Burrowing behaviour of the E uropean eel ( Anguilla anguilla ): Effects of life stage

2020 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1332-1342
Author(s):  
Charlotte Steendam ◽  
Pieterjan Verhelst ◽  
Sam Van Wassenbergh ◽  
Jens De Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Life Stage ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Burrowing Behaviour

scholarly journals Rethinking swimming performance tests for bottom-dwelling fish: the case of European glass eel (Anguilla anguilla)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Vezza ◽  
F. Libardoni ◽  
C. Manes ◽  
T. Tsuzaki ◽  
W. Bertoldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Fish Swimming ◽  
Glass Eel ◽  
Swimming Time ◽  
Swimming Mode ◽  
Active Swimming

Abstract Systematic experiments on European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in their juvenile, early life stage (glass eel), were conducted to provide new insights on the fish swimming performance and propose a framework of analysis to design swimming-performance experiments for bottom-dwelling fish. In particular, we coupled experimental and computational fluid dynamics techniques to: (i) accommodate glass eel burst-and-coast swimming mode and estimate the active swimming time (tac), not considering coast and drift periods, (ii) estimate near-bottom velocities (Ub) experienced by the fish, rather than using bulk averages (U), (iii) investigate water temperature (T) influence on swimming ability, and (iv) identify a functional relation between Ub, tac and T. Results showed that burst-and-coast swimming mode was increasingly adopted by glass eel, especially when U was higher than 0.3 ms-1. Using U rather than Ub led to an overestimation of the fish swimming performance from 18 to 32%, on average. Under the range of temperatures analyzed (from 8 to 18 °C), tac was strongly influenced and positively related to T. As a final result, we propose a general formula to link near-bottom velocity, water temperature and active swimming time which can be useful in ecological engineering applications and reads as $${\rm{U}}_{\rm{b}}=0.174\cdot \left({{\rm{t}}_{\rm{ac}}}^{-0.36}\cdot {\rm{T}}^{0.77}\right)$$ U b = 0.174 · t ac - 0.36 · T 0.77 .

scholarly journals Elemental composition of otoliths as a discriminator of life stage and growth habitat of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 629 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. N. Tzeng ◽  
K. P. Severin ◽  
C. H. Wang ◽  
H. Wickström
Keyword(s):  
Elemental Composition ◽  
Environmental History ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Primary Component ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Yellow Eel ◽  
Minor Elements ◽  
Electron Probe Microanalyser ◽  
History Of

The hypothesis that elemental composition of otoliths of the eel (Anguilla spp.) changes with life stage and growth habitat was tested in the present study. The minor elements Cl, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Sr and P in otoliths of European eels (Anguilla anguilla) were examined by using an Electron Probe Microanalyser (EPMA) equipped with wavelength dispersive spectrometers (Cameca SX-50). Yellow-stage eels were collected from coastal waters and lakes of Sweden in 1987, 1988, 1991, and 1994, with ages ranging from 5 to 18 years old. Strontium maps and profiles of Sr : Ca ratio, as well as the elver check in otoliths, were used to classify life history stages of the eels as leptocephalus, and freshwater- and seawater-resident yellow eels. Canonical score plots of the otolith elemental compositions of the freshwater-resident yellow eel were completely separated from those of leptocephalus and seawater-resident yellow eel, but the latter two partially overlapped. Strontium is the primary component in determining the discrimination, but the nutrient-related (S and P), and the physiologically controlled elements (Na and Cl), may also play an important role in the discrimination. These results indicate that multiple-elemental information can provide additional insight into the migratory environmental history of diadromous fishes.

Evaluation of lethal and nonlethal assessment methods of muscle fat content in European eel (Anguilla anguilla)

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-575
Author(s):  
Jan-Dag Pohlmann ◽  
Marko Freese ◽  
Stefan Reiser ◽  
Reinhold Hanel
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Fat Content ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Microwave Measurements ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Key Factor

Individual fat reserves are considered a key factor for the reproductive fitness of the endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla). In contrast with most established standards, microwave measurements enable the determination of fat contents without sacrificing individual fish, offering a broad range of ecological applications. To test the reliability of nonlethal assessment methods of the muscle fat content in eels, the performance of microwave measurements was compared with the prevailing standard of measuring fat in a distinct subsample of muscle tissue by solvent extraction. Results indicate that either method is prone to error due to physiological and morphological changes during the sexual maturation of eels. Since microwave measurements were systematically affected by life stage and body length, it was possible to calibrate the method accordingly, putting it at least on par with the prevailing standard and further facilitating its use for scientific purposes.

scholarly journals Long-term variation in numbers and biomass of silver eels being produced in two European river systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1627-1637 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Russell Poole ◽  
Ola H Diserud ◽  
Eva B Thorstad ◽  
Caroline M Durif ◽  
Conor Dolan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Silver Eel ◽  
Silver Eels

Abstract The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) population has been in decline at least since the 1960s and reliable regional information, particularly on the spawner production and escapement (i.e. the silver eel life stage), is a requirement of the EU stock recovery regulation. Two comparable time series exist in Burrishoole (Ireland) and Imsa (Norway), with monitoring of total silver eel production since the early 1970s. Numbers of emigrating silver eels fell significantly (p < 0.0001) in the 1980s (breakpoints: Burrishoole 1982; Imsa 1988), in both catchments from >4000 eels per annum to ∼2000 eels per annum. The proportion of male eels dropped and the average size of female eels increased. Biomass of silver eels escaping has remained similar in Burrishoole (1.1/1.2 kg/ha), but not in Imsa (2.1/0.9 kg/ha) between the early period and the 2000s. Factors that govern the onset of eel maturation (silvering) and the annual production of silver eels are little understood. In this paper, the influence of time-lagged environmental variables on silver eel production is examined. Annual variation in the time series was partly (r2 Burrishoole = 0.43, Imsa = 0.46) explained by variation in water temperature and water level. Annual number of migrating eels in both catchments was positively related to summer temperature and summer water flow, negatively related to summer temperatures in the previous year, and in the Burrishoole, also negatively related to high water levels in September/October. The models did not transfer well between catchments, indicating likely catchment specific environmental factors impacting on eel production. The reduction in eel numbers observed in both catchments, accompanied by the change in sex ratio and mean weight of females that contribute to maintain biomass production, calls into question the advisability of basing a spawner escapement recovery target on biomass alone, while numbers and proportions of males decline.

Environmental stress and life-stage dependence on the detection of heterozygosity–fitness correlations in the European eel, Anguilla anguilla

Genome ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1428-1437 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Pujolar ◽  
G.E. Maes ◽  
C. Vancoillie ◽  
F.A.M. Volckaert
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Differential Mortality ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Handling Stress ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Mass Increase

Heterozygosity–fitness correlations (HFCs) have been reported in populations of many species, although HFCs can clearly vary across species, conspecific populations, temporal samples, and sexes. We studied (i) the temporal stability of the association between genetic variation and growth rate (length and mass increase) and (ii) the influence of genetic variability on survival in the European eel ( Anguilla anguilla L). HFCs were assessed using genotypes from 10 allozyme and 6 microsatellite markers in 22-month-old experimental individuals. The results were compared with those of a previous study carried out in 12-month-old individuals, in which more heterozygous individuals showed a significantly faster growth rate. In contrast, 22-month-old individuals showed no evidence that genetic variability was correlated with growth rate. Additionally, heterozygous individuals did not show a higher survival rate compared with more homozygous individuals after either handling stress or parasite infection. The decrease in HFCs over time is consistent with the general prediction that differences in growth and survival among individuals are maximal early in life and in our case most likely due to the relaxation of environmental conditions related to population-density effects. Alternatively, the decline in HFCs could be attributed to either ontogenetic variance in gene activity between 12- and 22-month-old individuals or differential mortality leaving only the largest individuals.

Differences in head shape of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.)

2000 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 349
Author(s):  
J. M. Proman
Keyword(s):  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Head Shape

Chemically Contaminated Eel Fed to Pregnant and Lactating Mouse Dams Causes Hyperactivity in Their Offspring

2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 36-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imen Dridi ◽  
Nidhal Soualeh ◽  
Torsten Bohn ◽  
Rachid Soulimani ◽  
Jaouad Bouayed
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Home Cage ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Acetylcholinesterase Activity ◽  
Female Offspring ◽  
Significant Inhibition ◽  
Standard Diet ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Cage Test

Abstract.This study examined whether perinatal exposure to polluted eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) induces changes in the locomotor activity of offspring mice across lifespan (post-natal days (PNDs) 47 – 329), using the open field and the home cage activity tests. Dams were exposed during gestation and lactation, through diets enriched in eels naturally contaminated with pollutants including PCBs. Analysis of the eel muscle focused on the six non-dioxin-like (NDL) indicator PCBs (Σ6 NDL-PCBs: 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180). Four groups of dams (n = 10 per group) received either a standard diet without eels or eels (0.8 mg/kg/day) containing 85, 216, or 400 ng/kg/day of ϵ6 NDL-PCBs. The open field test showed that early-life exposure to polluted eels increased locomotion in female offspring of exposed dams but not in males, compared to controls. This hyperlocomotion appeared later in life, at PNDs 195 and 329 (up to 32 % increase, p < 0.05). In addition, overactivity was observed in the home cage test at PND 305: exposed offspring females showed a faster overall locomotion speed (3.6 – 4.2 cm/s) than controls (2.9 cm/s, p <0.05); again, males remained unaffected. Covered distances in the home cage test were only elevated significantly in offspring females exposed to highest PCB concentrations (3411 ± 590 cm vs. 1377 ± 114 cm, p < 0.001). These results suggest that early-life exposure to polluted eels containing dietary contaminants including PCBs caused late, persistent and gender-dependent neurobehavioral hyperactive effects in offspring mice. Furthermore, female hyperactivity was associated with a significant inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex.

Fear of Contamination Goal and Life-stage Specific Biases

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Y. Huang ◽  
J. A. Bargh
Keyword(s):  
Life Stage

A Life Stage Model of Climate Change Related Perceptions and Attitudes

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Soane ◽  
Rebecca Lunn
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Stage Model ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes
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