Freezing resistance in winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus

Nature ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 247 (5438) ◽  
pp. 237-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN G. DUMAN ◽  
ARTHUR L. DEVRIES
Keyword(s):  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Freezing Resistance

Antifreeze peptides confer freezing resistance to fish

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1897-1901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garth L. Fletcher ◽  
Ming H. Kao ◽  
Ron M. Fourney
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Antifreeze Proteins ◽  
Antifreeze Protein ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Salmo Gairdneri ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Freezing Resistance ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Protein Receptors ◽  
Species Specific

It has been widely accepted that plasma antifreeze proteins are directly responsible for the ability of many marine teleosts to survive in ice-laden seawater. However, there appears to be no direct experimental evidence to indicate that this assumption is correct. In the present study winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) showed seasonal changes in freezing resistance that were quantitatively the same as the seasonal changes in plasma antifreeze protein levels. Moreover, when winter flounder antifreeze proteins were injected into rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) (a species that does not normally possess antifreeze proteins) they increased the freezing resistance of the trout in direct proportion to plasma antifreeze protein levels attained. These studies indicate that antifreeze proteins are directly responsible for the ability of many marine teleosts to survive icy seawater at temperatures below the colligative freezing points of their blood. There appears to be no requirement for species-specific antifreeze protein receptors in the fish in order for them to act.

The Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) in Long Pond, Conception Bay, Newfoundland

1971 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1153-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. S. Kennedy ◽  
D. H. Steele
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Early Growth ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Conception Bay

Monthly samples of winter flounder taken in Long Pond from November 1962 to October 1963 indicated that the flounder moved into deeper water (7–10 m) during the summer and returned to shallow water (1–2 m) from September to June. These movements corresponded to the end of the spawning season and the ripening of the gonads respectively. Spawning occurred from March until early June, most of it in May and early June. Most males were mature at age 6 and most females at age 7. Fifty percent of the males and females were mature at 21 and 25 cm respectively. The growth rates of the males and females were similar until the age of 8, after which the females apparently outgrew the males. Early growth and fecundity were similar to those reported for other areas. No feeding took place in December or January but the flounder fed in March and continued to feed throughout the summer; food intake decreased in the fall. They were omnivorous and the type of food eaten varied with the locality. Polychaetes, plant material, and molluscs were the most common food items throughout the year. Capelin eggs and fish remains were found only during a few months of the year but were eaten in great quantities.

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