Brine Shrimp Artemia Parthenogenetica Research Articles

Prospects for the industrial development of the stocks of the Artemia parthenogenetica Barigozzi, 1974 (Branchiopoda, Anostraca) cysts in the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay (the Caspian sea)

The Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay has a high natural potential for cysts of the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica, which can be used in various areas of the national economy. Commercial fishing of the Artemia population of Kara-Bogaz- Gol Bay began in the mid-1990s. As a result, a new potential of the bioresource of cysts on the international market was discovered. Since 2000, there has been a sharp decline in the breeding stock of the Artemia population in the Kara-Bogaz- Gol Bay. By 2002, commercial fishing of Artemia cysts in Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay was stopped, due to the fact that the brine shrimp population was in a depressed. The main reason was the increase in the salinity of the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay due to the accumulation of brine in the strait connecting the Caspian Sea with bay, which prevented the flow of Caspian water into the bay, in volumes sufficient to maintain the salt balance in the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay at the optimal level for the development of the Artemia population. Since 2020, there has been a decrease in the level of the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, which continues at the present time. Satellite data show that there are minor accumulations of algae and Artemia cysts in the bay. Minor accumulations of brine shrimp cysts in the bay can be used as a starting potential necessary for inoculation work, after resolving the issue of maintaining the salt balance in the reservoir at a level sufficient for the development of the nutrition of Artemia and its reproduction in natural conditions. To revive the Artemia cysts fishery, a set of measures aimed at improving the hydrological and ecological regimes of the bay has been proposed.

Long-Term Toxicity of 50-nm and 1-μm Surface-Charged Polystyrene Microbeads in the Brine Shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica and Role of Food Availability.

Micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) as emerging contaminants have become a global environmental issue due to their small size and high bioavailability. However, very little information is available regarding their impact on zooplankton, especially when food availability is a limiting factor. Therefore, the present study aims at evaluating the long-term effects of two different sizes (50 nm and 1 μm) of amnio-modified polystyrene (PS-NH2) particles on brine shrimp, Artemia parthenogenetica, by providing different levels of food (microalgae) supply. Larvae were exposed to three environmentally relevant concentrations (5.5, 55, and 550 μg/L) of MNPs over a 14-days of exposure with two food levels, high (3 × 105~1 × 107 cells/mL), and low (1 × 105 cells/mL) food conditions. When exposed to high food levels, the survival, growth, and development of A. parthenogenetica were not negatively affected at the studied exposure concentrations. By comparison, when exposed to a low food level, a U shape trend was observed for the three measured effects (survival rate, body length, and instar). Significant interactions between food level and exposure concentration were found for all three measured effects (three-way ANOVA, p < 0.05). The activities of additives extracted from 50 nm PS-NH2 suspensions were below toxic levels, while those from 1-μm PS-NH2 showed an impact on artemia growth and development. Our results demonstrate the long-term risks posed by MNPs when zooplankton have low levels of food intake.

The Origin of Asexual Brine Shrimps.

AbstractDetermining how and how often asexual lineages emerge within sexual species is central to our understanding of sex-asex transitions and the long-term maintenance of sex. Asexuality can arise "by transmission" from an existing asexual lineage to a new one through different types of crosses. The occurrence of these crosses, cryptic sex, variations in ploidy, and recombination within asexuals greatly complicates the study of sex-asex transitions, as they preclude the use of standard phylogenetic methods and genetic distance metrics. In this study we show how to overcome these challenges by developing new approaches to investigate the origin of the various asexual lineages of the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica. We use a large sample of asexuals, including all known polyploids, and their sexual relatives. We combine flow cytometry with mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data. We develop new genetic distance measures and methods to compare various scenarios describing the origin of the different lineages. We find that all diploid and polyploid A. parthenogenetica likely arose within the past 80,000 years through successive and nested hybridization events that involved backcrosses with different sexual species. All A. parthenogenetica have the same common ancestor and therefore likely carry the same asexuality gene(s) and reproduce by automixis. These findings radically change our view of sex-asex transitions in this group and show the importance of considering scenarios of asexuality by transmission. The methods developed are applicable to many other asexual taxa.

Influence of Microplastics on the Growth and the Intestinal Microbiota Composition of Brine Shrimp.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment and can be frequently ingested by zooplankton, leading to various effects. Brine shrimp (Artemia parthenogenetica) has an important role in the energy flow through trophic levels in different seawater systems. In this work, the influence of polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) MPs on the growth of brine shrimp and corresponding changes of gut microbiota were investigated. Our results showed that the MPs remarkably reduced the growth rate of brine shrimp, and the two types of MPs have different impacts. The average body length of brine shrimps was reduced by 17.92 and 14.95% in the PE group and PS group, respectively. MPs are mainly found in the intestine, and their exposure evidently affects the gut microbiota. By using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, 32 phyla of bacteria were detected in the intestine, and the microbiome consisted mainly of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. MPs’ exposure significantly increased the gut microbial diversity. For the PE group, the proportion of Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes increased by 45.26 and 2.73%, respectively. For the PS group, it was 54.95 and 1.27%, respectively. According to the analysis on genus level, the proportions of Ponticoccus, Seohaeicola, Polycyclovorans, and Methylophaga decreased by 46.38, 1.24, 1.07, and 2.66%, respectively, for the PE group and 57.87, 1.43, 0.88, and 2.24%, respectively, for the PS group. In contrast, the proportions of Stappia, Microbacterium, and Dietzia increased by 1.12, 23.27, and 11.59%, respectively, for the PE group, and 1.09, 3.79, and 42.96%, respectively, for the PS group. These experimental results demonstrated that the ingestion of MPs by brine shrimp can alter the composition of the gut microbiota and lead to a slow growth rate. This study provides preliminary data support for understanding the biotoxicity of MPs to invertebrate zooplankton and is conducive to the further risk assessment of MP exposure.

Not so clonal asexuals: Unraveling the secret sex life of Artemia parthenogenetica.

The maintenance of sex is paradoxical as sexual species pay the “twofold cost of males” and should thus quickly be replaced by asexual mutants reproducing clonally. However, asexuals may not be strictly clonal and engage in “cryptic sex,” challenging this simple scenario. We study the cryptic sex life of the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica, which has once been termed an “ancient asexual” and where no genetic differences have ever been observed between parents and offspring. This asexual species rarely produces males, which can hybridize with sexual females of closely related species and transmit asexuality to their offspring. Using such hybrids, we show that recombination occurs in asexual lineages, causing loss‐of‐heterozygosity and parent‐offspring differences. These differences cannot generally be observed in field‐sampled asexuals because once heterozygosity is lost, subsequent recombination leaves no footprint. Furthermore, using extensive paternity tests, we show that hybrid females can reproduce both sexually and asexually, and transmit asexuality to both sexually and asexually produced offspring in a dominant fashion. Finally, we show that, contrary to previous reports, field‐sampled asexual females also rarely reproduce sexually (rate ∼2‰). Overall, most previously known facts about Artemia asexuality turned out to be erroneous. More generally, our findings suggest that the evidence for strictly clonal reproduction of asexual species needs to be reconsidered, and that rare sex and consequences of nonclonal asexuality, such as gene flow within asexuals, need to be more widely taken into account in more realistic models for the maintenance of sex and the persistence of asexual lineages.

Lipids from Cysts of Aral Sea Brine Shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica

The contents and compositions of free (FL) and bound lipids (BL) from cysts of Aral Sea brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica were established. The yields of FL and BL were 12.3 and 2.23 mass% of the cysts. The BL group composition included neutral lipids (0.65%), glycolipids (GL) (0.34%), and phospholipids (PL) (1.24%). The lipophilic components of FL were identified as sterols, hydrocarbons including squalene, triterpenols, and xanthophylls. Fatty acids (FAs) of lipids included 16–17 components. FL were dominated by FAs 18:1, 16:1, and 16:0; GL, 16:0 and total 18:1 and 18:3; PL, total 18:1 and 18:3. Polyunsaturated FAs (20:4, 20:5, and 22:6) were not detected in lipids from the studied sample of A. parthenogenetica cysts.

Exposure of black-necked grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) to metal pollution during the moulting period in the Odiel Marshes, Southwest Spain

European populations of black-necked grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) congregate every year to moult at the salt ponds of the Odiel Marshes (SW Spain). However, the Odiel Marshes are part of one of the most metal-polluted coastal estuaries in the world, which may pose risks to wildlife. We assessed the exposure of grebes to metal pollution during the critical moulting period in the Odiel Marshes and its potential to cause adverse health effects. Levels of metals in red blood pellet (as a biomarker of exposure), plasma carotenoids, eye redness, and body condition (as biomarkers of effects) were studied. Metal content was also analyzed in the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica, the most important food for grebes in this hypersaline ecosystem during the moulting period. Results showed that, in comparison to toxicity thresholds, grebes had relatively high blood levels of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn). The high loads found in Artemia and the way blood levels vary during the moulting period indicate that shrimp consumption may be the main route of metal exposure for grebes. Plasma carotenoids and body condition showed a positive association with exposure to As, while the relationship of lutein-like carotenoids with Hg accumulation was negative at the beginning of the moulting period to become positive afterwards. Moreover, eye redness was negatively affected by As accumulation. Factors including food resource availability, seasonal fluctuations in physiological status, and interannual variations in the degree of environmental contamination should be considered in monitoring efforts when using moult migrant waterbirds as sentinel species.

Decomposing parasite fitness reveals the basis of specialization in a two-host, two-parasite system.

The ecological specialization of parasites–whether they can obtain high fitness on very few or very many different host species–is a determining feature of their ecology. In order to properly assess specialization, it is imperative to measure parasite fitness across host species; to understand its origins, fitness must be decomposed into the underlying traits. Despite the omnipresence of parasites with multiple hosts, very few studies assess and decompose their specialization in this way. To bridge this gap, we quantified the infectivity, virulence, and transmission rate of two parasites, the horizontally transmitted microsporidians Anostracospora rigaudi and Enterocytospora artemiae, in their natural hosts, the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica and Artemia franciscana. Our results demonstrate that each parasite performs well on one of the two host species (A. rigaudi on A. parthenogenetica, and E. artemiae on A. franciscana), and poorly on the other. This partial specialization is driven by high infectivity and transmission rates in the preferred host, and is associated with maladaptive virulence and large costs of resistance in the other. Our study represents a rare empirical contribution to the study of parasite evolution in multihost systems, highlighting the negative effects of under‐ and overexploitation when adapting to multiple hosts.

Predator-prey interactions between native brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica and the alien boatman Trichocorixa verticalis: influence of salinity, predator sex, and size, abundance and parasitic status of prey.

Trichocorixa verticalis (T. verticalis), native to North America and the Caribbean islands, is an invasive waterboatman species (Corixidae) in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Previous studies in the native range have suggested that predation by T. verticalis can regulate the abundance of Anostracan and Cladoceran zooplankton in saline ecosystems, causing increases in phytoplankton through a trophic cascade. In this experimental study, we tested the predator–prey relationship between the native brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica, and T. verticalis from the Odiel salt ponds in SW Spain. In three experiments, we investigated (1) the effects of Artemia life stage (metanauplii, juveniles, and adults), (2) abundance (three, six, and 12 adult Artemia) and (3) parasitic status (Artemia infected with avian cestodes or uninfected) on predation rates by T. verticalis. We also considered how predation rates in all three experiments were influenced by the sex of T. verticalis and by different salinities (25 and 55 g l−1). Experiment 1 showed that predation rates were highest for metanauplii, possibly because their photophilic behavior makes them more prone to predation. In Experiment 2, we found that predation rate was higher for female T. verticalis and the higher salinity, although the strength of the sex effect varied between treatments. Experiment 3 showed that T. verticalis selectively predated adult Artemia infected with cestodes (red in color), as previously reported for predation by avian final hosts. Collectively, these results indicate that T. verticalis are important predators in their introduced range, and are likely to reduce the abundance of Artemia in more salt ponds as they expand their range, thus increasing phytoplankton abundance through trophic cascades.

Late‐moulting Black‐necked Grebes Podiceps nigricollis show greater body mass in the face of failing food supply

From August to December, thousands of Black‐necked Grebes Podiceps nigricollis concentrate during the flightless moult period in salt ponds in the Odiel Marshes, southern Spain, where they feed on the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica. We predicted that because Black‐necked Grebes moulted in a food‐rich, predator‐free environment, there would be no net loss of body mass caused by the use of fat stored to meet energy needs during remigial feather replacement (as is the case for some other diving waterbirds). However, because the food resource disappears in winter, we predicted that grebes moulting later in the season would put on more body mass prior to moult because of the increasing risk of an Artemia population crash before the moult period is completed. Body mass determinations of thousands of birds captured during 2000–2010 showed that grebes in active wing‐moult showed greater mass with date of capture. Early‐moulting grebes were significantly lighter at all stages than late‐moulting birds. Grebes captured with new feathers post‐moult were significantly lighter than those in moult. This is the first study to support the hypothesis that individual waterbirds adopt different strategies in body mass accumulation according to timing of moult: early‐season grebes were able to acquire an excess of energy over expenditure and accumulate fat stores while moulting. Delayed moulters acquired greater fat stores in advance of moult to contribute to energy expenditure for feather replacement and retained extra stores later, most likely as a bet hedge against the increasing probability of failing food supply and higher thermoregulatory demands late in the season. An alternative hypothesis, that mass change is affected by a trophically transmitted cestode using brine shrimps as an intermediate host and Black‐necked Grebes as final host, was not supported by the data.

Comparing the potential for dispersal via waterbirds of a native and an invasive brine shrimp

Summary1. Migratory waterbirds are likely to have a major role in the spread of many exotic aquatic invertebrates by passive dispersal. However, in the field, this has so far only been confirmed in the case of the American brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, which is spreading quickly around the Mediterranean region.2. We compared experimentally the capacity of A. franciscana and the native brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica to disperse via migratory shorebirds. After Artemia resting eggs (cysts) were fed to Redshank Tringa totanus and Dunlin Calidris alpina, we compared the proportion that survived gut passage, their hatchability and their retention time within the gut. We also tested the ability of cysts to stick to the feathers of Black‐tailed Godwit Limosa limosa.3. The proportion of ingested cysts retrieved from faeces was the same for each Artemia species (8%), and there were no significant differences in retention time (mean 1.2 h and maximum 10 h for A. parthenogenetica, 1.4 and 12 h for A. franciscana) or hatchability (11% versus 14%). The two shorebird species showed similar retention times and retrieval rates, but cysts recovered from Dunlin had a significantly higher hatchability. Only one of the 1000 A. parthenogenetica cysts and three of the 1000 A. franciscana cysts stuck to feathers.4. These results indicate that both non‐native and native brine shrimps have a similar high capacity for endozoochory via birds, and that the invasiveness of A. franciscana is probably explained by its competitive superiority owing to high fecundity and release from cestode parasitism. Owing to their different migratory behaviour, Redshank and Dunlin are likely to have different roles as brine shrimp vectors. Brine shrimps provide a suitable model for understanding the role of birds in the dispersal of exotic aquatic invertebrates.

Molecular characterization of gap region in 28S rRNA molecules in brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica and planarian Dugesia japonica

In most insects and some other protostomes, a small stretch of nucleotides can be removed from mature 28S rRNA molecules, which could create two 28S rRNA subunits (28Sα and 28Sβ). Thus, during electrophoresis, the rRNA profiles of these organisms may differ significantly from the standard benchmark since the two subunits co-migrate with the 18S rRNA. To understand the structure and mechanism of the atypical 28S rRNA molecule, partial fragments of 28Sα and 28Sβ in brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica and planarian Dugesia japonica were cloned using a modified technology based on terminal transferase. Alignment with the corresponding sequences of 28S rDNAs indicates that there are 41 nucleotides in A. parthenogenetica and 42 nucleotides in D. japonica absent from the mature rRNAs. The AU content of the gap sequences of D. japonica and A. parthenogenetica is high. Both the gaps may form stem-loop structure. In D. japonica a UAAU cleavage signal is identified in the loop, but it is absent in A. parthenogenetica. Thus, it is proposed that the gap processing of 28S rRNA was a late enzyme-dependent cleavage event in the rRNA maturational process based on the AU rich gap sequence and the formation of the stem-loop structure to expose the processing segment, while the deletion of the gap region would not affect the structure and function of the 28S rRNA molecule.

Modern fauna of residual water bodies formed on the place of the former Aral sea

In the first half of the 20th century, the Aral Sea was a single terminal water body of two rivers in the arid zone. The main part of its water area was brackish with specific aboriginal brackish water ecosystems. Since 1960s, decrease of level and salinization of the Aral Sea have begun. Due to the structure of its depression the Aral Sea began to split into several residual water bodies. In 1988–1989, when level decreased by 13 m, the Aral Sea was divided into 2 polyhaline terminal lakes with marine ecosystems – the Large and Small Aral. In the fauna, only widely euryhaline species remained due to water salinization and introduction of exotic species. Piscifauna consisted of introduced species of marine origin. In spring 1990, level of the Small Aral increased and a water flow to the Large Aral appeared. The threat appeared of moving the Syrdarya River mouth to the Large Aral. In August 1992, a dike was built in the Berg’s Strait. Salinity growth in the Small Aral stopped; the salinity began to decrease what was favorable to the fauna. Conditions of transitioinal brackishwater-marine salinity zone were formed. In April 1999, the dike was destroyed by a storm. Construction of new solid dike started in 2004 and was finished in autumn 2005. After Aral Sea division, salinization and level fall in the Large Aral became faster. The Large Aral was divided into the Western Aral, Eastern Aral and Tschebas Bay. Salinity in the eastern basin is growing faster than in the western one. In the late 1990s, the Large Aral became hyperhaline with specific fauna. Some invertebrate species inhabiting saline water bodies in the Aral Sea region moved into the Large Aral by natural way. Among them, the brine shrimp (Artemia parthenogenetica) became predominating in zooplankton.

Artemia parthenogenetica (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) from the Large Aral Sea: Abundance, distribution, population structure and cyst production

The brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica appeared in the Large Aral Sea (Central Asia) in 1998 when mineralization reached 63 ppt. Data on Artemia abundance and biomass, along with temperature and salinity measurements were collected in the western basin during 2002–2006, primarily in the autumn. During the study period, population density grew progressively, both in terms of number, from 250 to 1260 individuals per m 3, and in terms of biomass, from 0.3 to 1.3 g per m 3. In 2005, the population density and spatial distribution in the different parts of the sea (western and eastern basins and strait) was assessed. The horizontal distribution of the Artemia population was uniform in the deep central part of the western basin, although the distribution was quite patchy in the shallow coastal zone. Depth habitat of Artemia was restricted to the upper 20–25 m of depth, as the oxygen depletion and formation of anoxic layer prevented distribution of Artemia to the deeper waters. In autumn, all females reproduced oviparously, with an average clutch size of 30–35 eggs per female. The number of eggs in a clutch was positively correlated with female body length ( r 2 = 0.36–0.44).

Avian cestodes affect the behaviour of their intermediate host Artemia parthenogenetica: An experimental study

The brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) is intermediate host for several cestode species whose final hosts are waterbirds. Previous field studies have shown that brine shrimps infected with cestodes have a bright red colour and are spatially segregated in the water column. However, the ethological mechanisms explaining such field observations are unknown. Changes in appearance and behaviour induced by trophically transmitted parasites have been shown to increase the risk of predation by the final host. In this experimental study, we compared the behaviour of uninfected Artemia and those infected by avian cestodes. We found that parasitised individuals behave differently from unparasitised ones in several ways. In contrast to uninfected individuals, infected brine shrimps were photophilous and showed increased surface-swimming behaviour. These observations suggest that the modified behaviour (in addition to the bright red colour of the majority of the infected individuals) results in infected brine shrimps becoming more vulnerable to avian final hosts, which facilitates parasite transmission. We discuss our results in terms of the adaptive nature of behavioural changes and their potential implications for the hypersaline ecosystem.

Effect of cadmium exposure on zinc levels in the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica

Zinc and cadmium have been reported as metabolic antagonists, such that high zinc intake afford animals some protection against the potentially toxic effects of cadmium exposure. There is considerable evidence to support a role of metallothioneins (MTs) in regulating or controlling the intracellular availability of essential metals and the non-essential metal. The effect of 24-h cadmium pre-exposure (10 mg Cd/l) on zinc concentrations in the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica exposed to zinc (5 mg Zn/l) was studied. The zinc content of shrimps was not altered by cadmium. The homeostatic mechanism for zinc regulation appears not to be disturbed by cadmium exposure in shrimps kept in naturally occurring zinc concentrations. When zinc was added to the water after cadmium exposure, the zinc concentrations attained by cadmium treated animals were lower than that of the non-exposed to cadmium. No effect of zinc exposure on cadmium elimination was observed. In order to investigate the potential role of metallothionein in this effect, metallothionein levels were measured and protein bound zinc and cadmium were studied. A clear relationship between cadmium/zinc interactions with metallothionein content or metal bound to this protein was not evident.

Artemia parthenogenetica in Lake Hayward, Western Australia. I. Interrupted recruitment into adult stages in response to seasonal limnology

Lake Hayward, Western Australia, is a pristine, monomictic coastal lake with a residual brine (depth=1.5 m) of 200 gL−1: stratification in winter (May to October) followed the input of ground water and rain. The epilimnion had temperature ranges of 10–30°C, and salinity from 65–110 g L−1. Maximum depth in winter was 2.4 m. The population structure of the brine shrimpArtemia parthenogenetica, the dominant metazoan grazer in Lake Hayward, was studied from September, 1989, to February, 1991. The L. Hayward population ofA. parthenogenetica is predominantly ovoviviparous with little recruitment into the adult population. Cyst production occurs in summer, and there was evidence for recruitment from cyst hatching in the winters of 1989 and 1990. Nauplii were continuously present throughout the study period. Nevertheless, recruitment through to adult stages as defined by the presence of gravid females occurred only twice: in October–December, 1989 and in December, 1990. Based on limited observations of long-term survival of laboratory cultures, we believe that the major mechanism controlling nauplius survival and recruitment ofArtemia in Lake Hayward is food quality and quantity.

The brine shrimp (Artemia parthenogenetica) as encapsulation organism for prophylactic chemotherapy of fish and prawn

Brine shrimp (Artemia parthenogenetica) which had ingested three water-insoluble antibacterial drugs i.e. sulfadiazine(SD), oxytetracycline (OTC) and erythromycin estolate (ERY-Es) were fed toTilapia and Mysis IIIof Penaeus orientalis K. The drug contents in the predators were then determined. After administration of drugs toTilapia and Mysis III, through the bio-encapsulation of the brine shrimp, efficacious therapeutical concentration of OTC and ERY-Es (but not SD) in the predators could be reached and maintained for more than 8 hours.

Effects of temperature and salinity of survival growth and fecundity of the brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica from Sri Lanka

Survival, growth and reproductive mode were studied in Dunaliella- fed Sri Lankan Artemia parthenogenetica raised from hatching to reproductive maturity at different salinity and temperature combinations. Survival was high in 100 and 120ppt, both at 25 (94 and 7296, respectively) and 29OC (82 and 78%, respectively). Poor sunrival was recorded in higher salinities at 29OC and all salinities at 35°C. At 21°C survival decreased rapidly to near lo%, other than in 65ppt where survival was 48%.-Growth rate at the tested salinities varied from 0.llmm day-' to 0.16mmday1 at 2l0e and from 0.23mm day1 to 0.34mm day1 at 25°C. Similar growtli(0.39mm day-') occurred in 100 and 120ppt at 29. No animals reached adult age at 21°C whereas at 25 and 2g°C, broodpouch development commenced by day 14 in 65,80 id 100ppt. Reproduction occurred only at 29°C. Ovoviviparity occurred only in the S5-and POOppt treatments on day 15 (at 68 and 56 nauplii day ', respectively). Subsequent gradual increase in salinity (4ppt day-') in the 35 and lOOppt treatments made the ovoviviparous groups to switch tooviparity at 132ppt (at37cystsadult ')and 136ppt(at38cysts adult1), respectively. Animals reared in l2Oppt also reproduced, but without switching, showing oviparity (at 36 cysts adult-') with gradual salinity increase to 140ppt. Salinity-temperature combinations ranging from 100 to l2Oppt and 25 to 30°C are, therefore, best for survival, growth and reproduction of Sri Lankan Artemia.

Life history divergence of sympatric diploid and polyploid populations of brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica.

In order to study how polyploidy affects life history patterns in animals, we have examined sympatric diploid and polyploid brine shrimp (Artemia parthenogenetica) from China, Italy and Spain under laboratory conditions. At optimal temperature and salinity (25°C and 90 ppt), diploids from the three populations had much higher intrinsic rates of increase, higher fecundity, faster developmental rates, and larger brood sizes than their sympatric polyploids. The Chinese and Italian populations were selected for further analysis to determine the life history responses of diploids and polyploids to temperature and salinity changes. Under intermediate and high salinities, Chinese and Italian polyploids produced most of their offspring as dormant cysts while their sympatric diploids produced most of their offspring as nauplii. This relationship is reversed in the Spanish diploid-polyploid complex. For the Chinese population at 25° C, pentaploid clones had higher developmental rates than diploid clones at 35 ppt; at 90 ppt, diploid clones had higher developmental rates than the pentaploids. Italian diploids and tetraploids had different responses to variation in both temperature (25° C and 31° C) and salinity (30 ppt and 180 ppt). Our results demonstrate that relative fitness of the two cytotypes is a function of environmental conditions and that sympatric diploids and polyploids respond differently to environmental changes. Chinese and Italian polyploids are expected to have lower fitness than their sympatric diploids when the physical environment is not stressful and when intraspecific competition is important. However, polyploids may have advantages over sympatric diploids in stressful habitats or when they encounter short-term lethal temperatures. These results suggest that polyploid Artemia have evolved a suite of life-history characteristics adapting them to environments that contrast to those of their sympatric diploids.