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27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2007

Genetic markers and the coregonid problem

Coregonid fishes are the forage base in many ecosystems in the northern hemisphere and they have traditionally been part of commercial and native fisheries. Coregonids display extreme variability in morphology, life history, and behavior. Defining boundaries among coregonid taxa has been (and continues to be) the focus of many studies. Cytogenetic, biochemical, and molecular methods have been used to study the 'coregonid problem'. A survey of the literature reveals that questions of taxonomy, followed by phylogeography are most often studied. Sample collections have occurred throughout a representative portion of the coregonid range. The whitefish species Coregonus clupeaformis and C. lavaretus are most often studied. This was expected however because they are the most widely distributed, display the most variation, and are the most commercially important. However, species with restricted ranges such as the Irish pollan (C. pollan) or omul (C. migratorius) have also been studied intensively. Genetic methods have provided insights into several issues, including the placement of Stenodus and the status of C. clupeaformis and C. lavaretus. More recently, studies of sympatric forms over broad geographic scales shed light on processes involved in the evolution of the group and suggest different approaches for management and designation of taxa. ?? 2007 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1981

Biochemistry and metabolism of lake trout: laboratory and field studies on the effects of contaminants

To evaluate the effects of ambient and higher concentrations of PCB's (Aroclor 1254) and DDE in food and water on fry of lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) from Lake Michigan, I measured several biochemical indicators of stress in exposed and unexposed (control) fry. No differences between treatments were observed in oxygen consumption rates or lactate concentrations of unexercised fry, but apparent differences in specific swimming speed and lactate response in fry that swam to exhaustion suggested that exposed fry had lower stamina. Observed differences between biochemical profiles of 1-day-old sac fry reared from eggs originating from lake trout collected off Saugatuck and those originating from eggs of brood stock at the Marquette (Michigan) hatchery may have been caused by organochlorine contamination or by genetic and dietary differences between the parental stocks. Activity of the enzyme allantoinase was measured in juvenile and adult lake trout as an indicator of sublethal effects of Great Lakes contaminants. The 50% inhibition of allantoinase in vitro occurred at 6.0 mg/L Cu++, 6.7 mg/L Cd++, 34 mg/L Hg++, and 52 mg/L Pb++. Allantoinase was not affected by in vitro exposure to PCB's up to 7 μg/g, or DDE or DDT up to 10 μg/g; however, in vivo exposure resulting in 2.6 μg/g PCB's in the whole fish activated allantoinase slightly (10% significance level). Allantoinase activity was negatively correlated with total length for fish from Lake Michigan but not for fish from Lake Superior or from laboratory stocks. Mercury, PCB's, and DDT, possibly acting in combination with each other and with additional contaminants, may be the cause of the negative correlation of allantoinase activity with size in Lake Michigan lake trout.

Book chapter↗
USGS2023

Genetic basis of thiaminase I activity in a vertebrate, zebrafish Danio rerio

Thiamine (vitamin B 1 ) metabolism is an important driver of human and animal health and ecological functioning. Some organisms, including species of ferns, mollusks, and fish, contain thiamine-degrading enzymes known as thiaminases, and consumption of these organisms can lead to thiamine deficiency in the consumer. Consumption of fish containing thiaminase has led to elevated mortality and recruitment failure in farmed animals and wild salmonine populations around the world. In the North American Great Lakes, consumption of the non-native prey fish alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ) by native lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) led to thiamine deficiency in the trout, contributed to elevated fry mortality, and impeded natural population recruitment. Several thiaminases have been genetically characterized in bacteria and unicellular eukaryotes, and the source of thiaminase in multicellular organisms has been hypothesized to be gut microflora. In an unexpected discovery, we identified thiaminase I genes in zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) with homology to bacterial tenA thiaminase II. The biochemical activity of zebrafish thiaminase I (GenBank NP_001314821.1) was confirmed in a recombinant system. Genes homologous to the zebrafish tenA-like thiaminase I were identified in many animals, including common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ), zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha ) and alewife. Thus, the source of thiaminase I in alewife impacting lake trout populations is likely to be de novo synthesis.

Scientific Reports↗
USGS2002

Effects of wastewater and combined sewer overflows on water quality in the Blue River basin, Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas, July 1998-October 2000

Samples were collected from 16 base-flow events and a minimum of 10 stormflow events between July 1998 and October 2000 to characterize the effects of wastewater and combined sewer overflows on water quality in the Blue River Basin, Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas. Waterquality effects were determined by analysis of nutrients, chloride, chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, and suspended sediment samples from three streams (Blue River, Brush Creek, and Indian Creek) in the basin as well as the determination of a suite of compounds known to be indicative of wastewater including antioxidants, caffeine, detergent metabolites, antimicrobials, and selected over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals. Constituent loads were determined for both hydrologic regimes and a measure of the relative water-quality impact of selected stream reaches on the Blue River and Brush Creek was developed. Genetic fingerprint patterns of Escherichia coli bacteria from selected stream samples were compared to a data base of knownsource patterns to determine possible sources of bacteria. Water quality in the basin was affected by wastewater during both base flows and stormflows; however, there were two distinct sources that contributed to these effects. In the Blue River and Indian Creek, the nearly continuous discharge of treated wastewater effluent was the primary source of nutrients, wastewater indicator compounds, and pharmaceutical compounds detected in stream samples. Wastewater inputs into Brush Creek were largely the result of intermittent stormflow events that triggered the overflow of combined storm and sanitary sewers, and the subsequent discharge of untreated wastewater into the creek. A portion of the sediment, organic matter, and associated constituents from these events were trapped by a series of impoundments constructed along Brush Creek where they likely continued to affect water quality during base flow. Concentrations and loads of most wastewater constituents in the Blue River and Indian Creek were significantly greater than in Brush Creek, especially during base flow. However, wastewater indicator compound concentrations were sometimes greater in some Brush Creek stormflow samples. Selected stream reaches along the mid-portion of Brush Creek showed higher effects relative to other sites, primarily because these sites were in impounded reaches with the greatest density of wastewater inputs, or had relatively small drainage areas.

Kansas, Missouri↗
USGS2017

Detection of diazotrophy in the acetylene-fermenting anaerobe Pelobacter sp. strain SFB93

Acetylene (C2H2) is a trace constituent of the present Earth's oxidizing atmosphere, reflecting a mixture of terrestrial and marine emissions from anthropogenic, biomass-burning, and unidentified biogenic sources. Fermentation of acetylene was serendipitously discovered during C2H2 block assays of N2O reductase, and Pelobacter acetylenicus was shown to grow on C2H2 via acetylene hydratase (AH). AH is a W-containing, catabolic, low-redox-potential enzyme that, unlike nitrogenase (N2ase), is specific for acetylene. Acetylene fermentation is a rare metabolic process that is well characterized only in P. acetylenicus DSM3246 and DSM3247 and Pelobacter sp. strain SFB93. To better understand the genetic controls for AH activity, we sequenced the genomes of the three acetylene-fermenting Pelobacter strains. Genome assembly and annotation produced three novel genomes containing gene sequences for AH, with two copies being present in SFB93. In addition, gene sequences for all five compulsory genes for iron-molybdenum N2ase were also present in the three genomes, indicating the cooccurrence of two acetylene transformation pathways. Nitrogen fixation growth assays showed that DSM3426 could ferment acetylene in the absence of ammonium, but no ethylene was produced. However, SFB93 degraded acetylene and, in the absence of ammonium, produced ethylene, indicating an active N2ase. Diazotrophic growth was observed under N2 but not in experimental controls incubated under argon. SFB93 exhibits acetylene fermentation and nitrogen fixation, the only known biochemical mechanisms for acetylene transformation. Our results indicate complex interactions between N2ase and AH and suggest novel evolutionary pathways for these relic enzymes from early Earth to modern days.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology↗
USGS2003

Mycobacterium shottsii sp. nov., a slowly growing species isolated from Chesapeake Bay striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

Slowly growing, non-pigmented mycobacteria were isolated from striped bass (Morone saxatilis) during an epizootic of mycobacteriosis in the Chesapeake Bay. Growth characteristics, acid-fastness and results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing were consistent with those of the genus Mycobacterium. A unique profile of biochemical reactions was observed among the 21 isolates. A single cluster of eight peaks identified by analysis of mycolic acids (HPLC) resembled those of reference patterns but differed in peak elution times from profiles of reference species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. One isolate (M175T) was placed within the slowly growing mycobacteria by analysis of aligned 16S rRNA gene sequences and was proximate in phylogeny to Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium marinum. However, distinct nucleotide differences were detected in the 16S rRNA gene sequence among M175T, M. ulcerans and M. marinum (99.2% similarity). Isolate M175T could be differentiated from other slowly growing, non-pigmented mycobacteria by its inability to grow at 37??C, production of niacin and urease, absence of nitrate reductase and resistance to isoniazid (1 ??g ml-1), thiacetazone and thiophene-2-carboxylic hydrazide. Based upon these genetic and phenotypic differences, isolate M175T (= ATCC 700981T = NCTC 13215T) is proposed as the type strain of a novel species, Mycobacterium shottsii sp. nov.

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutiona↗
USGS2025

Identical sequence types of Yersinia ruckeri associated with lethal disease in wild-caught invasive Blue Catfish and cultured hybrid catfish (Channel Catfish ♀ × Blue Catfish ♂) from disparate aquatic ecosystems

Objective The Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus is commonly raised in warmwater aquaculture in the United States to produce Channel Catfish I. punctatus × Blue Catfish hybrids. It is also a prominent aquatic invasive species of concern in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Here, Yersina ruckeri was isolated from moribund Blue Catfish and hybrid catfish from disparate regions of the USA. The goal of the research here was to compare these Y. ruckeri strains to each other and other known strains for which adequate sequence data was available. In addition, we sought to determine if the strain from Blue Catfish was pathogenic to Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss . Methods Moribund hybrid catfish from culture ponds in Mississippi were processed for diagnostic evaluation in March 2016. In April 2022, a moribund Blue Catfish specimen was collected from a tributary of the Nanticoke River in Maryland. Bacterial isolates were identified and characterized using biochemical tests, antimicrobial sensitivity screening, serotyping, and complete or partial genome sequencing. Disease pathology was described via histology. The isolate from Blue Catfish was used in challenge experiments to determine if it was pathogenic to Rainbow Trout. Multilocus sequencing typing was conducted using the PubMLST database. Results Biochemical testing was consistent with Y. ruckeri . A draft genome of the Y. ruckeri isolate was assembled based on Oxford Nanopore Technology sequencing and identified a single genomic replicon (3,791,418 bp) consistent in size to other Y. ruckeri genomes and a pLT plasmid (60, 933 bp). The challenge study demonstrated no significant virulence of this isolate for Rainbow Trout ( Y. ruckeri ). This isolate was most similar to other strains isolated from ictalurids. Notably, the gyrase B gene from this isolate was identical to that of archived strains isolated from moribund Mississippi hybrid catfish aquaculture during 2016 and these isolates share identical PubMLST sequence type profiles. Similarly, they shared a pLT plasmid that differed by only 6 bp. This plasmid has never been reported from trout isolates and appears to be unique to ictalurids. Conclusions Analyses here provide preliminary genetic evidence that geographically distant (Maryland and Mississippi, USA) isolates of Y. ruckeri from ictalurids are genetically similar to each other and Y. ruckeri (strain SC09) that infects ictalurids in China. This strain is not a biothreat to Rainbow Trout at typical culture temperatures.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health↗
USGS1997

Hematologic and serum biochemical reference intervals for Florida panthers

Ninety-four blood samples were collected from 48 (29 males and 19 females) free-ranging Florida panthers ( Felis concolor coryi ) captured in southern Florida (USA) from 1983 to 1994 for routine hematological and serum biochemical analysis. Florida panthers in the northern portion of their range had significantly higher red blood cell (mean ± SD = 7.923 × 10 6 ± 0.854 × 10 6 /μl), hemoglobin (12.53 ± 1.66 g/dl), and packed cell volume (36.97 ± 4.27%) values compared to those of panthers localized in more southern parts of Florida (7.148 × 10 6 ± 1.045 × 10 6 /μl, 11.60 ± 1.62 g/dl, and 34.82 ± 5.99%, respectively). Adults had significantly higher mean serum total protein (7.50 ± 0.59 g/dl) and packed cell volume (36.90 ± 4.97%) values than juveniles (6.88 ± 0.49 g/dl and 34.54 ± 5.30%). However, mean serum albumin concentrations were significantly higher in juveniles (3.80 ± 0.26 g/dl) when compared to adult values (3.58 ± 0.26 g/dl). Mean serum calcium concentrations were significantly higher in juveniles (10.33 ± 0.39 mg/dl) than in adults (9.66 ± 0.45 mg/dl). Additionally, mean serum iron concentrations were significantly higher in those panthers of intergrade genetic stock compared to values in those of authentic genetic stock (105.6 ± 72.1 μg/dl versus 59.3 ± 19.7 μg/dl, respectively).

Florida↗
USGS2006

Extreme plasticity in thermoregulatory behaviors of free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs

In the natural environment, hibernating sciurids generally remain dormant during winter and enter numerous deep torpor bouts from the time of first immergence in fall until emergence in spring. In contrast, black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) remain active throughout winter but periodically enter short and shallow bouts of torpor. While investigating body temperature (Tb) patterns of black-tailed prairie dogs from six separate colonies in northern Colorado, we observed one population that displayed torpor patterns resembling those commonly seen in hibernators. Five individuals in this population experienced multiple torpor bouts in immediate succession that increased in length and depth as winter progressed, whereas 16 prairie dogs in five neighboring colonies remained euthermic for the majority of winter and entered shallow bouts of torpor infrequently. Our results suggest that these differences in torpor patterns did not result from differences in the physiological indicators that we measured because the prairie dogs monitored had similar body masses and concentrations of stored lipids across seasons. Likewise, our results did not support the idea that differences in overwinter Tb patterns between prairie dogs in colonies with differing torpor patterns resulted from genetic differences between populations; genetic analyses of prairie dog colonies revealed high genetic similarity between the populations and implied that individuals regularly disperse between colonies. Local environmental conditions probably played a role in the unusual T b patterns experienced by prairie dogs in the colony where hibernation-like patterns were observed; this population received significantly less rainfall than neighboring colonies during the summer growing seasons before, during, and after the year of the winter in which they hibernated. Our study provides a rare example of extreme plasticity in thermoregulatory behaviors of free-ranging prairie dogs and provides evidence contrary to models that propose a clear delineation between homeothermy, facultative torpor, and hibernation. ?? 2006 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology↗