Influence of salinity and temperature on the oxygen consumption in young juveniles of the Indian prawn Penaeus indicus

Abstract

Routine oxygen consumption of very young juveniles (0.1 g) of Penaeus indicusH. Milne Edwards was significantly influenced by ambient temperature and weight of the animal, but not by ambient salinity, when tested at salinities (7, 21, and 35‰) to which they had been long-term (over 10 days) acclimated. Standard oxygen consumption of young juvenile prawns (1 to 3 g), subjected to step-wise changes in ambient salinity, from sea water to low salinity waters (2 to 6‰), and measured after short-term (24 h) salinity acclimation at each step, was lowest at salinities where prawns such as those tested occur naturally (10 to 15‰). The metabolic rates do not appear to have a direct relation to the osmotic gradient, even when the influence of “interfering” activity is eliminated. It appears that factors other than osmotic gradient will have to be sought in order to explain the metabolic patterns of P. indicus in relation to salinity.