Effect of LED light quality on the phototaxis and locomotion behaviour ofHaliotis discus hannai

Abstract

Abalones were reared in a laboratory to determine the percentage response rate, response time, average crawling speed and the time taken to recover an upright posture under nine light-emitting diode light quality treatments (red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, white and grey) and a dark environment. Animals were placed in the centre of an experimental device, and the tropism of each animal was continuously monitored by video. The highest percentage response rate (80% in dark adapted abalones, 60% in light adapted abalones) was observed in the dark environment, followed by red and orange light (27% and 30% in dark adapted abalones, respectively, 22% and 24% in light adapted abalones). Two induction materials (substrate and brown algae Laminaria japonica) were used to assess the effect of light quality on the tropism of abalones, with the highest percentage response rate (76% in the L. japonica treatment, 22% in the substrate treatment) also observed in the dark environment, followed by red and orange light (both 25% in the L. japonica treatment, and 26% and 32%, respectively, in the substrate treatment). The tropism order of the abalones under dark, red, orange and yellow light was as follows: dark > orange > red, yellow, but fewer abalones chose to stay in blue, green, cyan and purple light. The response time (about 700 s) in the dark environment was significantly longer than for the other light quality treatments. Compared with the average crawling speed in the other light quality treatments, abalones were relatively slower (about 3.8 mm s−1) in red and orange light, and the dark environment. The mean time required for the recovery of an upright posture in red light and the dark environment was longer than in the other light quality treatments, with the average recovery time reaching a maximum of 60 s in the dark environment. The results demonstrate the phototaxis and locomotion behaviour of abalones, as well as confirming the necessity of a dark, orange or red environment for their management and aquaculture.