Swimming Activity of Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata) in Swim-Tunnels: Accelerations, Oxygen Consumption and Body Motion

Acoustic transmitters equipped with accelerometer sensors are considered a useful tool to study swimming activity, including energetics and movement patterns, of fish species in aquaculture and in nature. However, given the novelty of this technique, further laboratory-derived calibrations are needed to assess the characteristics and settings of accelerometer acoustic transmitters for different species and specific environmental conditions. In this study, we compared accelerometer acoustic transmitter outputs with swimming performance and body motion of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) in swim-tunnels at different flow speeds, which allowed us to characterize the swimming activity of this fish species of high aquaculture interest. Tag implantation in the abdominal cavity had no significant effects on swimming performance and body motion parameters. Accelerations, cost of transport and variations on head orientation (angle with respect to flow direction) were negatively related to flow speed in the tunnel, whereas oxygen consumption and frequencies of tail-beat and head movements increased with flow speed. These results show that accelerometer acoustic transmitters mainly recorded deviations from sustained swimming in the tunnel, due to spontaneous and explorative swimming at the lowest speeds or intermittent burst and coast actions to cope with water flow. In conclusion, accelerometer acoustic transmitters applied in this study provided a proxy for unsustained swimming activity, but did not contemplate the high-energy cost spent by gilthead seabream on sustained swimming, and therefore, it did not provide a proxy for general activity. Despite this limitation, accelerometer acoustic transmitters provide valuable insight in swim patterns and therefore may be a good strategy for advancing our understanding of fish swimming behavior in aquaculture, allowing for rapid detection of changes in species-specific behavioral patterns considered indicators of fish welfare status, and assisting in the refinement of best management practices.

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Ontogenetic differentiation of swimming performance in Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, Linnaeus 1758) during metamorphosis

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology ◽

10.1016/j.jembe.2008.12.001 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 370 (1-2) ◽

pp. 75-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

G. Koumoundouros ◽

C. Ashton ◽

G. Xenikoudakis ◽

I. Giopanou ◽

E. Georgakopoulou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sparus Aurata ◽

Swimming Performance ◽

Gilthead Seabream

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Swimming Performance and Oxygen Consumption as Non-lethal Indicators of Production Traits in Atlantic Salmon and Gilthead Seabream

Frontiers in Physiology ◽

10.3389/fphys.2020.00759 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Arjan P. Palstra ◽

Jeroen Kals ◽

Thijs Böhm ◽

John W. M. Bastiaansen ◽

Hans Komen

Keyword(s):

Oxygen Consumption ◽

Atlantic Salmon ◽

Swimming Performance ◽

Gilthead Seabream ◽

Production Traits

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Tolerance response to ammonia and nitrite exposure in larvae of two marine fish species (gilthead seabream Sparus aurata L. and Senegal sole Solea senegalensis Kaup)

Aquaculture Research ◽

10.1046/j.1365-2109.1999.00414.x ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 30 (11-12) ◽

pp. 857-863 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

G. Parra ◽

M. Yúfera

Keyword(s):

Marine Fish ◽

Fish Species ◽

Sparus Aurata ◽

Solea Senegalensis ◽

Gilthead Seabream ◽

Marine Fish Species ◽

Tolerance Response ◽

Senegal Sole

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A multiplier peroxiporin signal transduction pathway powers piscine spermatozoa

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2019346118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 118 (10) ◽

pp. e2019346118

Author(s):

François Chauvigné ◽

Carla Ducat ◽

Alba Ferré ◽

Tom Hansen ◽

Montserrat Carrascal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sparus Aurata ◽

Swimming Performance ◽

Signal Transduction Pathway ◽

Gilthead Seabream ◽

Inner Mitochondrial Membrane ◽

Atp Production ◽

Channel Trafficking ◽

Intracellular Ca ◽

And Oxidative Stress ◽

Insight Into

The primary task of a spermatozoon is to deliver its nuclear payload to the egg to form the next-generation zygote. With polyandry repeatedly evolving in the animal kingdom, however, sperm competition has become widespread, with the highest known intensities occurring in fish. Yet, the molecular controls regulating spermatozoon swimming performance in these organisms are largely unknown. Here, we show that the kinematic properties of postactivated piscine spermatozoa are regulated through a conserved trafficking mechanism whereby a peroxiporin ortholog of mammalian aquaporin-8 (Aqp8bb) is inserted into the inner mitochondrial membrane to facilitate H2O2 efflux in order to maintain ATP production. In teleosts from more ancestral lineages, such as the zebrafish (Danio rerio) and the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), in which spermatozoa are activated in freshwater, an intracellular Ca2+-signaling directly regulates this mechanism through monophosphorylation of the Aqp8bb N terminus. In contrast, in more recently evolved marine teleosts, such the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), in which spermatozoa activation occurs in seawater, a cross-talk between Ca2+- and oxidative stress-activated pathways generate a multiplier regulation of channel trafficking via dual N-terminal phosphorylation. These findings reveal that teleost spermatozoa evolved increasingly sophisticated detoxification pathways to maintain swimming performance under a high osmotic stress, and provide insight into molecular traits that are advantageous for postcopulatory sexual selection.

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A tool for determining maximum sustained swimming ability of selected inland fish species in an Afrotropic ecozone

Water SA ◽

10.4314/wsa.v44i3.19 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (3 July) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

TL Botha ◽

MP Mahloko ◽

V Wepener ◽

G Howatson ◽

NJ Smit

Keyword(s):

Oxygen Consumption ◽

South African ◽

Fish Species ◽

Swimming Performance ◽

Swimming Velocity ◽

Flow Conditions ◽

Physiological Strain ◽

Volitional Exhaustion ◽

Velocity Increments ◽

Optimum Flow

Critical swimming speed (Ucrit) predicts the maximum sustained swimming velocity that various fish species are able to sustain for prolonged periods. The objective of this study was to determine the Ucrit of Afrotropic ecozone fish, determine oxygen consumption at Ucrit and relate the resulting optimum flow requirements to effective movement through fishways under South African flow conditions. The selected fish species were Coptodon rendalli, Tilapia sparrmanii, Pseudocrenilabrus philander, Oreochromis mossambicus and Enteromius trimaculatus. Ucrit and oxygen consumption (MO2) were measured in a swim respirometer at 5-min intervals, at increasing velocity increments of 0.5 cm·s−1 until volitional exhaustion. No significant differences were seen in the Ucrit values between C. rendalli, T. sparrmanii and P. philander, but all species significantly differed from O. mossambicus and E. trimaculatus, which had the highest Ucrit (17.6 ± 1.5 bl·s−1 and 18.2 ± 2.8 bl·s−1). Size plays an important role in the swimming performance of fish, with larger fish able to sustain a greater velocity, which was specifically true for O. mossambicus in this study. Additionally, smaller fish consumed more oxygen during swimming and therefore used more energy, experiencing relative physiological strain. Based on these data, flow respirometry was shown to be a useful tool to determining prolonged swimming abilities of South African fish species, and can help inform the structure and flow rates of culverts and fishways.

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Long lasting effects of early temperature exposure on the swimming performance and skeleton development of metamorphosing Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) larvae

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-88306-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chara Kourkouta ◽

Alice Printzi ◽

George Geladakis ◽

Nikos Mitrizakis ◽

Nikos Papandroulakis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Shape ◽

Sparus Aurata ◽

Swimming Performance ◽

Early Ontogeny ◽

Yolk Sac ◽

Larval Period ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

Gilthead Seabream ◽

Relative Depth ◽

Temperature Exposure

AbstractTemperatures experienced during early ontogeny significantly influence fish phenotypes, with clear consequences for the wild and reared stocks. We examined the effect of temperature (17, 20, or 23 °C) during the short embryonic and yolk-sac larval period, on the swimming performance and skeleton of metamorphosing Gilthead seabream larvae. In the following ontogenetic period, all fish were subjected to common temperature (20 °C). The critical swimming speed of metamorphosing larvae was significantly decreased from 9.7 ± 0.6 TL/s (total length per second) at 17 °C developmental temperature (DT) to 8.7 ± 0.6 and 8.8 ± 0.7 TL/s at 20 and 23 °C DT respectively (p < 0.05). Swimming performance was significantly correlated with fish body shape (p < 0.05). Compared with the rest groups, fish of 17 °C DT presented a slender body shape, longer caudal peduncle, terminal mouth and ventrally transposed pectoral fins. Moreover, DT significantly affected the relative depth of heart ventricle (VD/TL,p < 0.05), which was comparatively increased at 17 °C DT. Finally, the incidence of caudal-fin abnormalities significantly decreased (p < 0.05) with the increase of DT. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for the significant effect of DT during the short embryonic and yolk-sac larval period on the swimming performance of the later stages.

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Mediterranean Aquaculture in a Changing Climate: Temperature Effects on Pathogens and Diseases of Three Farmed Fish Species

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10091205 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1205

Author(s):

Maria Chiara Cascarano ◽

Orestis Stavrakidis-Zachou ◽

Ivona Mladineo ◽

Kim D. Thompson ◽

Nikos Papandroulakis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Fish Species ◽

Sparus Aurata ◽

Dicentrarchus Labrax ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Gilthead Seabream ◽

Farmed Fish ◽

Fish Welfare ◽

The Mediterranean

Climate change is expected to have a drastic effect on aquaculture worldwide. As we move forward with the agenda to increase and diversify aquaculture production, rising temperatures will have a progressively relevant impact on fish farming, linked to a multitude of issues associated with fish welfare. Temperature affects the physiology of both fish and pathogens, and has the potential to lead to significant increases in disease outbreaks within aquaculture systems, resulting in severe financial impacts. Significant shifts in future temperature regimes are projected for the Mediterranean Sea. We therefore aim to review and discuss the existing knowledge relating to disease outbreaks in the context of climate change in Mediterranean finfish aquaculture. The objective is to describe the effects of temperature on the physiology of both fish and pathogens, and moreover to list and discuss the principal diseases of the three main fish species farmed in the Mediterranean, namely gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), and meagre (Argyrosomus regius). We will attempt to link the pathology of each disease to a specific temperature range, while discussing potential future disease threats associated with the available climate change trends for the Mediterranean Sea.

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Development and validation of a combined species SNP array for the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

10.1101/2020.12.17.423305 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

C. Peñaloza ◽

T. Manousaki ◽

R. Franch ◽

A. Tsakogiannis ◽

A. Sonesson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genomic Selection ◽

Fish Species ◽

Complex Traits ◽

Selective Breeding ◽

Sparus Aurata ◽

Snp Array ◽

Dicentrarchus Labrax ◽

Gilthead Seabream ◽

European Seabass ◽

Wide Range

AbstractSNP arrays are powerful tools for high-resolution studies of the genetic basis of complex traits, facilitating both population genomic and selective breeding research. The European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) are the two most important fish species for Mediterranean aquaculture. While selective breeding programmes increasingly underpin stocky supply for this industry, genomic selection is not yet widespread. Genomic selection has major potential to expedite genetic gain, in particular for traits practically impossible to measure on selection candidates, such as disease resistance and fillet yield. The aim of our study was to design a combined-species 60K SNP array for both European seabass and gilthead seabream, and to validate its performance on farmed and wild populations from numerous locations throughout the species range. To achieve this, high coverage Illumina whole genome sequencing of pooled samples was performed for 24 populations of European seabass and 27 populations of gilthead seabream. This resulted in a database of ~20 million SNPs per species, which were then filtered to identify high-quality variants and create the final set for the development of the ‘MedFish’ SNP array. The array was then tested by genotyping a subset of the discovery populations and demonstrated a high conversion rate to functioning polymorphic assays on the array (92% in seabass: 89% in seabream) and repeatability (99.4 - 99.7%). The platform interrogates ~30K markers in each fish species, includes features such as SNPs previously shown to be associated with performance traits, and is enriched for SNPs predicted to alter protein function. The array was demonstrated to be effective at detecting population structure across a wide range of fish populations from diverse geographical origins, and to examine the extent of haplotype sharing among Mediterranean fish farms. Therefore, the MedFish array enables efficient and accurate high-throughput genotyping for genome-wide distributed SNPs on each fish species, and will facilitate stock management, population genomics approaches, and acceleration of selective breeding through genomic selection.

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The Bromodomain testis-specific gene (Brdt) characterization and expression in gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, and European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax

European Journal of Histochemistry ◽

10.4081/ejh.2016.2638 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Úbeda-Manzanaro ◽

J.B. Ortiz-Delgado ◽

C. Sarasquete

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Germ Line ◽

Sparus Aurata ◽

Dicentrarchus Labrax ◽

Cell Types ◽

Gilthead Seabream ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Specific Cell ◽

European Seabass ◽

Organ Systems

Multiple genes and transcription factors are involved in regulation and control of the complex process of sex determination and differentiation of fish species. Also more, several hormonal factors and some environmental conditions can also be adequate spawning strategies and stimuli for inducing reproduction of fish species. Brdt gene belongs to the bromodomain-extraterminal domain (BET) family of transcriptional coregulators. In mammals, Brdt gene is almost exclusively expressed in testis. Furthermore, Brdt protein is involved in elongating spermatids, and is required for proper spermatogenesis and male fertility. However, from our understanding of fish species, the role of this gene as key, during gametogenesis, still remains unknown. In this study, two Brdt mRNA transcripts were isolated from two teleostean fish species, gilthead seabream and European seabass. In both species the shorter form lacked a functional C-terminal domain, which may involve a different function as transcriptional regulator. The pattern of Brdt expression showed that the highest levels occurred in the gonads. Significantly lower levels of expression were detected in brain, pituitary and different organ systems (heart, kidney, gills, among other somatic tissues) from both studied species. In situ hybridization approach evidenced that Brdt mRNA expression was restricted to specific cell-types of the germ line, during both oogenesis and spermatogenesis processes.

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