Journal of Applied Ichthyology · 1999 · 42 citations · 17 references
Life SciencesPhysiologyZoologyFish BiologyFish PhysiologyIchthyologyFish Larval BiologyFreshwater PhysiologyFreshwater Reptile BiologyLarval PhysiologySalinity PhysiologySalinity Stress PhysiologyEarly Life History StagesEarly Morphological DevelopmentLarval Salinity ToleranceReptile OsmoregulationSalinity AdaptationSalinity Effects On LarvaeSalinity ToleranceSalinity Tolerance Thresholds
The salinity tolerance of various early life stages (prelarvae, larvae and fry) of the Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii) was investigated using acute exposures in a 96h-LC50 test. The results were compared with a series of parallel observations on the morphological development of the osmoregulatory organs. The highest salinities tolerated by prelarave and larvae were approximately iso-osmotic with sturgeon plasma. Once, however, the organs involved in homeostatic osmoregulatory mechanisms in the adult had developed (renal-branchial-gut system), the sturgeon was able to switch from hyper-osmoregulation to hypo-osmoregulation. Nevertheless, at the most advanced age tested (150 days old), water at a salinity of approximately 20%d̀ appeared to be the upper threshold for tolerance of acute exposure by this species.
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