Long‐term adaptation to low salinities in the euryhaline shrimp Crangon franciscorum (Stimpson)

Abstract

AbstractThe euryhaline shrimp Crangon franciscorum is a hyper‐hypoosmotic regulator, its hemolymph being iso‐osmotic with the medium near 27‰ salinity. Shrimp collected from low salinity environments are physiologically very distinct from those collected from high salinity environments. Individuals from low salinity habitats exhibit better survival, a lower water content and apparent permeability to water, and a decreased rate of sodium loss in low salinities when compared to shrimp from high salinity habitats. These differences persist after several days of adaptation to low salinity, however after acclimation to a low salinity for a longer time (5–6 weeks in this study), these differences disappear.