Research on the culturing of the brine shrimp Artemia salina L. at the State University of Ghent (Belgium)
Sorgeloos, P.; Baeza-Mesa, M.; Benijts, F.; Persoone, G. (1976). Research on the culturing of the brine shrimp Artemia salina L. at the State University of Ghent (Belgium), in: Persoone, G. et al. (Ed.) Proceedings of the 10th European Symposium on Marine Biology, Ostend, Belgium, Sept. 17-23, 1975: 1. Research in mariculture at laboratory- and pilot scale. pp. 473-495 In: Persoone, G.; Jaspers, E. (Ed.) (1976). Proceedings of the 10th European Symposium on Marine Biology, Ostend, Belgium, Sept. 17-23, 1975: 1. Research in mariculture at laboratory- and pilot scale. European Marine Biology Symposia, 10(1). IZWO: Wetteren. ISBN 90-6281-001-2. 620 pp., more In: European Marine Biology Symposia., more |
| Available in | Authors | | Document type: Conference paper
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| Authors | | Top | - Sorgeloos, P., more
- Baeza-Mesa, M.
- Benijts, F.
- Persoone, G., more
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| Abstract | In the framework of research on mariculture at the "Institute for Marine Scientific Research" (IZWO), the "Laboratory for Biological Research in Environmental Pollution" at the State University of Ghent, is focusing on culturing problems of the brine shrimp Artemia salina. The following research topics are discussed: 1. The mechanisms leading to the hatching of Artemia cysts are reviewed and complemented with new data on the sensitivity to light and temperature, and on the reversibility of the development within the cyst. The possible influences of the collecting, sorting, and packaging processes on the quality of the cysts are discussed. 2. Since in the literature much confusion exists concerning the mechanisms responsible for the type of reproduction (oviparity or ovoviviparity), the influence of the parameters light, oxygen, and salinity were studied. From the results it is already clear that: - neither the light intensity, nor the photoperiod influence the type of reproduction;- the total number of offspring is definitely correlated with the light intensity, i.e. a higher number of offspring is produced in darkness as compared to in light; - low concentrations of dissolved oxygen induce the formation of hemoglobin with a subsequent shift of the mode of reproduction from ovoviviparity to oviparity. - following the law of Henry concerning the solubility of gases, the oxygen concentration in saline waters is inversely proportional to the salinity. This explains the natural production of cysts in hypersaline salt ponds. The oxygen level may not, however, drop below a certain level, that is lethal for the adult Artemia . This means, that the mass culture of Artemia for the production of cysts, will require rather constant or controlled environmental conditions, especially in outdoor ponds. 3. Preliminary studies on Artemia strains from different sites all over the world, reveal important differences from one race to another in hatching rate, length of the newborn larvae, growth rate, sensitivity, etc. In order to be able to carry out a detailed comparative analysis of the biological and biochemical characteristics of all 40 different Artemia strains, a method using a factorial design and a response-surface analysis was developed allowing the determination of the optimum temperature-salinity combination. The preliminary data presented on strains from the USA, Bulgaria, and China reveal that considerable differences exist between these races with regard to the survival of nauplii in function of the temperature and the salinity. |
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