Reproductive strategy of spiny gurnard Lepidotrigla dieuzeidei Blanc and Hureau, 1973 from the south-eastern Adriatic Sea

This study provides the first data on the reproductive biology of the spiny gurnard Lepidotrigla dieuzeidei. A total of 1027 individuals were collected monthly from September 2011 to August 2012. The total length of the individuals in the sample ranged from 7.46 cm to 14.62 cm with a female to male ratio of 1 to 0.59. Positive allometric growth was observed for both females (b=3.07) and males (b=3.08). Variations of condition factor were similar in both sexes with mean values of 1.07 for females and 1.01 for males. The fish L. dieuzeidei had a long spawning period extending from November to July based on monthly values of gonadosomatic index. Histological analysis showed that this fish was multiple synchronous developments of ovaries with multiple spawning events. The ovaries were always represented with a group of primary oocytes and a diverse population of vitel-logenic oocytes, each specially recruited during the final stages of maturation in uniform or uneven phases. Batch fecundity was estimated gravimetrically using the hydrated oocyte method and was estimated to be around 558 to 10.230 oocytes per female. L. dieuzeidei is an important by-catch species and data from this study represent a valuable contribution to stock management.

Age and reproduction of the southern king croaker Menticirrhus americanus in subtropical South Atlantic environments

Menticirrhus americanus were sampled (n = 393) from two beaches (P1 is an estuarine beach near the mouth of the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, and P2 is a beach adjacent to the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex) in the subtropical region of the western South Atlantic waters between August 2015 and June 2016. This study aimed to identify the spawning season and the age structure for M. americanus using two sampling methods. For sampling at the P1 beach, seine, line, and pole were used, while samples from the P2 beach were obtained from the artisanal fishers. Females were numerically dominant in all sampling months at both sites except for February when the males became dominant. The species exhibited a protected reproductive season with multiple spawning peaks between August and December. Males and females were captured at all gonadal development stages and ages between 1 and 6 from both sites. At first maturity, the length of the females was 16.3 cm, and the mean age at first maturity was 1.3 years. Individuals aged between 1 and 3 years were dominant (68%). The results suggested that young and adults of the M. americanus use the same habitats throughout their ontogeny.

Reproductive ecology and territorial behavior of Boana goiana (Anura: Hylidae), a gladiator frog from the Brazilian Cerrado

Anuran males and females adopt different reproductive and behavioral strategies in different contexts. We investigated the reproductive ecology and territorial behavior of the treefrog Boana goiana (B. Lutz, 1968) from the Brazilian Cerrado. We hypothesized that competitor density/proximity would increase the behavioral responses of B. goiana males, and that mating would be assortative. We also tested if the number of eggs correlates with female size and if there is a trade-off between clutch size and egg size. We conducted two territoriality experiments to test the effects of male size, competitor proximity and competitor density. Larger males called more in the presence of a second male. In the second experiment, the largest males emitted more calls and the distance to the nearest male increased as resident males called more. In both experiments, the number of calls was influenced by either male size or spacing between males. Some males behaved as satellites, probably to avoid fights. Our analyses indicate that females choose males with similar sizes to their own, corroborating our hypothesis of size-assortative mating. We found no relationships between female size and clutch size/volume, and between egg size and number of eggs per clutch. We also report multiple spawning for this species. The low incidence of physical combats and the spacing pattern indicate that this species relies almost solely on calls to resolve contests, which could be explained by low motivation, or simply because males avoid combats to decrease injury risks. Thus, acoustic or even multimodal communication seems crucial for social interactions of B. goiana.

Evidence of Reproductive Disturbance in Astyanax Lacustris (Teleostei: Characiformes) From the Doce River After the Collapse of the Fundão Dam in Mariana, Brazil

On November 5th, 2015, the Fundão Dam collapsed dumping more than 50 million/m3 of iron ore tailings, enriched with metals, into the Doce River channel. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reproductive biology and histological damage in Astyanax lacustris exposed to the metals from the dam collapse. The study was carried out at Doce River, in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Monthly samplings were carried out for a year. Astyanax lacustris had multiple spawning: females reproductive peak was in September, October, November, and December; and males between September, October, January, and February. There was a latency in the formation of gonads. For male gonads, it was necessary a 6 cm growth for it to increase from 30% to 50% and 4 cm for female gonads to increase from 40% to 50%. There is a positive correlation between gonad’s concentration of Al and Fe and the rate of histological damage in females. Male gonads had a high rate of immature cells invading the cell lumen (47.36%) and female gonads showed higher frequency of atresia (39.64%). Fish exposed to the contaminated water showed high gonad histological damage. The observed changes can directly influence the organism development and reproduction in the long run, thus affecting A. lacustris population present in the region.

Modeling Spin-Crossover Dynamics

In this article, we review nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) methods for modeling spin-crossover transitions. First, we discuss different representations of electronic states employed in the grid-based and direct NAMD simulations. The nature of interstate couplings in different representations is highlighted, with the main focus on nonadiabatic and spin-orbit couplings. Second, we describe three NAMD methods that have been used to simulate spin-crossover dynamics, including trajectory surface hopping, ab initio multiple spawning, and multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree. Some aspects of employing different electronic structure methods to obtain information about potential energy surfaces and interstate couplings for NAMD simulations are also discussed. Third, representative applications of NAMD to spin crossovers in molecular systems of different sizes and complexities are highlighted. Finally, we pose several fundamental questions related to spin-dependent processes. These questions should be possible to address with future methodological developments in NAMD. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Physical Chemistry, Volume 72 is April 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

With Respect to Quantum Perspective Model, Can Euler Numbers be Related to Biochemistry?

This article researches whether there is a link between Euler’s numbers and genetic codes. At first, the sum of the numbers of the first fifteen "15" digits of Euler’s numbers after the comma are converted to bases in genetic codes. Secondly, after the comma, Euler’s numbers with eighteen fifteen groups are converted to nucleotide bases. So, the results obtained by this way are expressed as nucleotide bases ( A, T, C, G, U). (A)Adenine, (T)Thymine, (C)Cytosine, (G),Guanine, (U)Uracil. Thirdly, the search result is similar to ZEBRAFISH-DANIO RERIO, and even bat coronavirus after the NCBI (National Biotechnology Information Center) searched this sequence ”AUGUUGAUAUTAAUCATC”. Fourtly, the genetic codes of Zebrafish have been proven to be very similar to human genetic codes. Fifthly, multiple spawning of these fish species also means that Euler's numbers are increasing. In sum, the relationship between the Euler’s numbers in mathematical science and the atomic weights of atomic elements in genetic codes also shed lights on Biochemistry.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF LONGTAIL TUNA (Thunnus tonggol) IN THE JAVA SEA

Longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) is one of common economically important pelagic fish species in Indonesia. The objective of this study is examining the biology of reproduction, consisting of length of weight relationship, sex ratio, maturity stage, gonado somatic index (GSI), length at first capture, and length at first maturity and spawning pattern. A total of 633 longtail tuna, ranging 29-58 cmFL and consisting of 293 males and 340 females, were collected from the Java Sea between April 2018 and March 2019. The results showed that the longtail tuna growth pattern was isometric. The sex ratio was not significantly different between male and female. The length of first capture longtail tuna of drift gillnet (43.2 cmFL) was bigger than the length at first maturity (42,3 cmFL). This indicates that the most of longtail tuna caught by drift gillnet have already spawned. The peak’s spawning season occurred in May and November, with fecundity ranging from 783,597 - 1,579,160 eggs. Longtail tuna has multiple spawning pattern