Carcinus maenas

"Effect of water salinity on resistance to hypoxia in resting green crab Carcinus maenas after feeding. Marine Biol. 136,
387-396. by Legeay, A. et Massabuau, J.-C. (2000)"
 
 

"Abstract: The mechanisms which can influence resistance to hypoxia in
brackish waters were studied in resting and fed crabs Carcinus maenas at 15
°C. Mortality, blood O2-status, acid-base balance and lactate concentration
were analysed in animals fed in normoxic full seawater then transferred for
a 24 h exposure period at a partial pressure of oxygen, Po2 = 3 kPa (1.4 mg
l-1) and various salinities (S = 17, 12.5, 10, 8 ‰). At levels greater than
S = 10 ‰, fed C. maenas was observed to endure a Po2 as low as 3 kPa in the
water and 0.5 kPa in their arterial blood for 24 hours without switching to
anaerobic metabolism. It was only below 10 ‰ that their blood lactate rose
and they eventually died although (i) their blood O2-content was twice the
reference value measured in normoxic full seawater and (ii) their blood Po2
did not reach values lower than those prevailing at higher salinity levels.
Addition of CO2 to the 8 ‰ water (partial pressure increasing from 0.1-0.3
kPa) was observed to decrease blood lactate production and mortality. This
suggests that below 10 ‰, impairment of the O2-supply was limited by an
excessive blood O2-affinity. Results are discussed in terms of field
distribution (S 10 ‰) along salinity gradients in estuaries and bays."
 
 
 

To: CRUST-L <CRUST-L@vims.edu> Subject: [CRUST-L:401] Assimilation
efficiency vs. salinit
Hello,
Does anyone have any literature or experience dealing with the effect of
salinity on assimilation efficiency? I was unable to successfully
measure assimilation efficiency during scope for growth experiments
(across salinities) on mangrove crabs and would like to know if salinity
would have a significant effect on it or not.
Thank you,
David
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David P. Gillikin
Mangrove Management Group
Laboratory of Ecology and Systematics
Free University of Brussels
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Brussels
Belgium
Fax: ++ 32 2 6293403
E-mail: david.gillikin@vub.ac.be
web: http://www.vub.ac.be/mangrove
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