Sains Malaysiana 39(1)(2010): 135–140

 

Culture and Growth of a Marine Harpacticoid, Pararobertsonia sp. in Different Salinity and Temperature

(Kultur dan Pertumbuhan Harpacticoida Marin, Pararobertsonia sp. dalam Kemasinan dan Suhu Berbeza)

 

K. Zaleha* & Farahiyah Ilyana Jamaludin

Institute of Tropical Aquaculture, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

21030 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

 

Received: 14 January 2009 / Accepted: 16 July 2009

 

 

ABSTRACT

 

Copepods play a major role as food link for larger animals and it is also important as a live food source for the aquaculture industry. There are only few reports on the influence of temperature and salinity towards the growth and development of tropical copepods. In this study, the effect of temperature (5 and 25¡C) and salinity (5, 10, 25 and 30 psu) on population growth and density of a marine harpacticoid, Pararobertsonia sp. in a laboratory condition is investigated. The species was first obtained from seagrass samples from Merchang estuary, Terengganu, which receives seawater from the South China Sea. It has been cultured in the laboratory condition through generations. The findings show that there is a significant difference (P<0.05) detected between the salinity treatment and it shows that difference in salinities give different effects on the population number of the harpacticoids cultured in the same temperature (25 ± 1¡C). On the other hand, harpacticoids reared in cold temperature (5 ± 1¡C) did not survive the condition. Harpacticoids reared in 25 psu salinity show the highest population density (mean of 3.7 ind./ml), but the most stable population growth is shown in 35 psu treatment as shown by its high value of maximum specific growth rate (K). From this experiment, it can be concluded that 35 psu and temperature of 25 ± 1¡C is the optimum condition for the maximum production of a tropical Pararobertsonia sp. in the laboratory condition.

 

Keywords: Harpacticoida; laboratory culture; tropical species

 

ABSTRAK

 

Kopepoda memainkan peranan utama sebagai penghubung makanan bagi haiwan yang lebih besar dan ia juga penting sebagai sumber makanan hidup di dalam industri akuakultur. Tidak banyak laporan yang telah diterbitkan mengenai pengaruh suhu dan kemasinan terhadap perkembangan Kopepoda di kawasan tropika. Kajian kesan suhu (5 and 25¡C) dan kemasinan (5, 10, 25 dan 30 psu) ke atas pertumbuhan populasi dan kepadatan Harpaktikoid marin, Pararobertsonia sp. telah dijalankan di dalam makmal. Spesies ini telah pertama kali diperolehi daripada sampel rumput laut dari kawasan muara sungai di Merchang Terengganu yang menerima air masin Laut China Selatan. Ia telah dikultur di dalam keadaan makmal sejak beberapa generasi. Kajian ini menunjukkan terdapat perbezaan yang bererti (P<0.05) di antara rawatan-rawatan kemasinan, dan ini menggambarkan kemasinan yang berbeza memberi kesan yang berbeza ke atas bilangan populasi haiwan tersebut yang dikultur di dalam suhu yang sama (25 ± 1¡C). Sebaliknya, haiwan yang dikultur di dalam suhu rendah (5 ± 1¡C) tidak dapat bertahan. Harpacticoida yang dipelihara di dalam kemasinan 25 psu menunjukkan kepadatan populasi tertinggi (min 3.7 ind./ml), tetapi, pertumbuhan populasi paling stabil ditunjukkan oleh rawatan kemasinan 35 psu di mana ia menunjukkan nilai Kadar Pertumbuhan Khusus (K) maksimum. Daripada eksperimen ini, dapat dirumuskan bahwa 35 psu dan suhu 25 ± 1¡C merupakan keadaan optimum persekitaran makmal bagi penghasilan maksimum spesies tropika, Pararobertsonia sp.

 

Kata kunci: Harpacticoida; kultur makmal; spesies tropika

 

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*Corresponding author; email: zaleha@umt.edu.my