L. Curry Woods

Bio: L. Curry Woods is an academic researcher from University of Maryland, College Park. The author has contributed to research in topics: Bass (fish) & Sperm. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 32 publications receiving 814 citations. Previous affiliations of L. Curry Woods include University of South Carolina.

Dietary phosphorus requirement of juvenile striped bass Morone saxatilis.

Abstract: Three experiments were performed in single-pass, flow-through systems to determine the dietary phosphorus requirement of striped bass Morone saxatilis. In Experiment 1, three semi-purified diets were formulated to contain 0.20, 0.40, or 0.60% total phosphorus (entirely from animal protein) and were fed to striped bass having an average initial weight of 321 g. After 14 wk of feeding, significant differences in bone and scale mineralization were found among treatment groups. At a level of 0.40% dietary phosphorus there was a significant improvement of serum calcium (Ca) and tissue mineralization. In Experiment 2, five diets were formulated with graded levels of monopotassium phosphate to yield total phosphorus levels of 0.15 (no P supplementation), 0.35, 0.55, 0.75, and 0.95% and fed to juvenile striped bass initially weighing an average of 7.9 g. After 6 wk, significant improvement in scale and vertebral mineralization occurred when fish were fed diets containing at least 0.55% phosphorus. Improvements were observed in growth, serum phosphorus, incidence of scoliosis, survival, and feed efficiency when the diet contained at least 0.35% P. In Experiment 3, the dietary phosphorus levels fed were 0.30, 0.38, 0.46, 0.54, and 0.62% total phosphorus using graded levels of monopotassium phosphate. Diets were fed to striped bass fingerlings initially weighing an average of 48 g. After 10 wk, significant improvement in scale, vertebral, and dorsal fin mineralization was observed when dietary phosphorus was at least 0.46%. A summary of the broken-line regression analyses of the data from these experiments indicated that the average total dietary phosphorus level required for optimal growth and mineralization of striped bass was 0.58%.

The Effects of the Soy Isoflavone Genistein on the Reproductive Development of Striped Bass

Abstract: The aquaculture industry has made great strides toward developing diets for finfish that provide adequate nutrition for the animals being maintained while minimizing the cost to the farmer. Alternative, plant-derived protein sources are used to minimize cost. Soybean meal is the plant protein most commonly used because it maintains adequate growth. However, soy is rich in phytoestrogens, the most abundant of which is genistein. Studies have shown variable physiological effects associated with exposure to genistein. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of feeding genistein to juvenile striped bass Morone saxatilis at varying concentrations in the diet. The first experiment was designed to determine whether juvenile striped bass are capable of responding to estrogen exposure. Juvenile striped bass were given weekly injections of estradiol benzoate for 3 weeks and showed a significant response to the estrogen via expression of vitellogenin. In two additional experiments, gen...

Metabolism and Functions of Lipids and Fatty Acids in Teleost Fish

Abstract: Lipids and their constituent fatty acids are, along with proteins, the major organic constituents of fish, and they play major roles as sources of metabolic energy for growth including reproduction and movement, including migration. Furthermore, the fatty acids of fish lipids are rich in ω3 long chain, highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 HUFA) that have particularly important roles in animal nutrition, including fish and human nutrition, reflecting their roles in critical physiological processes. Indeed, fish are the most important food source of these vital nutrients for man. Thus, the longstanding interest in fish lipids stems from their abundance and their uniqueness. This review attempts to summarize our present state of knowledge of various aspects of the basic biochemistry, metabolism, and functions of fatty acids, and the lipids they constitute part of, in fish, seeking where possible to relate that understanding as much to fish in their natural environment as to farmed fish. In doing so, it highli...

Expanding the utilization of sustainable plant products in aquafeeds: a review

Abstract: Continued growth and intensi¢cation of aquaculture production depends upon the development of sustainable protein sources to replace ¢sh meal in aquafeeds. This document reviews various plant feedstuis, which currently are or potentially may be incorporated into aquafeeds to support the sustainable production of various ¢sh species in aquaculture. The plant feedstuis considered include oilseeds, legumes and cereal grains, which traditionally have been used as protein or energy concentrates as well as novel products developed through various processing technologies. The nutritional composition of these various feedstuis are considered along with the presence of any bioactive compounds that may positively or negatively aiect the target organism. Lipid composition of these feedstuis is not speci¢cally considered although it is recognized that incorporating lipid supplements in aquafeeds to achieve proper fatty acid pro¢les to meet the metabolic requirements of ¢sh and maximize human health bene¢ts are important aspects. Speci¢c strategies and techniques to optimize the nutritional composition of plant feedstuis and limit potentially adverse eiects of bioactive compounds are also described. Such information will provide a foundation for developing strategic research plans for increasing the use of plant feedstuis in aquaculture to reduce dependence of animal feedstuis and thereby enhance the sustainability of aquaculture.

Starvation physiology: reviewing the different strategies animals use to survive a common challenge.

Abstract: All animals face the possibility of limitations in food resources that could ultimately lead to starvation-induced mortality. The primary goal of this review is to characterize the various physiological strategies that allow different animals to survive starvation. The ancillary goals of this work are to identify areas in which investigations of starvation can be improved and to discuss recent advances and emerging directions in starvation research. The ubiquity of food limitation among animals, inconsistent terminology associated with starvation and fasting, and rationale for scientific investigations into starvation are discussed. Similarities and differences with regard to carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism during starvation are also examined in a comparative context. Examples from the literature are used to underscore areas in which reporting and statistical practices, particularly those involved with starvation-induced changes in body composition and starvation-induced hypometabolism can be improved. The review concludes by highlighting several recent advances and promising research directions in starvation physiology. Because the hundreds of studies reviewed here vary so widely in their experimental designs and treatments, formal comparisons of starvation responses among studies and taxa are generally precluded; nevertheless, it is my aim to provide a starting point from which we may develop novel approaches, tools, and hypotheses to facilitate meaningful investigations into the physiology of starvation in animals.

Determination of Total Lipid, Lipid Classes, and Fatty Acids in Aquatic Samples

Abstract: The hydrophobic nature of lipids provides a convenient means of separating them from other compounds in an aqueous sample matrix. Extraction in nonpolar solvents is universally employed and is the basis of the operational definition of lipids. This approach is used routinely in algal biosynthetic studies in which the fate of a radiolabeled precursor is followed into the lipid pool. By adding 14C bicarbonate to a sample from the field (Wainman and Lean, 1992) or a culture (Rai, 1995) and then later extracting the sample with a water-immiscible organic solvent, the “lipid fraction of carbon fixation” (LFCF) can be determined (Wainman and Lean, 1992). By performing a chromatographic separation before counting, this procedure can be further refined to determine the subclasses in which the 4C ends up (Smith and D’ Souza, 1993). Subfractionation is important when a differentiation between allocation to lipid storage and membrane synthesis is required. The radiolabeling approach is convenient, sensitive, and not prone to contamination. However, many ecological studies are not amenable to this approach, and so chemical analysis of the constituents of lipid extracts has to be performed.