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Life on the edge: physiological problems in penaeid prawns Litopenaeus stylirostris, living on the low side of their thermopreferendum

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Abstract

The underlying physiological mechanisms explaining why the adult penaeid prawn Litopenaeus stylirostris cannot successfully face heavy stressful events on the low edge of its thermopreferendum (20–22°C) were studied during the austral winter. Prawns were studied during recovery from net fishing and rapid transfer from outdoor earthen ponds into indoor facilities. This was assimilated to a predator–prey interaction. O2-consumption, hemolymph osmotic pressure (OPh), arterial O2 partial pressure (PO2), a–v O2-capacitance and mortality rates were analysed. Data were compared to similar challenges performed at 28°C during the austral summer. At 20–22°C, mortality of up to 70% was observed after 2 days whereas at 28°C, maximum mortality was 3–5%. Mortality occurred when OPh shifted towards equilibrium with seawater, the resting O2-consumption, the a–v O2-capacitance and the arterial PO2 went down to minimal values. These events can be counterbalanced by transiently hyper-oxygenating the hemolymph or by blocking the OPh shift in isosmotic water (Wabete et al. in Aquaculture 260:181–193, 2006): both led to a dramatic decrease in mortality. It is concluded that in penaeid prawns L. stylirostris, a mismatch between O2-demand and O2-supply contributes to setting the geographical limits for this animal species through an impairment of their hemolymph O2-carrying capacity during heavy stressful events like chasing by predators.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the technical staff of the experimental facilities at St Vincent, New Caledonia for their help. All the experiments comply with the current laws of New Caledonia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département Aquaculture en Calédonie, IFREMER, 101 promenade Roger Laroque, BP 2059, 98846, Nouméa, Nouvelle Calédonie, France

    Nelly Wabete, Liet Chim & Pierrette Lemaire

  2. Laboratoire d’Ecophysiologie et Ecotoxicologie des Systèmes Aquatiques, UMR 5805, Université Bordeaux 1 and CNRS, Place du Dr B. Peyneau, 33120, Arcachon, France

    Nelly Wabete & Jean-Charles Massabuau

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  1. Nelly Wabete
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  2. Liet Chim
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  4. Jean-Charles Massabuau
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Correspondence to Nelly Wabete.

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Communicated by H.O. Pörtner.

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Wabete, N., Chim, L., Lemaire, P. et al. Life on the edge: physiological problems in penaeid prawns Litopenaeus stylirostris, living on the low side of their thermopreferendum. Mar Biol 154, 403–412 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-008-0931-1

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