The study of fish concentrations and sediment inventories in 19 European high mountain lakes (40-67 degrees N) shows that a fraction of organochlorine compounds (OCs), the less volatile compounds (LVC; subcooled liquid vapor pressure < or = 10(-2.5) Pa), are trapped in the higher locations. This general trend is not significantly influenced by possible local sources. Compound distribution is related to average air temperatures. The phase-change pseudoenthalpies calculated from the sediment inventories closely match the summed theoretical volatilization and dissolution enthalpies. This fractionation effect is responsible for the accumulation of high concentrations of the LVC, the more persistent and toxic according to literature data, in organisms inhabiting sites far from the locations of synthesis or use.
Although Alpine newts (Triturus alpestris) are found at altitudes up to 2500 m, their larvae proved to be extremely sensitive to UV radiation when exposed in clear tapwater to natural sunlight or to comparable artificial UV-B radiation in the laboratory. The experiments revealed severe skin damages (lysis of epithelial cells) and mortality after a few days of exposure. In their natural habitats above the timberline, however, the larvae are protected by the high concentration of dissolved organic carbon in the water leading to an almost complete absorption of UV radiation within the first few centimeters of the water layer. Furthermore, when exposed to UV radiation larvae show erratic swimming activities that may carry them into protected areas. Only in very shallow natural habitats did we detect sublethal UV-like histological effects. Shallow high mountain ponds with clear water normally lack newt populations, probably as a consequence of both low temperature and the effects of UV radiation.
Proteolytic activity in the gut contents of two cichlids and six cyprinids from an artificial basin in Sri Lanka was measured using a simple film strip method. This comparative study contributes to our general knowledge of digestion in herbivorous fish: 1) Specific proteolytic activity (per ml of gut content) is lower in herbivorous than in omnivorous and carnivorous species. 2) Specific proteolytic activity is negatively correlated with the relative length of the gut, but the time of exposure of ingested food to proteolytic enzymes rises with increasing gut length. This results in more intensive proteolytic digestion in herbivorous fish. 3) Proteolytic enzymes seem to be "reabsorbed" in the hindgut of the fish. The effectiveness of this mechanism rises up to a relative gut length of 2.5-3.0. However, the small species Amblypharyngodon melletinus does not fit this relationship.
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