Abstract
Nauplii of the branchiopod crustacean Artemia spp. are widely used as live food in aquaculture. Their nutritional value depends essentially on the fatty acid profile of their lipids, which can be very variable. Study of this variability (often species- and/or ecology-related) proposes inter- esting theoretical and applied questions. In the present study, cysts (dehydrated dormant eggs) from Argentinean Artemia spp. populations were analysed for their fatty acid profile. Most of the cyst samples analysed (n = 16) were obtained from Artemia persimilis populations, but 3 belonged to A. franciscana. Previous research indicated that A. persimilis populations are confined to inland biotopes, but in this study we report the presence of A. persimilis populations in coastal ecosystems. Cysts from all populations exhibited fatty acid profiles typical of either marine or freshwater, irrespective of the inland or coastal origin of their biotope. This study represents the first time that a significant amount of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) was detected in A. persimilis cyst sam- ples. We hypothesize on some factors that presumably influence the fatty acid profiles of Artemia spp. cysts: (1) food resources from different habitats, which in turn can be influenced by environmental parameters, (2) the genetic make-up of each population, and/or (3) mechanisms of selective feeding.
Highlights
The biochemical composition of Artemia spp., in particular the fatty acid profiles of cysts and nauplii, has been extensively studied because of the use of nauplii as live food in aquaculture (Bengtson et al 1991)
Scarce information is available on the factors that determine fatty acid composition and the nutritional value of diverse Artemia spp. as live food
Based on the fatty acid profile of decapsulated Artemia franciscana cysts, populations from Mar Chiquita and Las Tunas Lagoons could be ascribed to marine-type Artemia
Summary
The biochemical composition of Artemia spp., in particular the fatty acid profiles of cysts (dehydrant dormant eggs) and nauplii, has been extensively studied because of the use of nauplii as live food in aquaculture (Bengtson et al 1991). Scarce information is available on the factors that determine fatty acid composition and the nutritional value of diverse Artemia spp. as live food. Since the mid 1980s, 90% of cysts consumed in world-wide aquaculture have been sourced from the GSL; Bengtson et al (1991) strongly recommended that alternative cyst sources be prospected. Confounding this problem was the rapid spread of enrichment techniques (i.e. supplementation of essential nutrients by bioencapsulation) that allowed the use of nauplii of poor nutritional value in the larviculture of marine species and led to even more intensive harvesting of the cysts from the GSL and concomitant overexploitation of this ecosystem. Unsustainable practices, together with climatic phenomena like the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
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