Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fleur van Eyndhoven, Elissa Z. Cameron, Sarah P. Flanagan
Summary: This study reports courtship displays in the wide-bodied pipefish, a species with extreme sexual dimorphism. Surprisingly, females also use their sex-specific ornament during courtship, while males initiate chasing behaviors in some cases. These findings provide important insights into the potential roles of sexual selection and sexual conflict in shaping sexual dimorphism.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
J. T. Boehm, Eric Bovee, Stephen E. Harris, Kathryn Eddins, Ishmael Akahoho, Marcia Foster, Susan K. Pell, Michael J. Hickerson, George Amato, Rob DeSalle, John Waldman
Summary: Tens of millions of dried seahorses are traded annually, leading to global population declines. Adhering to CITES recommendations, this study analyzed two prominent U.S. seahorse markets and found that the traditional Chinese medicine market had a higher compliance rate with size limits compared to the non-medicinal ecommerce and coastal curio market. The study also revealed the species composition of imported seahorses in the U.S.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Beatriz Costa, Miguel Correia, Goncalo Silva, Ana Filipa Lopes, Ana Margarida Faria
Summary: Temperature is a crucial factor affecting the behavior, physiology, and metabolism of fish, which in turn influence their fitness. Understanding the impact of ocean warming on individual and population levels of species is essential for conservation purposes. This study focused on assessing the effects of warming on the growth, feed intake, and behavioral patterns of long-snouted seahorses. The results showed that seahorses exhibited different behavioral responses under increasingly warming conditions, with increased activity and feeding, but no corresponding weight gain. These findings suggest that the Sado population of H. guttulatus may experience thermal stress under long-term exposure to predicted warming conditions by the end of the century.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
David Harasti, Mitchell Brennan, David J. Booth
Summary: This study implemented a captive-breeding program for the endangered White's seahorse and found that captive-bred seahorses can survive in the wild for up to two years and contribute to species recovery through reproduction. However, there are existing threats to the species that need to be addressed before implementing conservation stocking programs.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emily Rose, Bernadette D. D. Johnson, Victoria Armitage, Adam G. G. Jones
Summary: Endocrine disruptors have devastating effects on the reproductive physiology of the Gulf pipefish. The study investigated the effects of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) exposure on gene expression patterns in male pipefish's brood pouch and the development of female-typical coloration. The results provide insights into how pipefish populations can still exist in environments with high concentrations of endocrine-disrupting compounds and identify potential biomarkers for ecotoxicology.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Kassiano Santos Sousa, Jose Araujo Souto-Neto, Aline Paiva Morais Medeiros, Tacyana Pereira Ribeiro Oliveira, Julio Santos Reboucas, Ierece Maria de Lucena Rosa
Summary: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is widely used in aquaculture to prevent and control fish mortality. It affects redox regulation, inflammatory and immune responses, and can cause oxidative stress.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Yongquan Shang, Xibao Wang, Gang Liu, Xiaoyang Wu, Qinguo Wei, Guolei Sun, Xuesong Mei, Yuehuan Dong, Weilai Sha, Honghai Zhang
Summary: Animals living in different environments must adapt to different environmental pressures. This study explores the genetic mechanisms underlying the adaptability of Gobiidae fish to diverse environments and energy requirements. The researchers analyzed the mitochondrial genomes of three Gobiidae species and found evidence of positive selection in certain genes related to energy production. These findings provide new insights into the adaptive evolution of Gobiidae and the molecular mechanisms of energy generation.
Article
Ecology
Kees Wanders, Guangji Chen, Shaohong Feng, Guojie Zhang, Tamas Szekely, Mike Bruford, Zsolt Vegvari, Gotz Eichhorn, Araxi Urrutia
Summary: Good genes theories predict that polygamy is associated with more efficient purifying selection, while runaway selection theories expect less efficient purifying selection in polygamous species. In an analysis of 150-bird genome assemblies, we found that polygamous species have significantly fewer non-synonymous polymorphisms than monogamous bird species. This effect is independent of population size, consistent with the alignment of natural selection with sexual selection and good genes theories. Polyandry has a marginal impact on genetic diversity, while smaller body mass and larger geographic range size are associated with more efficient purifying selection and greater genetic diversity.
Article
Developmental Biology
Akari Harada, Ryotaro Shiota, Ryohei Okubo, Makiko Yorifuji, Atsushi Sogabe, Hiroyuki Motomura, Junya Hiroi, Shigeki Yasumasu, Mari Kawaguchi
Summary: This study compared different types of brood pouches in the Syngnathinae subfamily through histological and immunohistochemical analysis. The results revealed the presence of vascular egg compartments in all examined species during the brooding period. Furthermore, the placenta structure differed between open and closed pouches. The study also provided insights into the morphological evolutionary pathway of the brood pouch in Syngnathinae, laying the foundation for future molecular-level evolutionary studies.
Article
Fisheries
Kannan Shalu, Liju Thomas, Ghosh Ramvilas, Kadapurathillam S. Shabeena, Siby Philip, Sivanpillai Sureshkumar, Rajeev Raghavan, Kutty Ranjeet
Summary: Through studying 52 CO1 sequences, it was found that there are 13 species in the genus Corythoichthys, including "species-complexes" previously considered as a single taxon. The study also discovered three species groups and four unidentified/undescribed species. Additionally, it was found that there are 60 sequences and a mitogenome misidentified at the genus level in GenBank. Based on these results, it is suggested to re-examine and validate the taxonomy and systematics of Corythoichthys using integrative methods, and to be cautious while selecting specimens for genetic studies.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
M. D. Dias Carneiro, S. Garcia-Mesa, L. A. Sampaio, M. Planas
Summary: The study focused on the vulnerability of juvenile Seahorse Hippocampus reidi to acidic exposure in different salinity levels, with findings indicating higher cortisol levels in acidic conditions in brackish water and biochemical alterations at enzymatic level in seawater. Overall survival rates were above 90% and did not significantly differ among pH levels.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY B-BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Jiachao Zhang, Rob Knight
Summary: Next-generation sequencing technology has revolutionized our ability to study the taxonomic composition and functions of host-associated microbiota and microbiomes. In the next decade, there will be an increase in human microbiome research projects, particularly those focusing on genomic mutations within the microbiome. This review discusses the coevolution of microbes within a microbiome, the relationship between microbial genomic mutations and metabolic diseases, and the adaptive evolution of pathogens and probiotics during invasion and colonization. Furthermore, it explores advancements in methods and algorithms for annotating and analyzing microbial genomic mutations.
Article
Fisheries
David Harasti
Summary: A long-term monitoring programme from 2005 to 2021 revealed that endangered seahorses can live over 7 years in the wild. Using visible implant fluorescent elastomer (VIFE) for individual identification proved beneficial for long-term studies on movement, population abundance and life-history of seahorses.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chunyan Li, Melisa Olave, Yali Hou, Geng Qin, Ralf F. Schneider, Zexia Gao, Xiaolong Tu, Xin Wang, Furong Qi, Alexander Nater, Andreas F. Kautt, Shiming Wan, Yanhong Zhang, Yali Liu, Huixian Zhang, Bo Zhang, Hao Zhang, Meng Qu, Shuaishuai Liu, Zeyu Chen, Jia Zhong, He Zhang, Lingfeng Meng, Kai Wang, Jianping Yin, Liangmin Huang, Byrappa Venkatesh, Axel Meyer, Xuemei Lu, Qiang Lin
Summary: Seahorses have a global distribution in tropical to temperate coastal waters and show many adaptations for a sedentary, cryptic lifestyle. New genome assembly and re-sequenced genomes of 21 other species shed light on the evolutionary origin and global dispersal routes of seahorses, revealing that rafting via ocean currents compensates for poor dispersal and bony spines likely evolved multiple times through independent substitutions in a key developmental gene.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Anastassia Bykova, Andreu Saura, Galina V. Glazko, Abiel Roche-Lima, Vyacheslav Yurchenko, Igor B. Rogozin
Summary: The ORF8 gene in SARS-CoV has a characteristic 29-nucleotide deletion, resulting in the formation of ORF8a and ORF8b. Both of these genes are likely to be functionally important, as indicated by the higher frequency of synonymous mutations compared to nonsynonymous ones.
