The effect of salinity and temperature on the ion levels in the hemolymph of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, Rathbun

Abstract

1. 1. An investigation was conducted to measure the effects of salinity (5 and 35‰) and temperature (12, 20, and 28°C) on the regulation of Na +, K +, Cl −, MgP 2+ and ninhydrin positive substance (N.P.S.) in the hemolymph of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. 2. 2. Salinity and temperature interacted to cause significant changes in the levels of Na +, Cl −, Mg 2+ and N.P.S. 3. 3. Na + tended to be related directly to temperature at high salinity, Cl − was unaffected by temperature at high salinity, and both were related inversely and non-linearly at low salinity. The levels of K + were unaffected by temperature at either salinity. 4. 4. These data indicate that Na + and Cl − levels are regulated by different mechanisms at high and low salinity and the mechanism of regulation is thermally influenced.