The influence of temperature, salinity and stocking density on the growth and survival of the Gulf of California brown shrimp, Penaeus californiensis Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Dorsey, Kathleen Teresa, 1949- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 25/09/2021 12:47:37 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/566613 THE INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE, SALINITY AND STOCKING DENSITY ON THE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA BROWN SHRIMP, PENAEUS CALIFORNIENSIS by Kathleen Teresa Dorsey A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE WITH A MAJOR IN BIOLOGY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1976 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of re­ quirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judg­ ment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholar­ ship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: rofessor of Biological Sciences ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Throughout the time I spent at the University of Arizona, Dr. John R. Hendrickson, with patience and gentle pressure, affection and understanding, saw me through to the end. To him I must express special thanks and love. A great many people at the Environmental Research Laboratory made the execution of the thesis possible. My deep gratitude to: Paul J. Kinyicky and Andrew Gould, who designed my room and made it work; David W. Moore, Jr. and Fernando Montanez, for three consecutive spawnings of shrimp, no mean feat; Carl N. Hodges and Dr. James J. Riley, for initial approval and continued support of the research; Carol Helmholz and Marla Cortez, for typing the original draft. Zoula P. Zein-Eldin of National Marine Fisheries Service, Galveston, Texas was a source of guidance and encouragement whenever it was needed, and more expert advice I could not have sought. Dr. Robert 0. Kuehl computerized the data and ran the analyses of variance and covariance, saving me many months of tedious labor. My appreciation to Dr. Melvin H. Schonhorst for the use of his large autoclave for sterilizing the sand and oyster shell. I wish to express my gratitude to my other committee members, Drs. Elisabeth Ann Stull and Jerry C. Task, for their patience and support. iii My final typist was Sheilagh J. Morgan, and the figures were executed by Stephanie Gall and Marion McHugh. Their work is gratefully acknowledged. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS....................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ......................... vii ABSTRACT...................................................... viii INTRODUCTION........................ 1 MATERIALS AND METHODS....................................... 4 RESULTS ....................................... '............ 10 Experiment 1 .......................' .......... .. 10 Experiment 2 ........................................... 13 Experiment 3 ........................................... 17 Consolidated Experiments................................ 21 DISCUSSION................................................. 34 REFERENCES CITED ........................................... 42 v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Aeration of aquarium using inverted Y-tube.......... 7 2. Salinity-temperature interaction, In A weight ........ 25 3. Salinity-temperature interaction, In A length ...... 28 4. Salinity-temperature interaction, In gross tissue production (GTP)........................ 30 5. Salinity-temperature interaction, percent survival. 33 6. Growth in weight.................................... 35 7. Growth in length............ ! .......................... 36 8. Gross tissue production.............. 40 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Experiment 1. Length-weight data; Percent survival; Gross tissue production................ 11 2. Experiment 1. Analysis of variance..................... 12 3. Experiment 2. Length-weight data; Percent survival; Gross tissue production................ 15 A. Experiment 2. Analysis of variance.................... 16 5. Experiment 3. Length-weight data; Percent survival; Gross tissue production................ 19 6. Experiment 3. Analysis of variance.............. 20 7. Consolidated experiments; Table of means. ....... 22 8. Analysis of variance, In A weight; Consolidated experiments....................................... 24 9. Analysis of variance, In A length; Consolidated experiments....................................... 27 10. Analysis of variance, In gross tissue production; Consolidated experiments........................... 29 11. Analysis of variance, percent survival; Consolidated experiments........................... 32 vii ABSTRACT The combined effects of salinity, temperature, and stocking density on the growth and survival of postlarvae of the brown shrimp, Penaeus californiensis Holmes 1900, were studied in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Test salinities were 10, 25 and 40 o/oo; temperatures were 15, 25 and 32°C; stocking densities were 2 and 4 animals per liter. To appraise the significance of differences in growth, survival, and gross tissue production, an analysis of variance was performed on the data. Postlarvae survived a temperature of 15°C for four weeks with almost no growth at all three salinities. Growth increased signifi­ cantly with increasing temperature. Low salinity was particularly effective against survival at all temperatures tested, and against growth at 15 and 25°C. Stocking density had significant effects on final production values in each treatment, but had no significant effect upon growth or survival. viii INTRODUCTION The life histories of commercially important penaeid shrimps have been known for years (Lindner and Cook, 1970; Cook and Lindner, 1970; Figueroa, 1950; Perez-Farfante, 1969). It is well established that these species spawn at sea. The demersal eggs hatch into nauplii which undergo larval transformations while being transported shoreward. By the time they transform to the postlarval stage they enter estuaries, where they grow rapidly into subadults and migrate back offshore with approaching sexual maturity. Thus, they encounter wide temperature and salinity variations in their life cycle. A knowledge of how these factors affect their growth and survival is important for shrimp mariculture and in understanding the life history and ecology of these animals. The combined effects of temperature and salinity have been investigated on a number of organisms. McLeese (1956), working on Homarus americanus, found the upper lethal temperature to be lowered by a decrease in salinity, and the lower lethal salinity to be raised by an increase in the level of thermal acclimation. Penaeus aztecus showed a decreased tolerance to low salinity at temperatures below 15°C (Zein-Eldin and Aldrich, 1965). Similar intolerance to low salinities at low temperatures was found in Crangon septemspinosa by Haefner (1969a, 1969b), in Palaemonetes vulgaris by Sandifer (1973), and in Leander serratus and Palaemonetes varians by Panikkar (1940). 1 2 These species appear to tolerate subnormal salinities better at the upper part of the temperature range. Such a low/high combination is not beneficial to all invertebrates; many receive benefits from low/ low and high/high combinations (Kinne, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1972 and Alderdice, 1972). Temperature and salinity are particularly important in estuarine environments; their effect on life often tends to overshadow certain other abiotic factors such as light, and many biotic factors such as competition, quantity and quality of food. Yet when tempera­ ture and salinity are stable, and within the tolerance range, these other factors come increasingly into play. From the standpoint of mariculture an important factor is stocking density, affecting intraspecific competition. It is obvious that a maricultural venture would like to hold the greatest possible number of animals in as small a space as possible without significant­ ly sacrificing either growth or survival. Increasing the number of animals in a system results in increased consumption of oxygen from the system and increased activity — including agonistic behavior — and reduced food intake, even with an unrestricted food supply (Kinne, 1960 and Willoughby, 1968). This will be even more true in any com­ bination of the primary factors of temperature, salinity, and light which increases the metabolic rate of the organism. Thus, the combined effects of temperature, salinity, and stocking density on marine invertebrates, especially at the extreme ends of these param­ eters, can be quite variable both in the