Preface

Chapter 8 **Advances and Applications of Tracer Measurements of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Fish 247**

Chapter 9 **Ontogenetic Dietary Shifts in a Predatory Freshwater Fish**

**Species: The Brown Trout as an Example of a Dynamic**

and John Griffith Jones

**Fish Species 271**

Fernando Cobo

**VI** Contents

Ivan Viegas, Rui de Albuquerque Carvalho, Miguel Ângelo Pardal

Javier Sánchez-Hernández, María J. Servia, Rufino Vieira-Lanero and

Fish is an important component of aquaculture with up to 80% of animal protein contribution especially in developing countries. Therefore, aquaculture is a bright spot with great potential in many countries worldwide. This potential raises the issue of achieving a sustainable and environmentally friendly aquaculture. Many areas need to be explored and developed. Updated information about some of the main issues that currently affects aquaculture was presented in this book for the scientific researchers in the field of aquaculture and fish biology. The book is sub-divided into nine distinct chapters. The importance of each of these contributions was briefly summarized here.

The understanding of the mechanisms that control inflammation in teleosts may allow for the development of strategies to prevent infectious diseases. Therefore, the main concepts of innate immune mechanism are reviewed in Chapter 1 by Sebastián Reyes-Cerpa, Kevin Maisey, Felipe Reyes-López, Daniela Toro-Ascuy, Ana M. Sandino, Mónica Imarai and Chapter 2 by Leon Grayfer and Miodrag Belosevic. Their reviews focus on the recent advancements in the understanding of the biology of hallmark fish pro-inflammatory cytokines. In the following Chapter 3 by Barbara A. Katzenback, Fumihiko Katakura and Miodrag Belosevic, the author are provided an overview of the current knowledge of the fish model systems on the sentinel cells (macrophages and neutrophils) of the innate immune response.

Jacinto E. S. Díaz, Eugenia L. in Chapter 4 discuss a short framework of effects of xenobiotics on the responses of freshwater fish across molecular to population level when have been exposed to environmental stressors. Their review considers the use of fish as sentinel organisms to assess the anthropogenic impacts over the freshwater ecosystems. Climate changes and dams are likely to represent the most important threats to freshwater fish around the world. The effects of climate change and dams on the ecosystem are reviewed by Carlos E. C. Freitas, Alexandre A. F. Rivas, Caroline P. Campos, Igor Sant'Ana, James R. Kahn, Maria A. A. Correa and Michel Catarino in Chapter 5. The silver catfish (jundiá) have been used for bioindicator of environmental contamination for many researches and can be used to aquatic biological systems. In Chapter 6 by Cláudia T. Pimpão, Ênio Moura, Ana C. Fredianelli, Luciana G. Galeb, Rita M. V. M. Rocha, Francisco P. Montanha aimed to review some aspects of the toxicology silver catfish.

Christine Genge, Leif Hove-Madsen and Glen F. Tibbits in Chapter 7 reviewed the roles of the atrium and ventricle in achieving variability with myocardial contractility among the telesot species. In chapter 8 Ivan Viega, Rui A. Carvalho, Miguel Â. Pardal, John G. Jones focus on the metabolism of carbohydrates by fish in aquaculture. In Chapter 9, Javier Sánchez-Hernández, María J. Servia, Rufino Vieira-Lanero, Fernando Cobo discuss the variables that are involved in the feeding behaviour of brown trout as an example of a predatory freshwater fish species.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the contributors for their cooperation. I also express my gratitude to Ms. Iva Simcic at Intech in assisting me with editing of this book.

> **HakanTurker, Ph.D.** Abant Izzet Baysal University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology Bolu, Turkey

**Section 1**

**New Advances and Contributions to Fish**

**Biology**

**New Advances and Contributions to Fish Biology**

variables that are involved in the feeding behaviour of brown trout as an example of a

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the contributors for their cooperation. I also express my

**HakanTurker, Ph.D.**

Bolu, Turkey

Abant Izzet Baysal University,

Faculty of Science, Department of Biology

gratitude to Ms. Iva Simcic at Intech in assisting me with editing of this book.

predatory freshwater fish species.

VIII Preface

**Chapter 1**

**Fish Cytokines and Immune Response**

Sebastián Reyes-Cerpa, Kevin Maisey, Felipe Reyes-López, Daniela Toro-Ascuy, Ana María Sandino and Mónica Imarai

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/53504

**1. Introduction**

organs [2].

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

herited innate immunity from their invertebrate ancestors [1].

The immune system can be defined as a complex system that protects the organism against organisms or substances that might cause infection or disease. One of the most fascinating characteristics of the immune system is its capability to recognize and respond to pathogens with significant specificity. Innate and adaptive immune responses are able to recognize for‐ eign structures and trigger different molecular and cellular mechanisms for antigen elimina‐ tion. The immune response is critical to all individuals; therefore numerous changes have taken place during evolution to generate variability and specialization, although the im‐ mune system has conserved some important features over millions of years of evolution that are common for all species. The emergence of new taxonomic categories coincided with the diversification of the immune response. Most notably, the emergence of vertebrates coincid‐ ed with the development of a novel type of immune response. Apparently, vertebrates in‐

In higher vertebrates, the immune system consists of primary and secondary lymphoid or‐ gans with distinct compartments and morphology located in anatomically distinct sites. The thymus and bone marrow constitute the primary lymphoid organs, while the spleen, lymph nodes, and mucosal associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) comprise the secondary lymphoid

Fish are a heterogeneous group divided into three classes: Agnatha (jawless fish such as the hagfish and lampreys), Chrondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays and skates) and Osteichthyes (bony fish) [3]. As in all vertebrates, fish have cellular and humoral im‐ mune responses and organs, the main function of which is immune defence. Most genera‐

> © 2013 Reyes-Cerpa et al.; licensee InTech. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

> © 2013 Reyes-Cerpa et al.; licensee InTech. This is a paper distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
