shelter and a simulated predation attack. In an environment with shelter, both species had the same anti-predator strategy and tended to enter the shelter arm to hide after encountering a simulated predation attack. However, differences in the anti-predator strategies of the two species emerged in the no-shelter environment, with the qingbo tending to enter the arm to hide, whereas the demasone cichlid group chose to enter the central area to congregate, and this phenomenon was more pronounced in the fasted group. In conclusion, our research shows that even group-stable fish may shift their anti-predation strategies (i.e., entering a shelter to hide shifts to aggregating in situ into a shoal) when starved and that the worse the swimming ability of the fish, the more affected they are by starvation.

Hepatopancreas Transcriptome Analysis of Spinibarbus sinensis to Reveal Different Growth-Related Genes.

Spinibarbus sinensis, also known as Qingbo, is an important economic fish in China. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying its growth are still unknown. To excavate the genes and signaling pathways related to its growth, we compared the transcriptome profiles of the hepatopancreas tissues of S. sinensis, with two groups of growth rate for evaluation. An average of 66,304,909 and 68,739,585 clean reads were obtained in the fast growth (FG) and slow growth (SG) group, respectively. The differential gene expression analysis results showed that 272 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened between the FG and SG groups, including 101 up-regulated genes and 171 down-regulated genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis results showed that GO terms related to metabolic process, organic substance metabolic process, and catalytic activity were enriched, pathway signals related to steroid biosynthesis and protein digestion and absorption were also detected. Meanwhile, the potential key regulatory genes sst2, fndc4, and cckra related to the growth of S. sinensis were screened. Reverse transcript fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) validation of 18 DEGs associated with growth differences showed that the RT-qPCR results were consistent with RNA-seq analysis, and nine genes, stk31, gpr149, angptl1, fstl1, sik1, ror2, nlrc3, pdlim2, and nav2 were significantly expressed in the FG group. bmp1, stc1, gpatch8, sstrt2, s100a1, ktf6, cckar6, sync1, bhlha15, a total of nine genes were significantly expressed in the SG group. This study provides basic information for improving the growth characteristics of S. sinensis and the functional research of candidate genes.

The effects of the predictability of acclimatory temperature on the growth and thermal tolerance of juvenile Spinibarbus sinensis

Heated effluent injection, cold hypolimnetic water inputs from dams, and extreme weather events can lead to unpredictable temperature fluctuations in natural waters, impacting fish performance and fitness. We hypothesized that fish exposed to such unpredictable fluctuations would exhibit weaker growth and enhanced thermal tolerance compared to predictable conditions. Qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) was selected as the experimental subject in this study. The qingbo were divided into a constant temperature group (C, 22 ± 0.5 °C), a predictable temperature fluctuation group (PF, 22 ± 4 °C, first warming, then cooling within a day) and an unpredictable temperature fluctuation group (UF, 22 ± 4 °C, the order of warming or cooling is random). After 40 days of temperature acclimation, the growth, metabolic rate, spontaneous activity, thermal tolerance, plasma cortisol concentration and liver hsp70 level of the fish were measured. Unexpectedly, neither the PF nor the UF group showed decreased growth compared to the C group. This could be attributed to the fact that temperature variation did not lead to a substantial increase in basic energy expenditure. Furthermore, feeding rates increased due to temperature fluctuations, although the difference was not significant. Both the PF and UF groups exhibited increased upper thermal tolerance, but only the UF group exhibited improved lower thermal tolerance and higher liver hsp70 levels compared to the C group. The qingbo that experienced unpredictable temperature fluctuations had the best thermal tolerance among the 3 groups, which might have occurred because they had the highest level of hsp70 expression. This may safeguard fish against the potential lethal consequences of extreme temperatures in the future. These findings suggested that qingbo exhibited excellent adaptability to both predictable and unpredictable temperature fluctuations, which may be associated with frequent temperature fluctuations in its natural habitat.

活跃性和社会性对中华倒刺鲃集群行为的影响

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 活跃性和社会性对中华倒刺鲃集群行为的影响 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202106021452 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金（NSFC31670418）；重庆市自然科学基金（cstc2018jcyjAX0150，cstc2021jcyj-msxmX0835） Effects of activity and sociability on shoaling behavior of Spinibarbus sinensis Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:为考察群体中不同的个性组成对鱼类集群行为的影响及其内在机制，选取中华倒刺鲃（Spinibarbus sinensis）幼鱼为实验对象，依次测定其活跃性和社会性，随后分别根据活跃性和社会性的高低分为高、低和混合活跃性（或社会性）鱼群，考察鱼群中不同个性组成对集群时的整体运动特征以及每尾鱼的个体运动特征的影响。研究发现：（1）中华倒刺鲃的个性特征稳定且个体间变异较大；（2）高活跃性鱼群的运动时间比和速度同步性均大于低活跃性鱼群，而混合鱼群位于二者之间且与两个同质性鱼群均无显著差异；高社会性鱼群速度同步性显著小于低社会性和混合社会性鱼群，而后两者之间没有显著差异。（3）活跃性特征与集群运动时每尾鱼的运动特征（速度及其同步性等）相关，社会性特征不仅与上述运动特征关联，还与凝聚力大小（距鱼群质心距离）相关。研究表明：（1）鱼群的活跃性和社会性组成均对集群行为产生重要影响，但其内在机制截然不同。主要表现为：就活跃性而言，群体的运动状态是由群体中所有成员共同决定（平均决定机制）；就社会性而言，少数低社会性成员对鱼群的运动水平表现有着主导作用（少数决定机制）；（2）实验鱼的活跃性在集群行为中得到了较大程度的保留，可能是其平均决定机制的基础；实验鱼的社会性和集群时凝聚力的关联可能是其少数决定机制的原因。中华倒刺鲃稳定的个性变异、个性组成与鱼群运动特征的密切关联及其内在机制的复杂性可能有利于该物种在多变的环境条件下完成不同的生理活动，具有重要的生态意义。 Abstract:Animal personalities are defined as consistent individual differences in behaviors across contexts and time. Recently, the ecological relevance of personalities in fish species has drawn much attention from behavioral ecologists, and scientists assumed that how fish group members adjust their personalities thus to maintain consensus direction alignment and speed synchronization during shoaling might be of utmost importance in the field of animal behavior. To investigate the effect of personality composition on the characteristics of shoaling behavior and its internal mechanism in juvenile Qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis), we measured the personality traits (i.e. activity and sociability), the collective motion of fish shoals (six individuals each shoal and 14 shoals each treatment) with different personality composition (proactive, reactive and heterogenous personality shoals), and the individuality of motion of each group member. The main results are as follows:(1) Qingbo showed stable personality traits with relatively large inter-individual variation indicated by high intraclass correlation coefficient and large coefficient of variation. (2) The high-activity shoals presented more percent time spent moving (approximately 18%) and higher synchronization of swimming speed (approximately 3%) compared to those of low-activity shoals, whereas there was no significant difference between either homogeneous shoal and the heterogenous personality shoal. Furthermore, the synchronization of swimming speed of high-sociability shoal was significantly lower than those of low-activity (approximately 4%) and heterogenous shoals (approximately 3%), whereas there was no significant difference in the latter two treatments. (3) The activity trait was positively correlated with the motion characteristics (such as swimming speed and its synchronization) of each group member during shoaling. The sociability trait was not only correlated (negatively) with above mentioned motion characteristics, but also negatively correlated with the group cohesion. The results suggest that:(1) the personality composition has profound effect on shoaling behavior, but with distinctly different underlying mechanisms. The shoaling behavior characteristics of the group comprised members with different activity trait are mainly determined by all the members of the group, i.e. average-determined mechanism. However, the shoaling behavior characteristics is mainly determined by a few members with the lowest sociability score, i.e. minority-determined mechanism. (2) The activity trait of the experimental fish can withhold to a large extend which might be the fundament of the average-determined mechanism. However, the positive correlation between sociability trait and group cohesion might be at least one reason for the minority-determined mechanism. In all, the stable personality with larger inter-individual variation, the close relationship between personality traits and the motion characteristics, and the complicated mechanism underlying the relationship might beneficial for Qingbo to fulfill their physiological activities under a changeable environment. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Effects of fasting on collective movement and fission-fusion dynamics in both homogeneous and heterogeneous shoals of a group-living cyprinid fish species.

The present study aimed to reveal the effect of fasting (21 days) on collective movement and interaction dynamics in both homogeneous (eight members fed a commercial diet or deprived of food) and heterogeneous (four fed + four starved members) shoals of juvenile qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis). The authors of this study measured the shoaling behaviour in both a commonly used rectangular open arena with no spatial complexity and a radial arm maze. When measured in the open arena, the starved shoals had a faster swimming speed and acceleration rate and a longer interindividual distance than the fed shoals, possibly because of the elevated foraging motivation. Nonetheless, the values of the heterogeneous groups were similar to those of the fed groups. Furthermore, in contrast to the fish in homogeneous shoals, the starved fish in heterogeneous shoals showed a slower acceleration rate and speed than fed members in heterogeneous shoals. These results, combined with the relationships of variables at the among- and within-shoal levels, suggested that starved fish limited their motion in heterogeneous shoals to maintain group cohesion but that the fed fish contributed more to maintaining shoal structure, possibly because of the higher energy expenditure required for movement changes. When monitored in a radial arm maze, starved shoals showed more fission-fusion episodes without sacrificing group cohesion, as they adaptively adjusted the frequency and duration of each majority choice. The among-shoal variation revealed that the heterogeneous groups showed less variation in the open arena but more variation in the radius maze than did the homogeneous groups. This difference might arise because dominant members have opposite effects on shoal behaviour and consensus decisions. In conclusion, the present study showed opposite effects of feeding states on collective behaviour between homogeneous and heterogeneous shoals, possibly because of the complicated interactions among members with different energy storage levels and foraging motivations. Furthermore, the heterogeneous groups showed a difference between shoal behaviour in the open area and exploration in the radial arm maze. Future studies manipulating the personality composition of starved and fed members of heterogeneous groups might yield interesting results.

Changes in fish assemblages following the implementation of a complete fishing closure in the Chishui River

The Chishui River is the first to have a complete fishing-closure in the Yangtze River basin. To explore how fish assemblages changed following the implementation of the fishing closure, field surveys were conducted biannually in three reaches (upper, middle and lower) along its longitudinal gradient during 2007 to 2019. A total of 143 species from eight orders and 24 families was collected. Diversity index for all three reaches showed no significant changes through time. However, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination analysis revealed significant temporal changes in the structure of fish assemblages for all reaches (P＜0.05 in all cases). Time-lag analysis further showed that the fish assemblages in the upstream had reverted to the early study periods (P＜0.05), with the relative abundance of some large-sized species (e.g., Onychostoma simum and Spinibarbus sinensis) returning to former levels immediately after fishing closure. Fish assemblages in the midstream and downstream reaches also showed trends to returning to the early study periods, but did not reach statistical significance (P > 0.05). These discrepancies might be attributed to varying human disturbances and the type of fish species composition along the longitudinal gradient.

Energy metabolism, ghrelin levels and personality could not predict the vulnerability of Qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) to angling

Fish are often faced with selection pressure from human activities (e.g., fish angling). Therefore, morphological, physiological, personality, and life history characteristics have evolved directly in fish populations under this human-made selection. Here, we investigate the phenotypic basis of vulnerability to angling in juvenile Qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis). The standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), and personality (i.e., exploration, activity and boldness) of juvenile S. sinensis were determined. An angling experiment was then conducted and the hormones (i.e., ghrelin) of the individuals were examined in a laboratory at 24.9 ± 0.1 °C. Our results showed that only frequency with which the fish touched the novel object in exploration was higher in the LVA (low vulnerability to angling) phenotype than the HVA (high vulnerability to angling) phenotype, but energy metabolism (SMR; MMR; AS, aerobic scope; FAS, factorial aerobic scope), hormone (ghrelin levels) and personality (exploration, activity and boldness) did not differ between the HVA and the LVA phenotype. Principal components analysis showed that exploration was associated with boldness while activity was not associated with boldness. The AS, exploration and boldness score were inhibitory factors for the HVA outcomes, but ghrelin, activity score and exploration score did not contribute to outcomes of the HVA. These results suggest that energy metabolism, hormone levels and personality are not predictors of vulnerability to angling in Qingbo under the laboratory condition, but individuals with higher tendency to explore the novel environment are more likely to be bolder.

Qingbo, a common cyprinid fish, responds diversely in behavior and locomotion to predators with different hunting modes.

Almost all prey live in habitats with predators with different hunting modes; however, most studies on predation have investigated the effects of only one predator at a time. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis), a common cyprinid fish, responds differently to active hunting and ambush predators and how qingbo responds when both types of predators coexist. Juvenile qingbo were subjected to catfish (Clarias fuscus, active hunter) exposure, snakehead fish (Channa argus, ambush hunter) exposure, or mixed predator exposure (catfish and snakehead coexistence) for a duration of 60days. Then, their growth, behaviors, swimming performance, and metabolism were measured. Qingbo subjected to active hunting predator exposure exhibited decreased activity and predator inspection and improved fast-start escape performance compared to those in the control group. However, none of the parameters of the fish subjected to ambush predator exposure changed significantly. Fish subjected to mixed predator exposure exhibited improved fast-start escape performance but increased maintenance energy expenditure, whereas no changes were observed in any of the behavioral variables. Qingbo showed a stronger anti-predator response to active hunting predators than to ambush predators, suggesting that the fish exhibit a stronger anti-predator response to a current direct threat than to a potential threat (a predator exists nearby but seldom presents in attack behavior). Additionally, the response of prey fish to multiple predators was quite complex, and the coexistence and interaction of multiple predator species with different hunting modes may lead to serious stress responses and confound the prey's behavioral responses to each predator.

Effects of waterborne cadmium exposure on Spinibarbus sinensis hepatopancreas and kidney: Mitochondrial cadmium accumulation and respiratory metabolism

To examine the relationship between heavy metal accumulation in mitochondria and their respiration function in fish during in vivo exposure, juvenile Spinibarbus sinensis were exposed to different waterborne cadmium (Cd) concentrations for up to 28 days. We measured the state III respiration rate and cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity of mitochondria in hepatopancreas and kidney and the accumulated Cd concentrations in mitochondria and heat-stable protein (HSP) fractions. Dose- and time-dependent Cd accumulation occurred at different levels in both organs, but was lower in hepatopancreas. When hepatopancreas mitochondrial Cd concentrations in Cd-exposed groups were > 5.5 μg/g dwt, their state III respiration rates were significantly lower than the control. CCO activity of hepatopancreas mitochondria exhibited decreasing dose- and time-dependent trends. However, kidney mitochondria respiratory activities were not affected significantly by Cd exposure. Cd concentrations in kidney HSP fraction were 2–5 times higher than in hepatopancreas under all exposure conditions, and were mainly present as non-deleterious metallothionein (MT)-Cd complexes. These results suggest that Cd accumulation occurred in hepatopancreas and kidney mitochondria of S. sinensis following waterborne Cd exposure, which significantly inhibited the respiration function of hepatopancreas mitochondria but did not have a deleterious effect on kidney mitochondria. The inhibitory pattern of hepatopancreas mitochondrial Cd concentrations related to function exhibited threshold and saturation effects, suggesting the capacity of S. sinensis to manage Cd toxicity. The difference in the relative proportion of Cd occurring as MT-Cd complexes in organs likely causes the organ-specific effects of Cd on hepatopancreas and kidney mitochondrial function.

温度对中华倒刺鲃不同生理生态性能的影响:驯化有益假说的验证

驯化有益假说（Beneficial acclimation hypothesis）认为生物表型的适应性变化会增强其在诱导这些变化产生的环境中的生理机能或适合度。然而，由于动物不同生理生态性能对环境驯化的响应可能不一致，那么，测试表型性状的选择对驯化有益假说的验证就尤为关键。为此，整合表征动物生存适合度的不同生理生态性能并探究其对环境驯化的响应模式就十分必要。以我国长江中上游广泛分布的中华倒刺鲃（Spinibarbus sinensis）为对象，考察了驯化温度（18℃、28℃）和测试温度（18℃、28℃）及其交互作用对该物种有氧运动能力和无氧运动能力的影响，为驯化有益假说等相关假说的验证提供参考。研究发现，中华倒刺鲃不同生理生态性能对温度驯化的响应存在差异：（1）驯化温度对表征中华倒刺鲃无氧运动能力的快速启动游泳无显著影响（除最大加速度外）（P>0.05），研究数据倾向于支持无益假说（No-advantage hypothesis）；（2）驯化温度对表征中华倒刺鲃有氧运动能力的临界游泳速度（Critical swimming speed，U_crit）和最大代谢率（Maximum metabolic rate，MMR）影响显著（P<0.05），18℃驯化-18℃测试下的U_crit和MMR均优于28℃驯化-18℃测试下的U_crit和MMR，结果部分支持驯化有益假说和冷有益假说（Cooler is better hypothesis）；（3）驯化温度、测试温度、游泳速度对中华倒刺鲃的运动代谢率（Active metabolic rate，MO₂）和单位距离能量消耗（The energetic cost of transport，COT）影响显著（P<0.05）。值得关注的是，当游泳速度小于30 cm/s时，驯化温度对MO₂和COT无影响，结果支持无益假说；而当游泳速度大于30 cm/s时，在特定的流速下经过28℃驯化的中华倒刺鲃无论在28℃还是18℃的测试环境下MO₂和COT均较低，结果倾向于支持热有益假说（Warmer is better hypothesis）。研究结果提示：驯化有益假说并不具有普遍性，热驯化相关假说的验证不仅受表型性状选择的影响，而且还与测试的环境选择压力有关。;Traditionally, it has been assumed that all acclimation changes to the phenotype enhanced the performance of an individual organism in the environment in which those changes were induced (beneficial acclimation hypothesis, BAH). However, since the responses of different eco-physiological properties of animals to acclimation may be inconsistent, the phenotypes selected for testing are particularly critical for the verification of BAH. Thus, it is necessary to integrate different eco-physiological properties that characterize the fitness of the organism and to explore their response mode to acclimation. To verify the hypotheses (e.g. BAH) related to thermal acclimation, Spinibarbus sinensis, which is widely distributed in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze river in China, was taken as the object to investigate the effects of acclimation temperature (18℃ and 28℃) and test temperature (18℃ and 28℃), as well as their interactions on the aerobic and anaerobic swimming performance of this species. We confirmed that the responses of different eco-physiological properties in S. sinensis to temperature acclimation were not consistent. (1) In addition to maximum linear acceleration (A_max), acclimation temperature had no significant influence on maximum linear velocity (V_max), latency time (T_Latency) and escape distance during the first 120 ms after the stimulus (S_{120 ms}) that characterize fast-start performance of S. sinensis (P>0.05). The data tend to support no-advantage hypothesis. (2) Acclimation temperature had a significant effect on critical swimming speed (U_crit) and maximum metabolic rate (MMR) that characterize aerobic swimming performance of S. sinensis (P<0.05). The U_crit and MMR of the individuals acclimated to 18℃ and tested at 18℃ outperformed than those acclimated to 28℃ and tested at 18℃. The data tend to support the BAH as well as cooler is better hypothesis at least in part. (3) Both acclimation temperature, test temperature and water velocity had significant effects on active metabolic rate (MO₂) and the energetic cost of transport (COT) in S. sinensis (P<0.05). Interestingly, acclimation temperature had no effect on MO₂ and COT when the swimming speed was less than 30 cm/s, and in that case no-advantage hypothesis was supported. Whereas the MO₂ and COT of the individuals acclimated to 28℃ were lower than those acclimated to 18℃ no matter the test temperature was 28℃ or 18℃ at a specific flow rate (greater than 30 cm/s), and in that case warmer is better hypothesis was supported. Overall, the data from our studies rejected the generality of the BAH. The results indicated that the verification of the BAH was not only influenced by the choice of phenotypic traits, but also strongly affected by the selection pressure of the test environment.

Characterization of Myxidium spinibarba sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Myxosporea, Myxidiidae) from Spinibarbus sinensis (Bleeker, 1871) in Chongqing China.

In the present study, we described a new species of Myxidium Bütschli, 1882, obtained from the gallbladder of Spinibarbus sinensis (Bleeker, 1871) from the Jialing River in Chongqing, China. Myxidium spinibarba sp. nov. was identified based on morphological and SSU rDNA sequence data. The mature myxospores were fusiform in valvular view and ovoid in sutural view, with somewhat protrusive poles and mean dimensions (all in μm) of 11.8 ± 0.5 (10.6-12.4) in length and 6.1 ± 0.5 (5.5-7.2) in width. The polar capsules were pyriform and equal in size with mean dimensions of 3.6 ± 0.4 (3.0-4.4) in length and 3.0 ± 0.2 (2.7-3.2) in width. The new species was distinct from related species of Myxidium in its morphology and molecular characteristics. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the clustering of species based on the presence or absence of valvular striations. Moreover, myxospore morphology, rather than the host environment, played an important role in the partial phylogenetic clustering.

Comparative phylogeny of (Schizothorax esocinus) with reference to 12s and 16 sribosomal RNA from River Swat, Pakistan

Schizothorax esocinus is one of the important cold water delicious fish belonging to family Cyprinidae and found in River Swat which is one of the main river flowing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.The complete mitochondrial genomes of the S. esocinus species was found to be 16,591bp. Phylogenetic analysis of S. esocinus based on 12 s ribosomal RNA and 16S rRNA confirmed that, the phylogenetic position of S. esocinus was slightly different, but clustered closed to S. plagiostomus, S. labiatus, S. richardsonii, S. nepalensis, and S. progastus predicting a close homology in genome and hence a monophyletic line of evolution also this specie showed close relationship and homologs to the Aspiorhynchus laticeps, Spinibarbus sinensis, Aspiorhynchus laticeps, and Percocypris respectively. This study provided phylogenetic relationship between Schizothoracinae fishes and with the other fishes of family cyprinidae even at the subfamily level.

Behavioral adjustments to prior predation experience and food deprivation of a common cyprinid fish species vary between singletons and a group.

Fish often undergo predation stress and food shortages in nature, and living in groups may provide the ecological benefits of decreased predator risk but the costs of increased food competition. The main aim of the present study was to test whether the behavioral response of qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) to predators and/or starvation differed between a singleton and a group. We measured the locomotor activity and distance to a predator and/or food item of prior predator-experienced, starved, double-treated and control qingbo; the qingbo were tested both as singletons and in a group (five individuals). Fish from all groups showed increased activity when tested collectively compared to individually. The predator-experienced fish showed decreased locomotor activity to predators as an antipredator strategy when tested as singletons; however, increased locomotor activity occurred when tested in a group, which might be partially due to the decreased predator risk when living in a group and thus higher levels of boldness. As expected, starvation elicited increased activity indicating increased foraging willingness when tested in a group; however, the difference between starved and normal-fed fish was no longer significant when they were tested as singletons, possibly due to the increased predation risk and decreased food competition when living individually and higher behavioral variation among individual fish than among those in a shoal. Compared with the control fish, the double-treated fish showed no difference in activity when tested both individually and collectively (except a slower speed when tested in a group). The reason for the results from the singletons might be an offset of the effect of predator exposure and starvation. The reason for this difference in the group might be due to the impaired body condition indicated by a slower swimming speed as a consequence of severe stress. The present study demonstrated that behavioral adjustment was closely related to the size of the group, which might be due to differences in the predation risk and food competition.

Feasibility of cultivation of Spinibarbus sinensis with coconut oil and its effect on disease resistance (nonspecific immunity, antioxidation and mTOR and NF-kB signaling pathways)

Application of traditional bait in aquaculture caused environment pollution and disease frequent occurrence. Residual coconut could be re-utilized to culture Spinibarbus sinensis as dietary supplement. Therefore, a novel integrated system of the improvement of yield, antioxidant and nonspecific immunity of Spinibarbus sinensis by dietary residual coconut was proposed and investigated. Spinibarbus sinensis could grow well in all supplement residual coconut groups. Survival rate, yield, whole fish body composition under 15–45% groups were increased compared with control group (CK). Bioactive substances (polyphenols and vitamin) in residual coconut enhanced AKP, ACP, phagocytic, SOD, CAT activities through up-regulating AKP, ACP, SOD, CAT genes expression levels. Theoretical analysis showed bioactive substances regulated these genes expressions and enzyme activities as stimulus signal, component, active center. Moreover, residual coconut improved mTOR and NF-kB signaling pathway. Furthermore, residual coconut inhibited Aeromonas hydrophila that increased resistance to diseases. This technology completed the solid waste recovery and the Spinibarbus sinensis culture simultaneously.

Qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) personalities and their effect on shoaling behavior

Group-level behavior has important fitness consequences for group-living fish, which might be affected by the personalities of group members. However, the role of group personality on group behavior has seldom been systematically investigated. To test the effect of the personalities of group members on shoaling behavior and the underlying mechanisms, we investigated the activity and boldness personality traits in qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) and grouped qingbo shoals into high personality score, low personality score, and randomly selected control groups and measured the shoal-level behavior traits. Compared with the reactive shoal (low activity and boldness), the proactive (high activity and boldness) shoal showed high activity and increased synchronization of speed, suggesting that the shoal-level behavior was affected by the personalities of the shoal members. Interestingly, the variables in the control shoal were midway between those in the high- and low-activity shoals, suggesting that the average activity score might be the most important factor for group-level behavior (average-determined mechanism). However, when qingbo were divided into high- and low-boldness shoals, the control shoal variables were similar to those of the low-boldness shoals, suggesting that a minority of low-boldness individuals might have a dominant effect on shoal-level behavior (minority-determined mechanism). Cohesion showed a more complicated pattern than the other variables, which might be because the conformity of personalities among shoal members had a profound effect on cohesion. This finding suggests that large interindividual differences in personality play a profound effect on group-level behavior, and different mechanisms might provide the precondition for shoals to exhibit great shoal-level diversity. These findings might have important ecological relevance for the survival of group-living fish in habitats with food resource and predation intensity fluctuations.

Numerical ability and improvement through interindividual cooperation varied between two cyprinid fish species, qingbo and crucian carp.

We used qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) and Chinese crucian carp (Carassius auratus) to test whether numerical discrimination could be improved by the coexistence and possible cooperation of conspecies or heterospecies. We conducted a spontaneous shoal choice test of singletons, conspecific dyads and heterospecific dyads under different numerical comparisons (8 vs. 12, 9 vs. 12 and 10 vs. 12). Singletons of qingbo could discriminate only 8 vs. 12, whereas the dyads of qingbo showed better numerical acuity, as they could discriminate 10 vs. 12. Crucian carp may have poor numerical ability, as both singleton and dyads showed no significant preference for larger stimulus shoals, even at the ‘easier’ numerical discrimination, that is, 8 vs. 12. Furthermore, heterospecific dyads of crucian carp and qingbo did not show significant preference for larger shoals at any numerical comparison in the present study. It is suggested that both the numerical ability and the possibility for improvement by interindividual interaction and hence cooperation might vary among fish species, and the interaction between heterospecies in the present study showed negative effect on numerical ability possibly due to the different behavioural and cognitive traits which make the information transfer and consensus difficult to reach.

Physiological and behavioral stress responses to predators are altered by prior predator experience in juvenile qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis)

ABSTRACTAll vertebrates exhibit physiological responses to predator stress and these responses are the basis of appropriate behavioral adaptation. We aimed to identify the physiological and behavioral responses of juvenile qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) to its natural predator, the southern catfish (Silurus meridionalis) and to test whether these responses could be altered by prior predator experience. We measured the routine metabolic rate (RMR), cortisol levels and spontaneous behavior of both predator-naive and predator-experienced qingbo under predator-absent, predator-present and non-predator-present (Hemibarbus maculatus) conditions. Predator-naive qingbo showed a typical stress response in the form of increased RMR and cortisol when exposed to predators. Spontaneous activity showed no difference between prior-experience groups or among stimulus conditions when tested alone; however, when tested with a companion, predator-naive qingbo showed increased activity and decreased distance to the stimulus arena under the predator-present condition than they did under the predator-absent condition. Both predator-naive and predator-experienced qingbo showed different physiological and behavioral responses between predatory and non-predatory fish, which suggested that predator-naive qingbo can instinctually discriminate between natural predators and non-predators. Predator-naive qingbo increase their inspection behavior when exposed to a predator compared with the predator-absent condition only when tested with a companion, which is possibly due to decreased predation risk and increased boldness.

饥饿对中华倒刺鲃幼鱼代谢、个性和集群的影响

饥饿对中华倒刺鲃幼鱼代谢、个性和集群的影响

Quantity discrimination in fish species: fish use non-numerical continuous quantity traits to select shoals.

Fish typically prefer to live in big shoals due to the associated ecological benefits. Shoaling is a behavior that depends on the ability to quantitatively discriminate. The fundamental mechanism involved in quantity discrimination determines whether fish can discriminate a shoal using numerical discrete cues (e.g., number of shoal members), non-numerical continuous traits (e.g., total body surface area) or both; however, the mechanism is currently a controversial topic. In the present study, we used a spontaneous choice experiment to test whether guppy (Poecilia reticulata), zebrafish (Danio rerio), Chinese crucian carp (Carassius auratus) and qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) rely on continuous (i.e., body surface area) or discrete (i.e., number of shoal members) information for shoal selection by altering the body surface area (cumulative body surface area ratio of 3:2 or 1:1) between two stimulus shoals with a different number of members (2 individuals vs 3 individuals). All four fish species preferred to shoal with the stimulus shoal with the larger cumulative surface area even if the shoal had fewer members; however, fish showed no shoal preference when the cumulative surface body areas of both stimulus shoals were equal. Furthermore, qingbo did not numerically discriminate between a shoal with 1 individual and a shoal with 3 individuals when the cumulative surface areas of both stimulus shoals were equal; however, qingbo showed a preference for the shoal with the larger cumulative surface area when the two stimulus shoals each had 3 individuals. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that all four fish species relied only on non-numerical continuous quantity information for shoal selection, at least under a difficult task (i.e., 2 vs 3).