To what extent do local populations of tropical reef fishes persist through the recruitment of pelagic larvae to their natal reef? Endemics from small, isolated islands can help answer that question by indicating whether special biological attributes are needed for long-term survival under enforced localization in high-risk situations. Taxonomically and biologically, the endemics from seven suc...

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. SERIES COVER DESIGN: The coral Montastrea cavernosa (Linnaeus). Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Robertson, D. R. Sexual patterns in the labroid fishes of the Western Caribbean, II, the parrotfishes (Scaridae). (Smithsonian contri...

Liver is the major organ involved in the regulation of metabolic functions. Environmental and chemical effects are the stimuli regulating metaboilc activities. To clarify the regulation of glycogen metabolism in liver, Channa Punctatus varieties of fishes were exposed to low temperature (4~8C) since these species of fishes are highly energetic and survive in the critical situations. In response...

Secretory proteins enter the secretory pathway by translocation across the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via a channel formed primarily by the Sec61 protein. Protein translocation is highly temperature dependent in mesophilic organisms. We asked whether the protein translocation machinery of organisms from extremely cold habitats was adapted to function at low temperature and found...

The present work was conducted to isolate and identify different parasites from Indian Major Carp (IMC) Catla catla. During the study period the severity of infection and Parasitic Frequency Index (PFI, %) were also estimated in terms of months, seasons and length groups of fishes. For the investigative purpose different districts of West Bengal were selected considering the potential of fisher...

Reef fishes present the observer with the most diverse and stunning assemblage of animal colours anywhere on earth. The functions of some of these colours and their combinations are examined using new non-subjective spectrophotometric measurements of the colours of fishes and their habitat. Conclusions reached are as follows: (i) the spectra of colours in high spatial frequency patterns are oft...

Tropical rivers and their associated floodplain habitats are dynamic habitat mosaics to which fishes are challenged to respond in an adaptive manner. Migratory fishes create linkages among food webs that are partitioned along a nested hierarchy of spatial scales. Such linkages are examined across a hierarchy of spatio-temporal scales, ranging from small streams to entire drainage basins, for ri...

Although lymphocyte-like cells secreting somatically-recombining receptors have been identified in the jawless fishes (hagfish and lamprey), the cartilaginous fishes (sharks, skates, rays and chimaera) are the most phylogenetically distant group relative to mammals in which bona fide immunoglobulins (Igs) have been found. Studies of the antibodies and humoral immune responses of cartilaginous f...

Today, fishing is the only large-scale wildlife hunting activity. Unsurprisingly, it has contributed to the depletion and extirpation of numerous marine fish populations. We develop a fuzzy logic expert system to estimate the risk of depletion of marine fish populations from fishing. The frrst component of this expert system predicts the intrinsic vulnerability of marine fishes (i.e., fishes' i...

This study describes the current status of the small fish community in Niushan Lake in China, and examines the spatial and seasonal variations of the community in relation to key environmental factors. Based on macrophyte cover conditions, the lake was divided into three major habitat types: (1) Potamogeton maackianus habitat, (2) Potamogeton maackianus and Myriophyllum spicatum habitat, and (3...