BookPatrick Williot, Guy Nonnotte, Denise Vizziano-Cantonnet, Mikhail Chebanov, editors.
Summary: The biology of the Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii Brandt 1869, has become a very attractive subject of investigation for biologists since the 1980s. This volume 1 is part of a two-volume set devoted to the species, the second of which focuses on farming. The present volume is divided into three parts: Biology and ecology, Biology and physiology of reproduction, and Ecophysiology, i.e. adaptation to the environment. The first part addresses a broad range of topics, such as: the ecology, including a new approach to species-specificity, a new insight on the mineralization of vertebral elements, two approaches to sex determination, transposable elements in the gonads, early ontogeny, olfaction and gustation, nutrition and swimming. The second part includes neurochemical and anatomical descriptions of the central nervous system and an updated version of the oogenesis, the characteristics of both sperm and spermatozoa, and a synthesis on gonadal steroids (synthesis, plasmatic levels and biological activities). In turn, the third part reveals how the physiology of the species changes depending on environmental factors such as oxygen, ammonia, and nitrite. Some fundamental consequences of ammonia are developed (sublethal and lethal levels, effects on gill epithelium and haematology, acid-base balance, on AA and adenyl nucleotides levels in plasma, brain and muscle tissue). In addition, the book includes two methodological chapters dealing with fish dorsal aortic cannulation and respiration physiology.
Contents:
Intro; Foreword; Contents; About the Editors; General Introduction to the Siberian Sturgeon Books with a Focus on Volume 1 Dedicated to the Biology of the Species; References; Part I: Biology and Ecology;
1: Geographical Distribution, Ecological and Biological Characteristics of the Siberian Sturgeon Species; 1.1 Geographical Distribution; 1.2 Species Structure; 1.3 Phylogenetic Relations of the Siberian Sturgeon; 1.4 Diet Composition; 1.5 Growth of the Sturgeon in Different Populations; 1.6 Spawning Habitat, Reproductive Parameters, and Peculiarities of Gameto- and Gonadogenesis. 3.1.3 The Duodenum3.1.4 The Spiral Gut; 3.1.5 The Hindgut; 3.1.6 The Pyloric Gland; 3.1.7 The Liver; 3.1.8 The Pancreas; 3.1.9 The Swim Bladder; 3.2 Blood Circulation and Blood-Making (Hemopoietic) Organs; 3.2.1 The Heart; 3.2.1.1 The Arterial Cone; 3.2.1.2 The Ventricle; 3.2.1.3 The Atrium; 3.2.2 The Spleen; 3.3 The Excretory System; 3.3.1 The Kidneys; 3.3.2 The Ureters; 3.4 Reproductive System; 3.4.1 The Ovaries; 3.4.2 The Oviducts; 3.4.3 The Testes; 3.4.4 The Spermaducts; References. 4.4.3 Seasonal Variations of Mineralization Rate in the Notochord4.5 Mechanical Constraints on the Axial Skeleton During Swimming; 4.6 Concluding Remarks; References;
5: Evolution of Molecular Investigations on Sturgeon Sex Determination and Most Recent Developments in DNA Methylation with a Focus on the Siberian Sturgeon; Introduction; 5.1 Material and Methods; 5.1.1 Study Fish and Sampling Procedures; 5.1.2 ISSR Analysis; 5.1.3 Measurement of Gene Expression; 5.1.4 MS-HRM Determination; 5.1.5 Statistics; 5.2 Results; 5.2.1 ISSR; 5.2.2 Gene Expression; 5.2.3 DNA Methylation.
4: The Axial Skeleton of the Siberian Sturgeon. Development, Organization, Structure and New Insights on Mineralization and Ossification of Vertebral Elements4.1 Axial Anomalies in Sturgeons; 4.2 Development and Growth of the Vertebral Axis; 4.3 Organization and Structural Composition of the Axial Skeleton; 4.3.1 Organization of Vertebral Elements; 4.3.2 Structure of the Vertebral Elements; 4.3.3 Development and Structure of the Notochord; 4.4 Mineralization of the Axial Skeleton; 4.4.1 Mineralization Process of the Vertebral Elements; 4.4.2 Mineralization in the Notochord Funiculus.