BACKGROUND Conservation Breeding Programs (CBP's) are playing an important role in the protection of critically endangered anuran amphibians, but for many species recruitment is not successful enough to maintain captive populations, or provide individuals for release. In response, there has been an increasing focus on the use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), including the administra...

12 Two large groups of fingerling (3.2g) male European sea bass (around 75,000 13 individuals each) reared in net sea cages for a period of two years were exposed to two 14 different photoperiods starting in June: either ambient photoperiod (37o 24 ́ N) (NP) or a 15 constant long photoperiod (LP; 18 hours light: 6 hours dark, 18L: 6D). Long days had limited 16 effect on somatic growth at the tim...

Tubulobulbar complexes are actin-related endocytic structures that form at sites of intercellular attachment in the seminiferous epithelium and are proposed to internalize intact junctions. In this study, we test the prediction that altering the structure/function of tubulobulbar complexes results in failure to release mature spermatids from Sertoli cells. We used an in vivo knockdown strategy ...

BACKGROUND The identification of estrogen receptors alpha and beta and aromatase in the testis has highlighted the important role of estrogens in regulating spermatogenesis. There is a wealth of information on the deleterious effects of fetal and neonatal exposure of estrogens and xenoestrogens in the testis, including spermiation failure and germ cell apoptosis. However, very little is known a...

Ž . Reproductive performance of male European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax fed a wet diet Ž . WD was compared to that of fish fed two commercial pelleted diet enriched with polyunsatuŽ . Ž . Ž . rated fatty acids PUFAs by the use of Northern hemisphere fish oil ST or tuna orbital oil RO . Broodstock growth, spermiation duration, milt production, milt spermatozoa density, sperm motility, milt l...

A dot-blot immunoassay for the detection of vitellogenin (Vtg) in plasma of adult grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) was developed. The assay identified the sex of the tested fish prior to detectable gonadal development, enabling the establishment of broodstock at the desired ratio of 7:4 females to males. This broodstock was maintained under natural photoperiod, and used to study the relative effect...