VERTEBRATES

Author: ESTEVE CAVALLER MANUEL.
Year: 2004.
University: BARCELONA [www.ub.es].
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE BIOLOGÍA.
Place of preparation: UNIVERSIDAD POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUNYA.

Summary: We performed a comparative study on the reproductive behavior of the subfamily Salmoninae based on a long-term project of filming underwater during spawning. We studied the behavior of 12 species salmoninos: salmon (Salmo salar, Oncorhynchus clarkii, or mykiss, O. tshawytscha o. kisutch o. nerka o. keta and O. gorbuscha), trout (Salmo trutta) and salvelinos (Salvelinus malma, fontinalis S. and S. corifluentus) and one of timalinos (Thymallus arcticus); Data and fimaciones were conducted over 10 years and represent a total of 309 hours of recording underwater, in various rivers in Spain Britain, the United States and Canada. A review on the origin, evolutionary history, as well as a theoretical analysis and discussion on the reproductive system of the subfamily Salmoninae, suggesting a new model of sexual maturation. It outlines the methods used for recording water. It describes in the comparative behavior of salmoninos during commissioning, based on direct observations and recordings subaquatic video during spawning. The tapes were analyzed individually by recording the time code of the following behaviors: "tremors of macho" (quiverings), "excavation of the female", "checks of the nest" (probings), "demos" (displays), "attacks" "spawns false" and "spawns". It discusses the significance and mechanism in the spawning instincts. It was suggested the spawning of salmoninos as a string of interrelated reactions instinctive. Two models were used artificial imitating female salmon to investigate what are the stimuli that induce males to different behaviors. It used data recordings to discuss what is the role played by the election of the female in the reproduction of salmoninos. He then introduced two mechanisms of sexual selection: the gene attractive model (Fisher, 1930) and the model of good genes (Zahavi, 1975). It was suggested that the reproductive system of salmoninos should be understood as a combination of processes Fisheriano and Zahaviano. We note that most of the demos (displays) struggle of salmoninos continue streamlining proposal by Zahavi (1975). Finally, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Oncorhynchus Salvelinus and based solely on their behavior during spawning. The phylogenetic study was done via maximum parsimony using the PAUP * Beta 10 (Swofford 2003). The configuration of the outgroups was based on a previous study published by Crespi & Fulton (2004) in which all the authors used molecular data available to salmonids to draw their phylogeny. It was assumed that the position of the genus in that tree is correct and as a result was selected to Thymallus and Hucho as outgroups more distant and Psalm as a species sister. We chose 44 characters associated with spawning behavior. The characters were coded individually for each species based on the videos and references. Here are built a compound outgroup to polarize the plesiomórfico or apomórfico each character. It built a binary matrix indicating the polarization of all characters. Analysis of the characters resulted in a single tree (Figure 1). The results coincided with other filogenias this subfamily based on morphological and molecular data and as a result was validated using the behavior as a tool phylogenetic.

Author: TORNERO ÁLVAREZ M. VICTORIA.
Year: 2004.
University: BARCELONA [www.ub.es].
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE BIOLOGÍA.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE BIOLOGÍA.

Summary: The retinoids are ranked among biomarkers suitable for the control of environmental contaminants because some chemical contaminants alter their metabolism and concentrations in the tissues. In marine mammals, especially whales, information on these compounds is very low. Thus, this research focuses on evaluating the applicability of the levels of retinoids as biomarkers of exposure to organochlorine pollutants in cetacean populations. The first floor was to select the most appropriate to evaluate tissue levels of retinoids in cetaceans. The study of the distribution of body retinoids in the common dolphin showed that fat tissue is more advisable for this purpose, as it has sufficiently high concentrations of retinoids, and because of their high contribution to total body mass, body represents a substantial deposit these compounds. Furthermore, the fat can be easily obtained through harvesting techniques biopsies non-destructive and widely experienced. Concentrations of retinoids differed significantly between different positions and sections fat analyzed. It is therefore necessary to use the same body position in order to ensure reliability by comparing levels of retinoids in fat cetaceans from different studies. The retinoids molecules are sensitive to light, excessive heat and oxidation, and their concentrations may be altered from an individual's death until harvesting their tissues. The study of the effect of time on post-mortem concentrations of retinoids in fat six Harbor porpoises showed that the levels of retinoids are stable for 48 hours after the animal's death. Therefore, samples of fat from animals caught dead, not preserved, are suitable for moniteorear retinoids in cetaceans, as long as they are collected during the 48 hours post-mortem. This assertion may not extend to cetaceans found stranded, as they tend traced after 48 hours after his death, after being some time out of the water and, in addition, having long suffered from diseases that may have affected their status body retinoids . To evaluate the effect that pollutants produced on the levels of retinoids in dolphins, it is necessary to study the influence of biological variables on the concentrations of both compounds. It was observed that the effect of gender and age on the levels of retinoids in fat varied substantially depending on the species and collective investigated and that the concentrations of retinoids and lipids were closely related. The results dela this thesis identified a causal link between exposure to organochlorine pollutants or retinoids and decreased body only male bottlenose dolphins, and from a threshold moderado-alto exposure to organochlorines. The investigations should be extended to other species of toothed, concentrating on inidividuos adult males and people living under some exposure levels exceed thresholds determined response here.

Author: CASALS MARTÍ FREDERIC.
Year: 2005.
University: BARCELONA [www.ub.es].
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE BIOLOGIA.
Place of preparation: UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA.

Summary: Based on a follow-up for three years of biology characterized, in relation to the growth and reproduction of 5 species of ciprínidos: Barbo policy (barbus. Graesllsii), Barbo Culirroyo (B. Haasi), Barbo Mountain ( B. Meridionalis), Madrilla (Chondrostoma. Miegii) and the Bagre (S. Cephalus). It also anlaiza dynamics of the community of freshwater fish in rivers aigua D'ora (Cuenca del Llobregat) Llobregat (Cuenca de la Muga), Matarranya (Ebro Basin) and Ripoll (Basin Besós) in relation to the variability of environmental conditions.