A comparative study of two sympatric species within the genus Callinectes: osmoregulation, long-term acclimation to salinity and the effects of salinity on growth and moulting

Guerin, J. L.; Stickle, William B.

doi:10.1016/s0022-0981(97)00070-1

Cited by 51 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The juvenile stages of the portunid crabs Callinectes sapidus, C. similis and Scylla serrata tolerate a wide range of salinities and their growth is weakly affected by salinity variations in the range 10-40‰ (Guerin and Stickle, 1997;Ruscoe et al 2004). In contrast, juveniles of another portunid, Portunus pelagicus, tolerate a narrower range of salinities, exhibiting also a reduced growth at low salinities (Romano and Zeng 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of osmotic stress on crustacean larval growth and protein and lipid levels are related to life-histories: The genus Armases as a model

Torres

Giménez

Anger

2007

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry an

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In the larval stages of three euryhaline species of the genus Armases, we tested if changes in biomass (dry mass, W; protein; lipid) under hyposmotic stress were related to their salinity tolerance, capabilities of osmoregulation, and migration patterns. As model species, we compared Armases miersii, which breeds in supratidal rock pools, the riverine crab Armases roberti (showing a larval export strategy), and Armases ricordi, whose larvae probably develop in coastal marine waters. At each stage, larvae were exposed to different salinities (selected according to previous information on larval survival; range: 5‰-32‰ for A. miersii, 10‰-32‰ for A. roberti, and 15‰-32‰ for A. ricordi). Biomass was measured in early postmoult and intermoult. The larvae of the strongly osmoregulating species A. miersii, which develop in habitats with highly variable salinity conditions, showed the smallest variations in biomass. The effect on A. roberti varied during its ontogeny: the Zoea I and the Megalopa, which carry out downstream and upstream migrations, respectively, showed lower biomass variations than the intermediate zoeal instars, which develop in coastal waters. The larvae of A. ricordi showed generally the highest variations in biomass, reflecting poor adaptation to salinity variations. In addition, a common pattern was found for these estuarine species: the maximum of biomass shifted during ontogeny from 32‰ to 25‰, reflecting changes of the iso-osmotic point. The ontogeny of osmoregulation reflected ontogenetic migration patterns, which allow for avoiding detrimental effects of salinity variations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of osmotic stress on crustacean larval growth and protein and lipid levels are related to life-histories: The genus Armases as a model

Torres

Giménez

Anger

2007

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry an

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“…Species, including lesser blue crab, roughneck shrimp, offshore tonguefish and fringed flounder, were primarily found in the lower strata nearest the Gulf of Mexico. Some studies suggest that the lesser blue crab does not osmoregulate as well as the blue crab (Engel 1977, Piller et al 1995, but Guerin & Stickle (1997a) found that after long periods of exposure to low salinities (2.5 psu), there is no difference in the hemolymph osmolality of juveniles of lesser blue and blue crabs. Nevertheless, lesser blue crabs do exhibit a decrease in growth and an increase in energy expenditure, especially for respiration and excretion, at low salinities (Guerin & Stickle 1997a,b).…”

Section: Salinitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of resource use by fishes and macroinvertebrates in Barataria Bay, Louisiana

Jones¹,

Baltz

Allen³

2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We examined patterns of resource use by size classes of fishes and macroinvertebrates in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Analyses were based on microhabitat data characterized by water depth, distance from shore, substrate, salinity, dissolved oxygen and temperature. Stratified random samples along the salinity gradient from the nearshore Gulf of Mexico to about 30 km inland were taken monthly with a 1 m beam trawl to characterize distributions of fishes, macroinvertebrates and environmental conditions. From October 1992 through September 1993, 31 602 individuals belonging to 70 species were collected. The 10 most abundant species plus 3 others of special interest were chosen for further analyses. Seasonal differences in environmental variables and differences in resource use among species within ecological groups and within selected species were evaluated by 1-way ANOVAs. A factor analysis resolved 6 environmental variables into 3 orthogonal axes that simplified visualization and comparisons within and among species. Three factors accounted for 70% of the environmental variance and represented seasonality, distance-depth and substrate-salinity axes. Twelve of 13 species showed statistically significant differences between size classes in use of temperature, but some differences were probably due to seasonal temperature changes and the ephemeral nature of life history stages. Within-species differences were less prevalent for variables other than temperature, and the majority were related to use of deeper water as size increased. When seasonal, spatial and size-structured distributions were compared, species with peak abundances during the same seasons had the highest ecological overlaps. Ecological overlaps of 3 closely related species pairs were generally below the mean for the assemblage. Understanding patterns of resource use and the environmental requirements of estuarine-dependent species is an important step in identifying and protecting nursery habitats.

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“…Although juvenile U. pugnax appeared to do better than the other 2 species at salinities down to 5 psu, the exposure to low salinities may have still damaged the survivors (however, this was not examined in this study). For example, juveniles of other estuarine crab species have been found to have delayed intermolts and exhibit stunted growth when exposed to salinities lower than optimal (Laughlin & Neff 1981, Guerin & Stickle 1997. Uca pugnax juvenile density was unaffected by week-long salinity reductions as low as 5 psu; however, 3 weeks of <1 psu resulted in the exclusion of U. pugnax benthic juveniles, despite the presence of U. pugnax planktonic megalopae comprising 20% of the planktonic population at the low salinity site (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In an earlier study that also involved invertebrates from the North Inlet Estuary, changes in salinity that mimicked storm action reduced growth rates and survival of the larvae of a marine polycheate Arenicola cristata and a mud snail Ilyanassa obsoleta in the laboratory (Richmond & Woodin 1996, 1999. Increases in the mortality of the early life stages may lead to recruitment failure at existing adult habitats (Heck et al 2001), and may limit the inland distribution of estuarine species; for example, Guerin & Stickle (1997) explained the distribution of 2 Callinectes species along salinity gradients below 10 psu based on the salinity tolerances of their juvenile stages.In this study, we used Polymerase Chain ReactionRestriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) to identify field-caught early life stage crabs to species level. In this way, we were able track the proportional changes of the 3 fiddler crab species under naturally changing salinity conditions in the field, which we measured with a data-logger.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of summer storms on early life stages of Uca minax, U. pugnax and U. pugilator in North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina, USA

Godley¹,

Brodie²

2007

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Estuarine fiddler crabs have a complex life cycle that spans vastly different salinity regimes. Larvae are spawned in estuaries and travel to the coastal ocean where development takes place; after metamorphosing to the megalopal stage, fiddler crabs reinvade estuaries where they settle and metamorphose. In the coastal ocean, larvae experience relatively stable physical conditions; however, upon reinvading estuaries, they are exposed to great fluxes in salinity and temperature. In this study, we measured shifts in the salinity regime caused by storm events, and determined the impact of these changes on species frequencies of megalopae from 3 Uca species in the water column and of their recently settled juvenile crabs on the benthos along a salt marsh creek in South Carolina. Adults of the 3 species examined are found in different salinity regimes: adult Uca pugnax generally occupy areas with relatively high salinity and plant cover, while U. minax are found in low salinity or freshwater areas; U. pugilator are found in open sandy areas over a broad range of salinities, but generally occupy higher salinity environments than U. minax. For megalopal stages in the water column, we found that the relative proportions of the 3 species changed significantly along salinity gradients and in response to storm events. When the salinity regime normalized, species frequencies for megalopae returned to pre-storm proportions. Only U. minax megalopae were present in the water column during a storm event in July, whereas U. pugnax had been the most abundant species in the water column prior to the storm. Although all 3 species were able to survive storm events as juveniles, U. pugnax juveniles survived low salinity conditions significantly better than the other 2 species during the July storm. During a less severe storm in August, which lasted 5 d and altered the existing profile for a week, the benthic juvenile stages did not exhibit significant changes in species frequencies. Our results show that the duration and severity of salinity change are important variables that impact on the presence of these Uca species in the water column, and suggest that the physiology and behavior of the megalopal stage strongly influence where populations occur within estuaries.KEY WORDS: Salinity · Tolerance · Uca spp. · Estuarine crabs 342: 197-204, 2007 this investigation allowed us to explore how changes in species frequencies of early life stages under shifting salinity regimes could lead to changes in the distribution of these species across the marsh landscape. Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog SerLike most estuarine invertebrates, fiddler crab (Uca spp.) have complex life cycles that include life stages that occupy different habitats. The adults live and spawn in the estuary (salinity range from 0 to 32 psu) and larvae are dispersed into the coastal ocean (salinity ~35 psu) where larval development is completed. Fiddler crab megalopae (also known as post-larvae) reinva...

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A comparative study of two sympatric species within the genus Callinectes: osmoregulation, long-term acclimation to salinity and the effects of salinity on growth and moulting

Cited by 51 publications

References 13 publications

Effects of osmotic stress on crustacean larval growth and protein and lipid levels are related to life-histories: The genus Armases as a model

Effects of osmotic stress on crustacean larval growth and protein and lipid levels are related to life-histories: The genus Armases as a model

Patterns of resource use by fishes and macroinvertebrates in Barataria Bay, Louisiana

Effect of summer storms on early life stages of Uca minax, U. pugnax and U. pugilator in North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina, USA

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