G. Mourente, A. Rodriguez-1997
Marine Biology, 128 (2) : 289-298 (from Current Contents)
Abstract:
A two way ANOVA experiment was designed to study the effects of salinity and dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) on lipid composition and performance of postlarvae from the marine shrimp Penaeus kerathurus (Forskal, 1775). Shrimp were reared from 1 to 8 d old postlarvae at 35 and 25 parts per thousand S with Kelko enriched Artemia sp. (20.0 mu g (n-3)HUFA/mg dry weight; 9.1 mu g DHA/mg dry weight) and non-enriched Artemia sp. (14.2 mu g (n-3) HUFA/mg dry weight; 0.3 mu g DHA/mg dry weight). Dietary DHA content did not affect either total length or survival but influenced the nutritional status represented by condition indices (triacylglycerol/total polar lipid and triacylglycerol/free cholesterol) of 8 d old postlarvae at the end of the experiment. Culture salinity affected final total length and condition indices but did not show any effect on survival in the different experimental treatments. The interaction of dietary DHA and culture salinity was not significant for total length and survival but was significant for both condition indices used. P. kerathurus 8 d old postlarvae showed better growth, survival and nutritional condition when reared at 35 parts per thousand S and when fed on Kelko enriched Artemia sp., but the differences with postlarvae from other treatments were very poorly marked. The results demonstrate that 8 d old postlarvae may have sufficiently developed osmoregulatory capabilities to resist 25 parts per thousand S under good conditions, although (n-3) HUFA enriched diets may also enhance osmotic stress resistance, general performance and disease resistance.
(Univ Cadiz, Fac Ciencias Mar, Casem, Dept Biol Anim Vegetal & Ecol, Poligono Rio San Pedro S-N, E-11510 Puerto Real, Spain)
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