Animal protein, generally fish meal, has traditionally been used in the diet of channel catfish. However, our previous research indicates that animal protein is not needed for growing stockersize catfish to food fish when the fish are stocked at densities typical of those used in commercial catfish culture. Whether this holds when fish are stocked at high densities is not known; thus, we conduc...

Abstract Understanding how ecology shapes the evolution of morphological traits is a major goal in organismal biology. By quantifying force motion, hypotheses on function fundamental tasks animals like feeding can be tested. Ray-finned fishes use various strategies, classified into three main modes: suction, ram and manipulation. While manipulation feeders are usually distinct morphology behavi...

The relationships between diversity and ecosystem functioning have become a major focus of science. A crucial issue is to estimate functional diversity, as it is intended to impact ecosystem dynamics and stability. However, depending on the ecosystem, it may be challenging or even impossible to directly measure ecological functions and thus functional diversity. Phylogenetic diversity was recen...

As in evaluation of the nutritive value of food articles, Iranian nutritionist used to use the nutritional tables from scientific resources other than the native ones, such differences could be regarded as source of error when the homemade fish oil products are used as a supplement of Vitamin D3 in the recommended diets; however, to clearly address the issue, more study should be conducted on t...

Birds and mammals both developed high performance hearts from a heart that must have been reptile-like and the hearts of extant reptiles have an unmatched variability in design. Yet, studies on cardiac development in reptiles are largely old and further studies are much needed as reptiles are starting to become used in molecular studies. We studied the growth of cardiac compartments and changes...