Does the endangered Knysna seahorse, Hippocampus capensis, have a preference for aquatic vegetation type, cover or height?
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Lockyear, Jaqueline F , Hecht, Thomas , Kaiser, Horst
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6775 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008082
- Description: The Knysna seahorse, Hippocampus capensis, is an endangered teleost confined to three South African estuaries. Its abundance within these systems is low and distributions are patchy. Consequently, monitoring population sizes is labour-intensive. The aim of this study was to establish if Knynsa seahorses are associated with specific regions within the estuaries, on which conservation efforts could concentrate. The relationship of Knysna seahorses with aquatic vegetation was analysed in the Knysna Estuary (the largest of the three estuarine systems inhabited by H. capensis) to determine whether this species shows a preference for a particular plant species, vegetation density or vegetation height. Seahorses were associated with five dominant aquatic plants: Zostera capensis, Caulerpa filiformis, Codium extricatum, Halophila ovalis and Ruppia cirrhosa. Together, these comprised 96% of the submerged objects with which seahorses were associated. The relative abundance of plant species changed along the estuary, but seahorses were present throughout the system, except at the estuary mouth, which was characterized by low plant densities and strong currents. No significant difference was found between the proportion of plant species present in a particular region of the estuary and the proportion of plants that seahorses used as holdfasts. However, when Z. capensis and C. filiformis were present at the same sites, adult seahorses preferred C. filiformis as holdfast. Adult seahorse density (individuals/m²) was significantly correlated with percentage vegetation cover and with holdfast length, but juvenile seahorse density was not. Nonetheless, significantly more adult and juvenile seahorses were found at sites characterized by high vegetation cover (>75%) than at sites with lower cover. Our results indicate that although there is some evidence that Knynsa seahorses prefer certain plant species over others, they are likely to be encountered anywhere in the estuary where aquatic plants are present. Conservation efforts in the Knysna Estuary should thus concentrate on such vegetated areas, which comprise approximately 11% of the total submerged surface area.
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- Date Issued: 2007
The life history responses of the abalone pest, Terebrasabella heterouncinata, under natural and aquaculture conditions
- Authors: Simon, Carol A , Kaiser, Horst , Britz, Peter J
- Date: 2005
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6773 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008074
- Description: The sabellid, Terebrasabella heterouncinata, is a small (<5 mm) intratubular brooder that lives in burrows within the host s shell matrix. It is a semi-continuous breeder and despite producing small numbers of large eggs, infestation by this animal has reached epidemic proportions on local abalone farms. The present study compared the morphometrics and reproductive characteristics of worms from farmed and wild abalone, in the Walker Bay area of the south Western Cape Province of South Africa, to gain insights into why this animal has become so successful under aquaculture conditions. The farms designated farm A and farm B each had one on-farm site, and two wild sites, while farm C had two on-farm sites and two wild sites. The wild sites were natural abalone habitats located within 2.5 km of the farms. Our results conclusively showed that environmental conditions prevalent on the farms enhanced the reproductive success of these worms relative to that observed in its natural environment. At farms B and C, worms occurred in significantly higher densities at the on-farm sites than in the corresponding wild samples, but at farm A, density was equally low at the three sites. At all three farms, a greater proportion of the population was reproductively active in the on-farm samples than in the wild samples. Worms on farmed abalone had a higher instantaneous fecundity, brooded more clutches simultaneously and were larger than their conspecifics from the wild. There was a positive correlation between adult size and brood size and the number of clutches brooded simultaneously. Within the three on-farm sites there was a negative correlation between egg volume and brood size, indicating a trade-off between these traits. However, such a trade-off was not apparent between sites, with brood size being higher at the on-farm sites than at the wild sites, irrespective of egg size. This suggests that the stable nutrient-enriched environment on the farm led to an increase in fecundity without compromising the size (and implicitly the quality) of the eggs. Worm density did not have a significant effect on body size or any other reproductive traits at most sites, and the density of T. heterouncinata was unaffected by the density of other shell-infesting polychaetes. The results suggest that the farm environment has selected for larger, more fecund worms that breed rapidly with high recruitment success as a consequence of abundant nutrients, high host density, habitat stability and a possible lack of predation and interspecific competition.
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- Date Issued: 2005
Competition for attachment of aquaculture candidate probiotic and pathogenic bacteria on fish intestinal mucus:
- Authors: Vine, Niall G , Leukes, W D , Kaiser, Horst , Daya, Santylal , Baxter, Jeremy , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 2004
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142819 , vital:38120 , DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2761.2004.00542.x
- Description: Probiotics for aquaculture are generally only selected by their ability to produce antimicrobial metabolites; however, attachment to intestinal mucus is important in order to remain within the gut of its host. Five candidate probiotics (AP1–AP5), isolated from the clownfish, Amphiprion percula (Lacepéde), were examined for their ability to attach to fish intestinal mucus and compete with two pathogens, Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio alginolyticus. Two different radioactive isotopes were used to quantify competition between pathogens and probionts. Attachment of the pathogens was enhanced by the presence of the candidate probiotics. However, the addition of the candidate probiotics after the pathogens resulted in reduced pathogen attachment.
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- Date Issued: 2004
Review of the African distribution of the brine shrimp genus Artemia
- Authors: Kaiser, Horst , Gordon, Andrew K , Paulet, T G
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6765 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007963
- Description: Brine shrimp (genus Artemia) are small (8 to 12 mm long) cosmopolitan crustaceans (Anostraca) found predominately in hypersaline water bodies such as inland salt lakes and pans, coastal lagoons, and salt works at salinity levels above 40 g(.)l[superscript(-1)]. They have been extensively studied due to their high monetary value as food for larval fish in aquaculture and their unique reproductive strategies. Brine shrimp occur as either bisexual species or as parthenogenetic populations. Despite published reviews of their world-wide distribution little is known about their occurrence in Africa. This review adds new information about 70 African Artemia sites and lists 26 potential sites and their coordinates. Sixteen sites in Southern Africa and Namibia were visited during a collecting trip, and new information on the reproductive mode of nine of these sites is given. Several South African populations exhibit bisexual reproduction. In Namibia there are two parthenogenetic populations (Walvis Bay and Swartkops) and an additional bisexual population (Hentie's Bay). A mixed population (bisexual and parthenogenetic reproduction at the same site) was found at Coega, South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Metabolic activity throughout early development of dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus (Sciaenidae)
- Authors: Edworthy, Carla , James, Nicola C , Erasmus, B , Kemp, J O G , Kaiser, Horst , Potts, Warren M
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125159 , vital:35737 , https://doi.10.2989/1814232x.2018.1441907
- Description: Metabolism quantifies the energy-consuming activities of an organism (Nelson 2016) and is used as an indication of how organisms partition energy resources to activities that allow them to survive, grow and reproduce (Post and Lee 1996). The metabolic profile, which is a composition of the various metabolic rates of an individual, therefore gives an indication of the efficiency of energy transformation and allocation (Fry 1971; Brown et al. 2004). McKenzie et al. (2016) suggested that an organism’s physiology contributes towards its ability to survive under specific environmental conditions. As a result, physiological condition can be a reflection of the performance and fitness of an organism (Pörtner 2010). When combined with information on changing environmental conditions, physiological information can provide insight into species- and community-level responses (Pörtner and Farrell 2008). These kinds of data have served numerous ecological applications, including resource management, conservation (McKenzie et al. 2016) and climate-change assessments (Pörtner and Farrell 2008).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Influence of intra-and interspecific variation in predator–prey body size ratios on trophic interaction strengths:
- Authors: Cuthbert, Ross N , Wasserman, Ryan J , Dalu, Tatenda , Kaiser, Horst , Weyl, Olaf L F , Dick, Jaimie T A , Sentis, Arnaud , McCoy, Michael W , Alexander, Mhairi E
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/149358 , vital:38839 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1002/ece3.6332
- Description: Predation is a pervasive force that structures food webs and directly influences ecosystem functioning. The relative body sizes of predators and prey may be an important determinant of interaction strengths. However, studies quantifying the combined influence of intra‐ and interspecific variation in predator–prey body size ratios are lacking. We use a comparative functional response approach to examine interaction strengths between three size classes of invasive bluegill and largemouth bass toward three scaled size classes of their tilapia prey. We then quantify the influence of intra‐ and interspecific predator–prey body mass ratios on the scaling of attack rates and handling times.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Determination of the optimal water temperature for the culture of juvenile dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus Temminck and Schlegel 1843:
- Authors: Collett, Paul D , Vine, Niall G , Kaiser, Horst , Baxter, Jeremy
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142804 , vital:38118 , DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2109.2008.01960.x
- Description: The effects of temperature on growth, food conversion ratio (FCR) and feeding intensity of juvenile dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus (23.7±2.6 g fish−1) were assessed over the temperature range 17.5–28.5°C in a 42 day growth trial. Growth increased with increasing temperature up to an optimum after which it declined. Specific growth rates were 2.05% and 1.2% day−1 for the fastest (25.3 °C) and the slowest (17.5 °C) treatments respectively. Food conversion ratio peaked at a lower temperature than growth. Optimal (0.72 kg kg gain−1) and least efficient (1.40 kg kg gain−1) FCR were found at 21.7 and 17.5°C respectively. Feeding intensity was linearly related to temperature within the range of 17.5–28.5°C. These results corresponded to the thermal preference (25–26.4°C) and natural temperature distribution (12–28°C) of South African dusky kob. Determination of the temperature range that does not limit growth is a prerequisite to assess the relationship between growth and environmental variables such as light intensity, feeding regime and stocking density. Consequently, experiments to determine the effects of these environmental variables on growth and aquaculture potential of dusky kob should be conducted at 24–26°C.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Review of the African distribution of the brine shrimp genus Artemia
- Authors: Kaiser, Horst , Gordon, A K , Paulet, T G
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7081 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012335
- Description: Brine shrimp (genus Artemia) are small (8 to 12 mm long) cosmopolitan crustaceans (Anostraca) found predominately in hypersaline water bodies such as inland salt lakes and pans, coastal lagoons, and salt works at salinity levels above 40 g(.)l[superscript(-1)]. They have been extensively studied due to their high monetary value as food for larval fish in aquaculture and their unique reproductive strategies. Brine shrimp occur as either bisexual species or as parthenogenetic populations. Despite published reviews of their world-wide distribution little is known about their occurrence in Africa. This review adds new information about 70 African Artemia sites and lists 26 potential sites and their coordinates. Sixteen sites in Southern Africa and Namibia were visited during a collecting trip, and new information on the reproductive mode of nine of these sites is given. Several South African populations exhibit bisexual reproduction. In Namibia there are two parthenogenetic populations (Walvis Bay and Swartkops) and an additional bisexual population (Hentie's Bay). A mixed population (bisexual and parthenogenetic reproduction at the same site) was found at Coega, South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006