Kenzo Kaifu

Underwater sound detection by cephalopod statocyst

The cephalopod receptor of particle motion was identified. In a previous study, it was suggested that statocysts served this function, but there was no direct supporting evidence, and epidermal hair cells had not been conclusively ruled out. Experiments on Octopus ocellatus were conducted using respiratory activity as an indicator of sound perception. Intact animals clearly responded to 141-Hz particle motion at particle accelerations below 1.3×10−3 m/s2, and the mean perception threshold at this frequency was approximately 6.0×10−4 m/s2. Specimens in which the statoliths had been surgically removed did not show any response for accelerations up to 3.9×10−3 m/s2 at 141 Hz, which was approximately 16 dB greater than the mean perception threshold at this frequency. Specimens that had undergone a control operation in which the statoliths remained intact showed positive responses at 2.8×10−3 m/s2 for the same frequency stimulus. This indicates that the statocyst, which is morphologically similar to the inner ear system in fish, is responsible for the observed responses to particle motion in O. ocellatus. This is the first direct evidence that cephalopods detect kinetic sound components using statocysts.

Dispersal of yellow phase Japanese eels Anguilla japonica after recruitment in the Kojima Bay-Asahi River system, Japan

The density, size and age distribution were investigated for 233 eels, Anguilla japonica, sampled in fresh and brackish water areas of the Kojima Bay-Asahi River system, Okayama, Japan, to evaluate the possible patterns of dispersal of eels that recruit to this area. Migratory histories of 183 eels were categorized into 5 types depending on the Sr and Ca concentrations in their otoliths: (1) brackish water residents (74 fish, 40.4%), which settled in saline water and remained until capture; (2) freshwater residents (46 fish, 25.1%), which settled in freshwater and remained until capture; (3) upstream shifters (3 fish, 1.6%), which settled in saline water and moved upstream into freshwater; (4) downstream shifters (53 fish, 29.0%), which settled in freshwater and moved downstream into saline water; (5) multiple habitat shifters (7 fish, 3.8%), which shifted their habitats between freshwater and saline water more than twice. For eels captured in the brackish water area, fish density decreased with distance in the downstream direction, while the size and age of eels increased. For eels captured in the freshwater area, size and age were greater than those in the upper-most brackish site. These observations suggest that eels in this system initially accumulate in the lower reaches of the river and then disperse in both upstream and downstream directions following their growth.

Diet of Japanese eels Anguilla japonica in the Kojima Bay-Asahi River system, Japan

The diet of Japanese eels, Anguilla japonica, was investigated using stomach content and stable isotope analyses. Stable isotope enrichment of carbon and nitrogen (Δδ13C and Δδ15N) was first estimated for A. japonica by comparing the isotopic signatures (δ13C and δ15N) of reared eels to that of their food. The estimated isotope enrichment was then applied to the diet estimation of A. japonica in the Kojima Bay-Asahi River system, Japan, combined with conventional stomach content analysis. Stable isotope enrichment varied among tissues, from 0.2‰ to 0.8‰ for carbon and from 1.3‰ to 2.1‰ for nitrogen. Nitrogen isotope enrichment of A. japonica muscle estimated in this study was 2.1‰, which was different from the previously reported mean δ15N enrichment of several animals of 3.4‰. These results indicate that isotope-based diet estimations for A. japonica need to use species- and tissue-specific values of isotope enrichment. In the diet analysis, stomach contents and stable isotopes revealed that (1) A. japonica appear to usually feed on a single type of prey species in each feeding session, (2) principal prey species were mud shrimp, Upogebia major, in brackish Kojima Bay and crayfish, Procambarus clarkia, in the Asahi River, (3) A. japonica in Kojima Bay primarily depend on the pelagic food web as a carbon source due to mud shrimp being filter feeders and eels in the Asahi River primarily depend on the littoral food web. Based on these results and the recently reported eel movements between Kojima Bay and the Asahi River, it appears that A. japonica can adapt to various feeding environments as opportunists, but also utilize the food resources by targeting a single type of prey species during a single feeding session.

Asymmetric dispersal structures a riverine metapopulation of the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera laevis

Unidirectional water flow results in the downstream-biased, asymmetric dispersal of many riverine organisms. However, little is known of how asymmetric dispersal influences riverine population structure and dynamics, limiting our ability to properly manage riverine organisms. A metapopulation of the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera laevis may be sensitive to river currents because mussels are repeatedly exposed to downstream drift during floods—a parasitic life stage is the only, limited period (∼40 days) during which larvae (glochidia) can move upstream with the aid of host fish. We hypothesized that water-mediated dispersal would overwhelm upstream dispersal via host fish, and therefore, that upstream subpopulations play a critical role as immigrant sources. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of both up- and downstream immigrant sources on the size of target subpopulations in the Shubuto River system, Hokkaido, Japan. We found that target subpopulation size was dependent on the upstream distribution range of reproductive subpopulations and the number of upstream tributaries, which are proxies for the number of potential immigrants moving downstream. In contrast, little influence was observed of downstream immigrant sources (proximity to downstream reproductive subpopulations). These results were consistent even after accounting for local environments and stream size. Our finding suggests that upstream subpopulations can be disproportionately important as immigrant sources when dispersal is strongly asymmetric.

Head‐shape polymorphism in Japanese eels Anguilla japonica in relation to differences of somatic growth in freshwater and brackish habitats

The age, total length (L(T)), head shape and skull shape were investigated for 379 Japanese eels Anguilla japonica sampled in freshwater and brackish areas of the Kojima Bay-Asahi River system, Okayama, Japan, to learn about the differentiation process of head-shape polymorphism. The relative mouth width (ratio of mouth width to L(T)) of A. japonica > 400 mm L(T) collected in fresh water was significantly greater than that of fish collected in brackish water. Growth rates of mouth width and the distance from the snout to the midpoint of the eyes (the ratio of width and distance to age, respectively) were not significantly different between freshwater and brackish-water samples, whereas the somatic growth rate (the ratio of L(T) to age) of freshwater samples was significantly lower than that of brackish-water eel samples. These results suggest that the factors affecting head and somatic growth of A. japonica are not identical. According to these results and feeding patterns in each habitat reported by another study, it is suggested that somatic growth appears to play a significant role in the differentiation process of the head-shape polymorphism in A. japonica, with the slow-growing fish in fresh water becoming broad-headed and the fast-growing fish in brackish water becoming narrow-headed.

Discrimination of wild and cultured Japanese eels based on otolith stable isotope ratios

Discrimination of wild and cultured Japanese eels based on otolith stable isotope ratios Kenzo Kaifu*, Hikaru Itakura, Yosuke Amano, Kotaro Shirai, Kazuki Yokouchi, Ryoshiro Wakiya, Naoko Murakami-Sugihara, Izumi Washitani, and Takashi Yada Faculty of Law, Chuo University, 724-1 Higashinakano, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-0393, Japan Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1, Rokkoudaichou, Nadaku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 3-27-5, Shinhama, Shiogama, Miyagi 985-0001, Japan Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo 5-1-5, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 238-0316, Japan Research and Development Initiative, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8551, Japan Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8551, Japan National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Nikko, Tochigi 321-1661, Japan *Corresponding author: tel: þ81 42 674 3243; fax: þ81 42 674 3243; e-mail: kaifu@tamacc.chuo-u.ac.jp

Contribution to the Understanding of Particle Motion Perception in Marine Invertebrates.

Marine invertebrates potentially represent a group of species whose ecology may be influenced by artificial noise. Exposure to anthropogenic sound sources could have a direct consequence on the functionality and sensitivity of their sensory organs, the statocysts, which are responsible for their equilibrium and movements in the water column. The availability of novel laser Doppler vibrometer techniques has recently opened the possibility of measuring whole body (distance, velocity, and acceleration) vibration as a direct stimulus eliciting statocyst response, offering the scientific community a new level of understanding of the marine invertebrate hearing mechanism.

Do Japanese eels recruit into the Japan Sea coast?: A case study in the Hayase River system, Fukui Japan

The Japanese coastlines along the Sea of Japan (Japan Sea) have been thought to be one of the margins of the distribution range of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica, and there is evidence that eels had naturally recruited into these areas several hundred years ago. However, recruitment there is uncertain recently, because there seems to be no study that reported glass eel or elver recruitment into the coasts along the Japan Sea for a couple of decades, and the eels inhabiting these areas were probably stocked by fisheries cooperatives. In order to improve understanding of the present-day natural geographic distribution range of this species, we searched for naturally recruited wild eels in the Hayase River system, Fukui Prefecture, which flows into the Japan Sea. Multiple approaches including investigation of glass eel recruitment, comparison of body size, and estimation of habitat use types was employed. During the observation period (from January to July 2010), no glass eels were found at the river mouth of the Hayase River in monthly sampling. Of eels collected in this study (n = 127), no eels smaller than the initial body size of eels for stocking were found in this water system and none were identified as being of wild origin based on the habitat use type classifications from otolith microchemistry (n = 48). This lack of evidence of Japanese eels recruiting into Japan Sea coast waters suggests most eels present there may be stocked eels. Japanese eels could have been distributed naturally along the Japan Sea coast more than in recent years, indicating a possible decrease of the natural distribution range of this species.

Depletion of naturally recruited wild Japanese eels in Okayama, Japan, revealed by otolith stable isotope ratios and abundance indices

To investigate the population dynamics of naturally recruited wild Japanese eels, fisheries data of wild individuals in Okayama Prefecture were investigated as a case study. Wild and stocked eels were discriminated using a recently developed method based on otolith stable isotopes. Of the 161 eels captured in freshwater areas where eels had been stocked, 98.1% were discriminated as stocked. In contrast, 82.8% of 128 eels captured in coastal areas where eels are not stocked were discriminated as wild. There was a significant decrease in longline and set-net catch per unit effort between 2003 and 2016 in the coastal areas where most eels were discriminated as wild, indicating ongoing depletion of wild Japanese eels in these waters.

Discovering the dominance of the non-native European eel in the upper reaches of the Tone River system, Japan

To investigate the presence of non-native anguillid eels in Japanese waters, 141 eels were collected from seven sampling sites throughout the Tone River system. Genetic species identification showed an extraordinary dominance of the non-native European eel Anguilla anguilla in the uppermost site of the study area. Estimation of age from otoliths suggested that the European eels were introduced into the river in the 1990s, corresponding to previous reports from other Japanese water systems. Comparison of the von Bertalanffy growth curve parameters indicated that the European eels caught in the Tone River system appeared to have a similar or even higher growth rate than the same species in the original habitats in Europe. The long-term inhabitation and the normal development of European eels in Japanese waters suggest that regulations prohibiting the release of non-native eels and safeguards against accidental escape from culture ponds must be strictly maintained in order to ensure the conservation of the native Japanese eel.