Survival and chloride ion regulation of the porcelain crab Petrolisthes armatus exposed to mercury

Acute toxicity bioassays conducted at various salinities demonstrated that mercury (as mercuric chloride) at low concentrations was lethal to Petrolisthes armatus. Ninety-six hour LC₅₀ values varied from 50 to 64 parts per billion (ppb) of mercury, depending on test salinities. Lower salinities. decreased the time to death of mercuryexposed crabs. Differences in survival after 96 h due to salinity were not statistically significant. Blood chloride concentrations were regulated hyperchloride to the medium at low salinities and hypochloride at high salinities by acclimated crabs. The salinity isochloride to blood was 20 S. Transfer of crabs from 15 S to salinities ranging from 7 to 35 S resulted in new steadystate chloride levels within 12 h. Exposure to 50 ppb mercury did not alter chloride ion regulation of either acclimated crabs or crabs adjusting to new salinities.     

Salinity tolerance,salinity preference and temperature tolerance in the high-shore harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus brevicornis

Tigriopus brevicornis (O. F. Müller) were collected in 1992 from rock pools close to U.M.B.S. Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, U.K. and acclimated to various combinations of salinity and temperature for at least 1 wk prior to laboratory experiments. Higher salinities of acclimation enhanced tolerance to high salinity stress, while tolerance of low salinities was hardly affected by acclimation salinity. Acclimation to low temperature (10°C) extended the survivable salinity range for T. brevicornis. High-salinity acclimation enhanced the survivable temperature range. Copepods acclimated to 60 survived significantly lower and higher temperatures than did 34-acclimated individuals. At high temperature, 75-acclimated female copepods had the highest median lethal temperature, 38.9°C. Females were significantly more resistant to high temperatures than males. The copepods were seen to have a very low median lethal temperature when frozen into solid ice for 2 h; 50% mortality occurred at-16.9°C in 10°C, 34-acclimated T. brevicornis. Salinity preference experiments demonstrated an ability to discriminate between salinities differing by as little as 3. Copepods acclimated to 34 chose salinities near their acclimation salinity; individuals acclimated to 5 favoured slightly higher salinities, while copepods acclimated to 60 chose rather lower salinities.     

The combined effects of salinity and temperature on larvae of the mussel Mytilus edulis

The combined effects of salinity and temperature on survival and growth of larvae of the mussel Mytilus edulis (L.) were studied. The effects of salinity and temperature are significantly related only as the limits of tolerance of either factor are approached. Survival of larvae at salinities from 15 to 40 is uniformly good (70% or better) at temperatures from 5° to 20°C, but is reduced drastically at 25 °C, particularly at high (40) and low (20) salinities. Larval growth is rapid at a temperature of 15 °C in salinities from 25 to 35, at 20 °C in salinities from 20 to 35. Optimum growth occurs at 20 °C in salinities from 25 to 30. Growth decreases both at 25° and 10 °C; the decline is most drastic at high (40) and low (20) salinities.Part of a study completed at the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Biological Laboratory, Milford, Connecticut, USA, while on a UNESCO Fellowship.     

The significance of temperature,salinity and zinc as lethal factors for the mussel Mytilus edulis in a polluted estuary

Mussels, Mytilus edulis L., were subjected to high temperatures, low salinities and dissolved zinc in order to investigate possible environmental hazards of a discharge of heated effluent near Newport on the Yarra River estuary, Victoria, Australia. Exposure to zinc at 0.8 mg l^-1 for 14 d in otherwise favourable conditions significantly increased mortality resulting from subsequent exposure to temperatures between 29° to 31°C for 24 h without added zinc. Mussels collected from water of temporarily lowered salinity (8–16 S) showed significantly lower thermal resistance than controls collected from marine salinities (35 S). Mussels taken from a marine environment and exposed to 10 S died at a rate which increased with temperature. Mussels acclimated for 14 d to combinations of 10°, 16° and 22°C and 22 and 35 S, and subsequently exposed to increased zinc concentrations accumulated zinc to levels which were independent of temperature and salinity. The zinc was lethal more quickly at 22°C and 35 S than at the lower temperatures and salinities. The modes of toxic action of the salinity, zinc and temperature factors are discussed and it is argued that zinc which has been found accumulated in mussels near Newport could be reducing their resistance to raised temperatures and perhaps other stresses, probably as a result of effects on lysosomal functioning. The evidence suggests that the heated effluent will accelerate any toxic effects of zinc or low salinities which occur near Newport and so poses a hazard in winter as well as in summer.     

Survival and activity of the oyster drill Urosalpinx cinerea under conditions of fluctuating salinity

The effects of fluctuating salinities on the survival and activity of Urosalpinx cinerea (Say) from the James River, Virginia, USA, were observed and compared to results of similar studies at constant salinities. All experiments were conducted at summer temperatures. The lower extremes of salinity fluctuations, especially values below 9, had the greatest effect on mortality; the upper extremes may have delayed, but did not reduce, mortality. There was a characteristic 10-day mortality-free period at the start of the fluctuating salinity experiments. Mortality patterns were much different in constant salinities, where the first 2 weeks of exposure were characterized by highest mortalities. In both types of experiments, drill activity, measured by attachment, feeding, and oviposition, increased as salinities increased above lethal levels (greater than a minimum of 9). Fluctuating salinities, which approximated field conditions, affected drills differently from constant salinities and were, therefore, more realistic for study of these estuarine organisms.Contribution No. 543, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, submitted by the senior author to the School of Marine Science of the College of Williams and Mary, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree.     

Combined effects of temperature and salinity on the complete development ofEurytemora velox (Crustacea: Calanoidea)

The calanoid copepodEurytemora velox was collected from rock pools at Castletown, Isle of Man, UK. Its optimum environmental requirements, particularly temperature and salinity, were determined, with a view to its possible future use as living food in intensive fish and shellfish farming. The species was cultured in 21 different temperature and salinity combinations. Investigations covered a period of two years from December 1983 to December 1985. Complete development from hatching to adult stage was followed in 21 temperature and salinity combinations. Nauplii suffered relatively high mortalities, indicating the sensitivity of this development stage to variations in temperature and salinity. Highest nauplii survival was observed in the combinations 15°C with 25 and 20 S and 20°C with 20 S, the highest copepodite survival at 10°C and 20 S. Lower salinities were tolerated better at higher temperatures and higher salinities at lower temperatures. Development time varied with the temperature and salinity combinations. Lower salinities at the lower temperatures of 10° and 15°C and both lower and higher salinities at 20°C prolonged development, particularly of the naupliar stage. Highest Q₅ values (i.e., rate of change of development with a 5 C° increase in temperature) were recorded for the naupliar stage. Statistical analysis indicated that salinity influences the survival of both nauplii and copepodites; however, this effect is not linear.     

Metabolic responses to changing environmental conditions in the brackish water polychaetes Marenzelleria viridis and Hediste diversicolor

The metabolic strategies of the polychaete Marenzelleria viridis (Verrill 1873), a successful immigrant into Baltic shallow eutrophic coastal waters with meso-to oligohaline salinities since the 1980's, were determined by simultaneous calorimetry and respirometry. Resistance to oxygen deficiency under varying ecological conditions was also examined. The results of the studies with this immigrant were compared to those with the common indigeneous polychaete Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor (O.F. Müller). At 10 and 20 °C and the average habitat salinity of 5 M. viridis gradually reduced its metabolic activity with declining oxygen partial preessures (pO₂), whereas H. diversicolor maintained its metabolic activity. The metabolism of both species remained fully aerobic down to a pO₂ of 2 kPa. An additional hyposmotic stress of 0.5 salinity at a temperature of 20 °C led to a decrease in the rate of oxygen consumption in H. diversicolor below a pO₂ of 10 kPa, whereas metabolic heat dissipation remained constant. M. viridis, however, further reduced both, metabolic heat dissipation and oxygen consumption. The metabolic rates of both species under anoxia were similar, amounting to ca. 20% of the normoxic rate. The resistance of the two species to oxygen deficiency was also similar, ranging between 21 and 290 h (median survival time LT₅₀), depending on temperature and salinity. Specimens used in the present study were collected from the Southern Baltic coastal inlet of Darß-Zingster-Boddenkette during 1992 and 1993.     

Effects of changes in water salinity upon exercise and cardiac performance in the European seabass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dicentrarchus labrax</Emphasis>)

The European seabass is an active euryhaline teleost that migrates and forages in waters of widely differing salinities. Oxygen uptake (M_O2) was measured in seabass (average mass and forklength 510 g and 34 cm, respectively) during exercise at incremental swimming speeds in a tunnel respirometer in seawater (SW) at a salinity of 30 and temperature of 14°C, and their maximal sustainable (critical) swimming speed (U_crit) determined. Cardiac output (Q) was measured via an ultrasound flow probe on their ventral aorta. The fish were then exposed to acute reductions in water salinity, to either SW (control), 10, 5, or freshwater (FW, 0), and their exercise and cardiac performance measured again, 18 h later. Seabass were also acclimated to FW for 3 weeks, and then their exercise performance measured before and at 18 h after acute exposure to SW at 30. In SW, seabass exhibited an exponential increase in M_O2 and Q with increasing swimming speed, to a maximum M_O2 of 339±17 mg kg^–1 h^–1 and maximum Q of 52.0±1.9 ml min^–1 kg^–1 (mean±1 SEM; n=19). Both M_O2 and Q exhibited signs of a plateau as the fish approached a U_crit of 2.25±0.08 bodylengths s^–1. Increases in Q during exercise were almost exclusively due to increased heart rate rather than ventricular stroke volume. There were no significant effects of the changes in salinity upon M_O2 during exercise, U_crit or cardiac performance. This was linked to an exceptional capacity to maintain plasma osmolality and tissue water content unchanged following all salinity challenges. This extraordinary adaptation would allow the seabass to maintain skeletal and cardiac muscle function while migrating through waters of widely differing salinities.Communicated by S.A. Poulet, Roscoff     

Osmoregulation of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). I. Effecton chloride and osmotic concentrations and chloride-and water-exchange kinetics

Grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, were capable of hypo- and hyper-osmotic regulation of body fluids. Hemolymph chloride and osmotic concentrations were maintained at relatively stable levels over a wide salinity range. Following an abrupt transfer from intermediate (14 and 17) to high (31 and 35) or low (1 and 2) salinities, hemolymph chloride levels exhibited initial overshoot and undershoot, respectively, of new steady-state levels. Osmotic concentrations exhibited an initial undershoot at low, but not overshoot at high salinity. Chloride space in salinity-acclimated shrimp was relatively stable at salinities from 1 to 35. Changes in chloride space following salinity transfer paralleled those of hemolymph chloride levels, and are discussed in the light of alterations in intracellular sodium concentrations reported earlier. Rate constants for chloride turnover indicated independent exchanges of sodium and chloride ions. Water-turnover measurements showed that permeability of P. pugio was greatest at the isosmotic salinity (17) and reduced at salinities which were associated with active osmoregulation. Exposure to sublethal and 96-h LC₅₀ levels of Aroclor^® 1254 did not seriously alter hemolymph chloride and osmotic concentrations, chloride space or chloride-exchange kinetics in adult shrimp. Disruption of hemolymph chloride regulation in juvenile shrimp was associated with large mortalities not observed in adults. Shrimp exposed to Aroclor 1254 at 17 S exhibited reduced water permeability similar to levels previously observed in controls at high and low salinities in response to osmotic or ionic gradients. Exposure to PCBs did not result in further reduction in permeability at the latter salinities.     

Combined effects of temperature and salinity on embryos and larvae of the northern bay scallop Argopecten irradians irradians

The combined effects of temperature and salinity on embryonic development and on larval survival and growth to setting size of the northerm bay scallop Argopecten irradians irradians (Lamarck) were studied in the laboratory. A 6x6 complete factorial design was used; temperatures ranged from 10° to 35°C, at 5C° intervals, and salinities ranged from 10 to 35S, at 5S intervals. Response-surface contour diagrams were generated to provide estimates of conditions for optimal responses. Normal development of embryos occurred over a very narrow range of temperature and salinity. Survival of larvae occurred over a wider range of temperature and salinity than did embryonic development or growth of larvae. Satisfactory growth (>70% of the maximum observed value) occurred only at high temperature-high salinity conditions; optimal conditions for survival occurred at similar salinities, but at slightly lower temperatures. Temperatures of 35°C or greater and/or salinities of 10S or less were lethal for all life stages studied. Both salinity and temperature exerted significant effects on development and survival, but temperature was clearly the dominant factor influencing growth. It is suggested that northern bay scallop embryos and larvae be reared at their respective optimal temperature-salinity levels so as to increase efficiency of aquaculture operations.This paper is adapted from a thesis submitted to the College of Fisheries, University of Washington, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MS degree. This study was conducted at the NMFS Laboratory in Milford, Connecticut, USA     

Photoinhibition and recovery of the kelp Laminaria saccharina at optimal and superoptimal temperatures

Effects of high irradiance on photosynthetic characteristics were examined in sporophytes of the kelp Laminaria saccharina Lamour. from 1992 to 1994. Exposure to high irradiance (700 mol photons m^-2s^-1) for 1 h at optimal temperature (12°C) caused a 40 to 60% decline in photosynthetic efficiency (alpha), quantum yield, and the ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll fluorescence (F_v/F_m), an indicator of Photosystem II efficiency. Although the photoinhibition effects were partly attributable to protective mechanisms, a concurrent increase in minimal fluorescence (F_o) indicated damage to Photosystem II reaction centers. The magnitude of photoinhibition was proportional to irradiance and duration; however, F_v/F_m was significantly reduced after exposure to irradiances as low as 40 to 50 mol photons m^-2s^-1 for 1 h, or to 700 mol photons m^-2s^-1 for only 5 min. In contrast, photosynthetic capacity (P_max) was affected only at much higher irradiance. Superoptimal temperatures up to 24°C did not exacerbate high-light effects. At 25°C, however, alpha and P_max were more susceptible to photoinhibition than at lower temperatures. Recovery from photoinhibition was examined by following F_v/F_m and F_o for 24 h after exposure to high light. Recovery of F_v/F_m was fastest during the first 1 to 3 h, and slowed or ceased after 6 to 12 h, while recovery of F_o was relatively constant over 12 h. Dithiothreitol, which blocks formation of energy-dissipating xanthophylls, reduced both the initial rate and extent of recovery. Chloramphenicol, which blocks chloroplast-encoded protein synthesis, had little effect on initial rates of recovery, but stopped recovery after 3 h. Thus, L. saccharina appears to rely on the xanthophyll cycle to protect the photosynthetic apparatus, and reversal of this protective mechanism causes the rapid initial recovery in F_v/F_m. Longterm recovery depends on repair of damaged reaction centers. Both the rate and extent of recovery were temperature-dependent. The initial rate was higher at 18 to 22°C than at 12°C, but the extent of recovery over 24 h declined with increasing temperature. High temperatures, therefore, appear to enhance protective mechanisms, but disrupt repair processes. L. saccharina from Long Island Sound, an ecotype adapted to low light and high temperature, showed slightly but consistently greater effects of photoinhibition than plants from the Atlantic coast of Maine, but exhibited faster recovery at superoptimal temperatures.     

Individual effects and interactions of salinity,temperature, and zinc on larval development of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio. I. Survival and developmental duration through metamorphosis

Larvae of the estuarine grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio (Holthuis) were reared from hatch through successful completion of metamorphosis in 80 combinations of salinity (3 to 31%), temperature (20° to 35°C), and zinc (0.00 to 1.00 ppm Zn⁺⁺). Response-surface methodology was employed to depict the individual effects and interactions of the three factors on survival and developmental duration through total larval development. Outside the optimal salinity-temperature conditions of 17 to 27 S and 20° to 27°C, viability of larvae was reduced by both the individual effects of salinity and temperature and interactions between the two factors. Survival capacity of larvae and resistance adaptations to salinity and temperature were progresively reduced by zinc concentrations from 0.25 to 1.00 ppm Zn⁺⁺. Response-surface analysis of the data suggested that the duration of total larval development of P. pugio was least at salinities from 18 to 23 and at temperatures from 30° to 32°C. At both higher and lower salinity-temperature conditions and in increasing zinc concentrations from 0.25 to 1.00 ppm Zn⁺⁺, developmental rates were retarded. A significant zinc-temperature interaction existed, whereby increasing zinc concentrations reduced both survival and developmental rates of larvae more at suboptimal temperatures. Larval resistance to zinc toxicity was least at supraoptimal salinities, indicative of a significant zinc-salinity interaction. The reduced viability, restricted euryplasticity, and retarded developmental rates of P. pugio larvae developing in media with low-level zinc contamination would limit the distributive properties of the pelagic phase in the life cycle of the species and reduce recruitment both into and out of the parent estuarine population.     

Relationship of daily and circatidal activity rhythms of the fiddler crab,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Uca princeps</Emphasis>, to the harmonic structure of semidiurnal and mixed tides

Intertidal organisms may employ circatidal rhythms to track the tidal cycle, but tidal patterns may vary within a species range and necessitate adaptation to the local tides. Circatidal rhythms were examined in populations of the eastern Pacific fiddler crab Uca princeps (Smith) from four sites with differing tidal characteristics, La Paz (24°10N; 110°21W), San Blas (21°33N; 105°18W) and Manzanillo (19°6N; 104°24W), Mexico (lower amplitude, mixed semidiurnal tides) and Mata de Limon, Costa Rica (9°55N; 84°43W) (high-amplitude, semidiurnal tides). Local tides were characterized by harmonic constants of M₂, S₂, K₁, and O₁, partial tides that largely determine their semidiurnal and diurnal features. Rhythmic structure in continuously recorded locomotor activity of individual crabs held under laboratory conditions was described by cosinor and periodogram methods of time-series analysis. Both daily and circatidal rhythms were found in crabs studied in light–dark cycles set to local conditions at the time of collection. Crabs at all four sites shared a tendency toward bimodality, with a mid-morning activity peak and varying degrees of nocturnal activity. Circatidal rhythms closely matching the period of the 12.42-h M₂ partial tide were consistently present at all sites except Manzanillo. At Mata de Limon, the circatidal rhythm clearly dominated locomotor activity, but was strongly modulated by a daily rhythm in a repeating pattern at a semilunar interval. In contrast, the amplitude of the daily rhythm was higher than that of the circatidal rhythm in crabs from the three mixed tide sites on the Mexican coast, where the tidal pattern is dominated by a diurnal inequality arising from the diurnal K₁ and O₁ partial tides. These results suggest that populations of U. princeps use both daily and circatidal timing systems to track local forms of the tide generated by their M₂, S₂, K₁, and O₁ geophysical counterparts.Communicated by J.P. Grassle, New Brunswick     

Effect of UV-B radiation on the marine diatoms Lauderia annulata and Thalassiorsira rotula grown in different salinities

The marine diatoms Lauderia annulata Cleve and Thalassiosira rotula Meunier were grown at different salinities (20, 35 and 45) and exposed to different levels of midultraviolet, UV-B) 439, 717 and 1230 J m^-2 d^-1, weighted) for 2 d. A low UV-B dose (439 J m^-2 d^-1) usually caused a slight increase in biomass production (dry weight) compared to non-UV-B irradiated cells. Enhanced UV-B radiation (717 J m^-2 d^-1) depressed protein and pigment content (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c ₁+c₂ and carotenoids), especially in algae grown at 20 or 35 salt concentration of the nutrient solution. The effect of UV-B radiation (717 J m^-2 d^-1) on the pattern and concentration of amino acids was species-dependent. Aspartic acid was reduced in all tested diatoms. A drastic increase in glutamine and a reduction in glutamic acid pools could be observed in L. annulata samples, but no significant variation of the impact of UV-B was found in dependence on the salt concentration of the nutrient medium. T. rotula cells grown at 35 S showed an increase of glutamic acid and a decrease of glutamine levels after UV-B radiation. The results are discussed in relation to the impact of UV-B upon carbon and nitrogen metabolism.     

Effect of phosphate and ammonium levels on photosynthetic and respiratory responses of the red alga Gracilaria verrucosa

Gracilaria verrucosa (Hudson) Papenfuss exposed to nutrient enriched media (0.1 mM PO₄; 1.0 mM NH ₄ ⁺ ) by pulse feeding 2 h every third day for a period of 5 wk at 20°C and 25–30 salinity showed significantly higher rates of photosynthesis regardless of photon flux density correlated with increased pigment levels. Algae in nonenriched media showed significantly higher levels of soluble carbohydrates and decreased levels of phycoerythrin and chlorophyll a. Photosynthetic and respiratory responses to temperature 15°, 25°, 30°C and salinity (15, 25, 30 S) combinations indicate broad tolerances by both nutrient enriched and non-nutrient enriched algae. Photosynthetic and respiratory rates were highest at the high temperatures. Pulse-fed algae had significantly higher photosynthetic rates than non-nutrient enriched plants at all temperature and salinity combinations. Non-nutrient enriched algae had significantly higher respiratory rates than nutrient enriched algae at only 30°C and 15. The respiratory rates of both nutrient enriched and non-nutrient algae decreased under combinations of higher temperatures and salinities. G. verrucosa, grown without nutrients, has lower tolerances to environmental stresses.     

Physiological responses of Nodularia harveyana to osmotic stress

The effects of salinity stress on biomass yield, photosynthetic O₂ evolution and nitrogenase activity were investigated using axenic cultures of Nodularia harveyana (Thwaites) Thuret originally isolated from a salt marsh at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, UK in 1971 and studied in this laboratory in 1983. Biomass yields, as chlorophyll a per culture, were highest in the 0 to 100% seawater (0 to 35 sea salt) range with negligible growth in 200% seawater; growth on NH ₄ ⁺ was greater than on N₂ and NO ₃ ^- , which did not differ significantly from each other. In short-term experiments, photosynthetic O₂ evolution remained high at salinities up to 150% seawater (52.5 sea salt); nitrogenase activity remained high at salinities up to 100% seawater (35 sea salt). The major internal low molecular weight carbohydrate which accumulated in response to increased salinity was sucrose, the levels of which fluctuated markedly and rapidly in response to salinity change.     

Influence of salinity and temperature on the oxygen consumption in young juveniles of the Indian prawn Penaeus indicus

Routine oxygen consumption of very young juveniles (0.1 g) of Penaeus indicus H. Milne Edwards was significantly influenced by ambient temperature and weight of the animal, but not by ambient salinity, when tested at salinities (7, 21, and 35) to which they had been long-term (over 10 days) acclimated. Standard oxygen consumption of young juvenile prawns (1 to 3 g), subjected to step-wise changes in ambient salinity, from sea water to low salinity waters (2 to 6), and measured after short-term (24 h) salinity acclimation at each step, was lowest at salinities where prawns such as those tested occur naturally (10 to 15). The metabolic rates do not appear to have a direct relation to the osmotic gradient, even when the influence of interfering activity is eliminated. It appears that factors other than osmotic gradient will have to be sought in order to explain the metabolic patterns of P. indicus in relation to salinity.     

Lethal effects of ammonia and nitrite onPenaeus chinensis juveniles

Juveniles of the prawnPenaeus chinensis (3.96 ±0.18 cm, 0.36±0.06 g) reared in Taiwan in 1989 were exposed to different concentrations of ammonia and nitrite, by a static renewal method in 33 seawater at pH 7.94 and at 26 °C. The 24, 48, 96 and 120 h LC₅₀ (median lethal concentration) of ammonia were 3.29, 2.10, 1.53 and 1.44 mg l^–1 for NH₃-N (un-ionized ammonia as nitrogen) and 79.97, 51.14, 37.00 and 35.09 mg l^–1 for ammonia-N (un-ionized plus ionized ammonia as nitrogen). The 24, 96, 120, 144 and 192 h LC₅₀ of nitrite-N were 339, 37.71, 29.18, 26.98 and 22.95 mg l^–1. The LC₅₀ decreased with increasing exposure time. During the first 96 h,P. chinesis juveniles were more susceptible to ammonia than nitrite. However, prawns were less tolerant to nitrite than ammonia when exposed for more than 96 h. The threshold was found at 120 and 192 h for ammonia and nitrite, respectively, on the toxicity curves. Incipient LC₅₀ was 1.44 mg l^–1 for NH₃-N, 35.09 mg l^–1 for ammonia-N and 22.95 mg l^–1 for nitrite-N. The safe value forP. chinensis juveniles was 0.14, 3.51 and 2.30 mg l^–1, respectively.     

Growth patterns of Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides in response to temperature,irradiance, salinity,and nitrogen source

Seasonal patterns of growth, reproduction, and productivity of Codium fragile spp. tomentosoides (van Goor) Silva were monitored at 3 locations in Rhode Island. Maximal growth occurred during the summer and was more significantly correlated with temperature than any other factor measured in this study. Multiple correlation models suggested an interaction between temperature, irradiance, and available nitrogen. Maximal reproduction occurred in late summer and early fall. The maximal productivity, based on harvested quadrats, was 2. 10 g dry weight m^-2 day^-1. A large amount (up to 87.3%) of the annual production entered the detrital food chain during the winter by fragmentation of the thallus. Culture studies examined the effects of temperature (6° to 30°C), irradiance (7 to 140 E m^-2 sec^-1), daylength (8 h light: 16 h dark to 24 h light: O h dark) and salinity (6 to 48) on growth. Differentiated thalli grew over a broad range of experimental conditions, with maximal growth at 24°C, 24 to 30 S, a minimal irradiance of 28 E m^-2 sec^-1, and 16 h daylength. The effect of increasing daylength was due to increased total daily irradiance rather than to a true photoperiodic effect. Undifferentiated sporelings survived and grew in a narrower range of environmental conditions than thalli. c. fragile spp. tomentosoides grew equally well with nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and urea as a nitrogen source. The addition of NaHCO₃ stimulated growth at levels of 2.4 to 4.8 mM, suggesting an inorganic carbon limitation in static cultures. This study supports the hypothesis that the in situ seasonal growth pattern of c. fragile spp. tomentosoides is primarily due to the interaction of temperature and irradiance.     

Effects of acute changes in temperature and salinity on the oxygen uptake of larvae of herring (Clupea harengus) and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa)

Routine oxygen uptake (QO₂) by yolk-sac and firstfeeding larvae of herring (Clupea harengus L.) and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.) was studied after acute change of temperature (8°, 13°, 18°C) and salinity (5, 12.7, 32, 40). In both species, QO₂ (l mg^-1 dry wt h^-1) of both larval stages increased with increasing temperature. Salinity effect on QO₂ varied: for yolk-sac larvae of both species a lower QO₂ was found at lower combined salinities (5 and 12.7); for feeding larvae a lower QO₂ was observed at 12.7 for both species, possibly due to the relatively smaller size of larvae used at this salinity. For both species, oxygen uptake increased as larvae grew and weight regression coefficients were between 0.74 and 1.33. At 32 S, no difference was found in oxygen consumption between species as a function of temperature.Based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland. The work was performed at the Dunstaffnage Marine Research Laboratory, Oban, Scotland