Critical temperatures and aerobic metabolism in post-larvae of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931)

In this study, critical temperatures (CTM: CTmin and CTmax) of Pacific white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei, post-larvae (PL), were determined at different acclimation temperatures of 15, 20, 25, and 30  °C. Lower and upper incipient lethal temperatures (ILT: LILT and UILT) were also calculated for the PL. The thermal windows of the PL were developed using the CTM and ILT values. The standard metabolic rate (SMR) of the PL was determined based on the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) at the different acclimation temperatures mentioned above. The acclimation temperature had a subsequent effect on the thermal tolerance and SMR of the PL (P <  0.01). The PLs of Pacific white shrimp have high thermal tolerance and can survive at extreme temperatures (CTmin and CTmax: 8.2 –43.8 °C) with their large dynamic and static thermal window areas of 1128 and 931 °C2, respectively. The optimal temperature range for Pacific white shrimp PLs is the 25 –30 °C range, where a decrease in SMR is determined with increasing temperature. The result of this study reveals that a range of 25–30 °C is optimal for effective PL culture of Pacific white shrimp.
Source: Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology - Category: Physiology Source Type: research