Explore the vast range of titles available.

The Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Decapoda, Portunidae) Rathbun, 1896 is native to the east coasts of North and South America and has recently expanded its distribution in the non-native range into the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Iberian Peninsula, Europe). Considering the impacts caused by this invasive species in numerous estuarine ecosystems and its generalist feeding behavior, this study aims to provide the first account of the Atlantic blue crab diet on the East Atlantic coast. We studied the species’ feeding habits using stomach content analyses to predict food web interactions and putative impacts. Samples were obtained in the Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain, Europe), which was colonized in 2017. The main food items identified on their stomach were, fish (49.9%), mollusks (44.4%) and crabs (32.3%). They also consumed plant material (27.2%), and the sediment (32.3%) in their digestive tract was likely the result of secondary ingestion. The Atlantic blue crab exhibited the same omnivorous behavior as in the native area. There was no sexual variation in diet composition or feeding activity in general, but there was a seasonal variation in the diet composition of females. The decrease of the caramote prawn Penaeus kerathurus (Forskål 1775) observed in the Guadalquivir estuary since 2021 is likely not due to the Atlantic blue crab because they seldomly eat this prey. Overall, our study provides clear baseline information to expand the knowledge about the ecological roles of the Atlantic blue crab in non-native ecosystems.

The global production of aquaculture has grown rapidly and is dominated by China, Vietnam, and other East Asian countries. The use of antibiotics is widespread in the aquaculture industry but has been slowly decreasing as the benefits of medicinal herbs become clear. Various medicinal herbs are known to have excellent properties, such as antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal activity; hormonal balancing; and physiological support (immune and digestive systems). The aim of this paper is to review the latest scientific information on the application of medicinal herbs in different aquaculture sectors, including marine, freshwater and crustacean culture, and the potential problems and recommendations for the application of medicinal herbs in aquaculture, to provide clues for the development of medicinal herbs for epidemic disease resistance of aquaculture industry in the future.

Over many decades there were numerous attempts to isolate gonad-stimulating factors (GSF) in crustaceans. Before omic technologies, the main neuroendocrine factors identified as ovarian development regulators in crustaceans were inhibitory in nature, belonging to the CHH family of neuropeptides produced in the eyestalk. Eyestalk ablation thus leads to ovarian development and this technique is still used in shrimp farms to induce maturation although some biological issues arise. In this manuscript, we review the current knowledge on potential GSF with emphasis on several key candidates and discuss how novel sequencing technologies might aid in better understanding the nature of the ovarian development in crustaceans. However, the gap between the rapid pace at which sequence databases are produced and mined and the experimental work that lags behind do not yet allow us to know the nature of the GSF in crustaceans. Three possible reasons are suggested: (1) crustaceans represent a very large and diverse group, then different species could have GSF of different compounds; (2) it is possible that crustaceans employ multiple hormonal factors to control vitellogenesis; (3) crustaceans might not need a GSF. Reproduction is only negatively regulated by CHH family peptides.

Food production is responsible for a quarter of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. Marine fisheries are typically excluded from global assessments of GHGs or are generalized based on a limited number of case studies. Here we quantify fuel inputs and GHG emissions for the global fishing fleet from 1990–2011 and compare emissions from fisheries to those from agriculture and livestock production. We estimate that fisheries consumed 40 billion litres of fuel in 2011 and generated a total of 179 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent GHGs (4% of global food production). Emissions from the global fishing industry grew by 28% between 1990 and 2011, with little coinciding increase in production (average emissions per tonne landed grew by 21%). Growth in emissions was driven primarily by increased harvests from fuel-intensive crustacean fisheries. The environmental benefit of low-carbon fisheries could be further realized if a greater proportion of landings were directed to human consumption rather than industrial uses.

The wide distribution of crustaceans from freshwater through brackish into marine waters and from salt marshes to terrestrial zones shows the exceptional capacities of this animal group to cope with salinity changes. Osmoregulation is the main physiological mechanism that maintains the hydromineral homeostasis of these animals. The difference of osmoregulation capacities between an osmoconformer and an osmoregulator species is mainly explained by anisosmotic extracellular regulation (AER) and/or isosmotic intracellular regulation (IIR). This review will also discuss the particular acquisition of specific osmoregulation capacities in crustaceans from the first embryonic stages to the adult. Several findings revealed that gills and antennal glands are the primordial hydromineral regulation tissues, and they present the same structure and function in all crustaceans, except in shrimps. These tissues contain ionocytes that harbor membrane pumps implicated in ion regulation. Na + /K + -ATPase, the major of these membrane proteins, acts upon rapid ionic changes, usually in cooperation with several other membrane pumps. Also some proteins, belonging to the detoxification and antioxidant systems, seem implicated in the regulation mechanisms after salinity change. This review will resume and discuss the current knowledge on salinity regulation in this large and important animal group.

Climate change has resulted in increasing temperature and acidification in marine systems. Rising temperature and acidification act as stressors that negatively affect host barriers to infection, thus enhancing disease processes and influencing the emergence of pathogens in ecologically and commercially important species. Given that crustaceans are ectotherms, changes in temperature dominate their physiological and immunological responses to microbial pathogens and parasites. Because of this, the thermal ranges of several crustacean hosts and their pathogens can be used to project the outcomes of infections. Host factors such as molting, maturation, respiration, and immune function are strongly influenced by temperature, which in turn alter the host's susceptibility to pathogens, further amplifying morbidity and mortality. Microbial pathogens are also strongly influenced by temperature, arguably more so than their crustacean hosts. Microbial pathogens, with higher thermal optima than their hosts, grow rapidly and overcome host immune defenses, which have been weakened by increased temperatures. Pathogen factors such as metabolic rates, growth rates, virulence factors, and developmental rates are often enhanced by rising temperature, which translates into increased transmission, dispersal, and proliferation at the population level, and ultimately emergence of outbreaks in host populations. Less well known are the effects of acidification and salinity intrusion on host-pathogen processes, but they operate alongside temperature, as multiple stressors, that impose significant metabolic and physiological demands on host homeostasis.

Chitin is among the most important components of the crustacean cuticular exoskeleton and intestinal peritrophic matrix. With the progress of genomics and sequencing technology, a large number of gene sequences related to chitin metabolism have been deposited in the GenBank database in recent years. Here, we summarized the genes and pathways associated with the biosynthesis and degradation of chitins in crustaceans based on genomic analyses. We found that chitin biosynthesis genes typically occur in single or two copies, whereas chitin degradation genes are all multiple copies. Moreover, the chitinase genes are significantly expanded in most crustacean genomes. The gene structure and expression pattern of these genes are similar to those of insects, albeit with some specific characteristics. Additionally, the potential applications of the chitin metabolism genes in molting regulation and immune defense, as well as industrial chitin degradation and production, are also summarized in this review.

Some hosts harbor more parasites than others. Overdispersion of parasitism suggests that coevolution with parasites may be more important to the biology and ecology of certain species. We examined patterns of parasitism and host traits in fished decapod crustaceans, which are economically and ecologically important worldwide. Using a synthesis approach, we determine that host life history, including habitat, longevity, sociality, invasion history, and fisheries involvement, correlate with the number and type of parasite species harbored. Indicator species analysis revealed close relationships between decapods and certain parasite groups, including crabs with rhizocephalans and dinoflagellates; crayfish with mesomycetozoans, oomycetes, branchiobdellids, and fungi; lobsters with copepods and amoebae; and shrimp with viruses. In contrast, Nematomorpha and Nemertea appear to be under-represented and under-studied as parasite groups in decapods. Decapods that are commercially fished, aquacultured, introduced outside their native range, and/or exhibit parental care tend to have higher parasite species richness (PSR). Parasite richness also increases with how well-studied a host group is, which we addressed with a machine learning algorithm that predicts false negative associations. Geographic range is commonly positively correlated with parasite richness, however reliable ranges are not available for most decapod species, highlighting a significant future research need. Identifying patterns such as these increases our broad understanding of decapod disease ecology but also enabled us to develop a series of recommendations on how to focus future research, management, and aquaculture development efforts.

Xanthophyll astaxanthin, which is commonly used in aquaculture, is one of the most expensive and important industrial pigments. It is responsible for the pink and red color of salmonid meat and shrimp. Due to having the strongest anti-oxidative properties among carotenoids and other health benefits, natural astaxanthin is used in nutraceuticals and cosmetics, and in some countries, occasionally, to fortify foods and beverages. Its use in food technology is limited due to the unknown effects of long-term consumption of synthetic astaxanthin on human health as well as few sources and the high cost of natural astaxanthin. The article characterizes the structure, health-promoting properties, commercial sources and industrial use of astaxanthin. It presents the possibilities and limitations of the use of astaxanthin in food technology, considering its costs and food safety. It also presents the possibilities of stabilizing astaxanthin and improving its bioavailability by means of micro- and nanoencapsulation.