An RNA:DNA‐based growth model for young‐of‐the‐year winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum)

Abstract

A laboratory calibration experiment was conducted to determine the relationship between nucleic acid-based variables and growth rate in young-of-the-year winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus. Three temperatures and three feeding levels were used to produce a variety of growth rates. Nucleic acid analyses were conducted on white muscle tissue using an ultraviolet absorption assay. RNA concentration (mg mg À1 wet tissue mass) and the ratio of RNA:DNA (R RD ) were positively correlated with a mass-based instantaneous growth coefficient (G M ) (r ¼ 0Á42 and 0Á72, respectively). Fifty-one per cent of the variability in growth rate was explained by the simple linear regression G M ¼ À0Á02615 þ 0Á00848R RD (P < 0Á001). This model can be used to estimate recent growth rates for early juvenile winter flounder (27-52 mm standard length) at temperatures ranging from 11 to 24°C. Journal compilation # 2008 The Fisheries Society of the British IslesNo claim to original US government works

Development, validation and field application of an RNA‐based growth index in juvenile plaice Pleuronectes platessa

“…Despite the apparent advantages of RNA‐based growth indices, their accuracy in field situations is unknown. Positive relationships between RNA and growth rate have been documented in many juvenile fishes in the laboratory (Bulow, 1970; Goolish et al , 1984; Lied & Rosenlund, 1984; Foster et al , 1993 a ; Malloy & Targett, 1994; Malloy et al , 1996; Rooker & Holt, 1996; Fukuda et al , 2001; Kuropat et al , 2002; Peck et al , 2003; Mercaldo‐Allen et al , 2006, 2008; Kim et al , 2008; Stierhoff et al , 2009). Certain additional independent variables, such as temperature and body mass, are considered important modifiers to the RNA–growth rate relationship (Buckley et al , 1999).…”

“…There has been little consideration, however, of the physiological mechanisms governing this relationship when developing predictive models. Several RNA–growth rate relationships have been established for juvenile fish (Malloy & Targett, 1994; Mercaldo‐Allen et al , 2006, 2008; Buckley et al , 2008; Stierhoff et al , 2009), but there is often little mechanistic or empirical justification for them. Although the coefficients of these indices apparently vary between species, life stages and perhaps even larval broods (Bergeron, 1997; Buckley et al , 1999), the basic mathematical structure may reflect a common physiological mechanism that is conserved across a wide range of taxa.…”

Ontogenetic changes in nucleic acid, protein contents, and growthof larval and juvenile Japanese flounder

“…As shown in many documents (Mercaldo-Allen et al, 2008;Park et al, 2008;de Raedemaecker et al, 2012;Zehra and Khan, 2013), DNA content was an acute index for live body weight and cell number. In our work, the obvious increase of DNA content during the premetamorphic and postmetamorphic periods proved that a rapid increase in cell numbers occurred and indicates the occurrence of hyperplasia suitable for the development of the gut during the premetamorphic period (Tanaka et al, 1996;Tong et al, 2010) and adaptation to juvenile bottom-dwelling life, respectively.…”

“…Nucleic acids were extracted and analyzed using a UV-based method according to Mercaldo-Allen et al (2008) and Tong et al (2010). First, free nucleotides were removed using a series of washes with cold perchloric acid (HClO 4 ).…”

“…As reported, variable nutritional situations are one of the factors that can influence larval survival rates and larvae with poor nutritional condition suffer higher mortality rates than those in good condition (Meyer et al, 2012;Yandi and Altinok, 2015). Recently, RNA/DNA has been widely used to estimate the nutritional condition of fish larvae, and larvae in good condition appear to have a higher RNA/DNA ratio than those in poor condition (Vidal et al, 2006;Mercaldo-Allen et al, 2008). Under a natural environment, fishes may usually suffer short or long periods of starvation, which is one of the main factors leading to high mortality rates and low growth rates for larvae and juveniles.…”