Vol.4, No.6A, 53-56 (2013) Agricultural Sciences
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/as.2013.46A008
The combined effects of temperature and salinity on
survival of postlarvae tiger prawn Penaeus monodon
under laboratory conditions
Nilnaj Chaitanawisuti1*, Wannanee Santhaweesuk1, Gullaya Wattayakorn2
1Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; *Corresponding Author: cnilnaj@chula.ac.th
2Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Received 23 April 2013; revised 23 May 2013; accepted 12 June 2013
Copyright © 2013 Nilnaj Chaitanawisuti et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ABSTRACT
A 3 x 4 two-factor factorial experimental design
with three replications per treatment was con-
ducted to determine the effects three tempera-
tures viz., room temperature (29˚C ± 1˚C) and
elevated temperatures (33˚C and 35˚C ± 0.5˚C)
and four salinities (25, 30, 33 and 35 ppt) on
survival of postlarvae tiger prawn Penaeus
monodon under laboratory conditions. Results
showed that temper ature had a grea ter influence
on survival of postlarvae P. monodon than sa-
linity and low water temperature (29˚C) gave
better larval survival than higher water tem-
peratures (33˚C and 35˚C). In addition, the PL1
had better tolerance to high temperatures than
PL15. At the termination of the experiment, the
best survival of PL1 was found at 29˚C for all
salinities tested w ith an average of 95.8%, while
the best survival of PL15 was also found at 29˚C
for all salinities tested with an average of 70.6%.
Based on survival at temperatures and salinities
tested, the best salinity and temperature com-
bination for the culture of P. monodon PL1 and
PL15 were 29˚C at 25, 30, 33 and 35 ppt, and
29˚C at 25 and 30 ppt, respectively.
Keywords: Penaeus monodo n; Salinity;
Temperature; Postlarvae; Survival
1. INTRODUCTION
The tiger prawn Penaeus monodon is the most impor-
tant penaeid species for mass hatchery production and
land-based aquaculture system in Thialand and various
countries in Asia. Shrimp farming is potentially affected
by adverse physical, chemical, and biological conditions
[1,2]. Early life stages are the most sensitive phase in the
complex life cycle of marine invertebrates and to maxi-
mise their survival larvae should be reared close to opti-
mal conditions. Salinity and temperature are two of the
most important abiotic factors affecting the growth and
survival of aquatic organisms. Larval stages of most
penaeid shrimp species occur in full strength seawater
and at stable water temperatures. Hence, it is generally
accepted that penaeid shrimps are not equipped with the
capabilities of withstanding major environmental changes
during their larval development. In addition, it is also
well known that the response to these environmental
parameters is species-specific and that salinity and tem-
perature may also interact to influence growth and sur-
vival. It is generally agreed that temperature has a more
pronounced effect on growth and survival of penaeids [3].
Many studies have reported on the effects of different
environmental factors, in particular, salinity and tem-
perature on development, survival and growth of various
economical penaeid species [1,3-8]. Laboratory and field
studies of responses of eggs and larvae of marine organ-
isms to the combined effects of temperature and salinity
would lead to a greater understanding of the significance
of these factors on survival during early larval develop-
ment. Thus, defining these optimal conditions for culture
of euryhaline marine species may be the fundamental for
developing rearing protocol for penaeid species. The
purpose of the present study was to determine the sur-
vival of postlarvae Penaeus monodon at different com-
bination of three temperatures (29˚C, 33˚C and 35˚C)
and four salinities (25, 30, 33 and 35 ppt) during the
early life stage development.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
The combined effect of salinity and temperature on
survival of P. monodon postlarvae (PL) was determined
Copyright © 2013 SciRes. OPEN ACCES S
N. Chaitanawisuti et al. / Agricultural Sciences 4 (2013) 53-56
54
in the laboratory using a 3 × 4 two-factor factorial ex-
perimental design was conducted with three temperatures
viz., room temperature (29˚C ± 1˚C) and elevated tem-
perature (33˚C and 35˚C ± 0.5˚C) and four salinities (25,
30, 33 and 35 ppt). The experiment followed a com-
pletely randomized design, using the postlarvae stage
(PL1 and PL15) from different spawners from private
hatchery. Four batched of larvae were stocked into 10l
cylindrical glass tanks at a density of 100 L1 and they
were acclimated to four salinity levels (25, 30, 33 and 35
ppt) by lowering the salinity at a rate of 5 ppt·h1. The
required salinity was obtained either by diluting seawater
with freshwater or by mixing filtered seawater with sea
salt to keep variation within ±1 ppt. They were then ac-
climated to different temperatures at a rate of 5˚C·h1. A
static-water system consisting of 36 aquaria (1 L glass
beakers) with gently aeration was used and each aquar-
ium held 20 individuals of postlarvae per treatment.
Temperature was maintained within to ±0.5˚C using
thermostatically controlled water baths. Each combina-
tion of temperature-salinity was conducted with three
replications per treatment. Salinity and temperature were
measured each morning using a portable refractometer
and a mercury thermometer, respectively. All cultures
were covered with aluminium foil to prevent evaporation.
Gently aeration was provided in the container during the
experiment. There was no feeding and water exchange
during experiment for all treatments. Each experimental
unit was initially examined the dead juveniles after 6 h,
and every 12 h thereafter. The experiments lasted 96 h.
The number of larvae sank down to bottom of the
aquaria was considered as dead as well as the juveniles
did not react to the touch of a needle. The mean percent-
age of survival was calculated by combining the data
from three replicates at the end of the experiment. Data
from each treatment were subject to a two-way ANOVA.
When overall differences were significant at less than 5%
level, Tukey test was used to compare the mean values
between individual treatments. The square-root transfor-
mation of the sine-arc before analyzing the values given
in percentages was used. Statistical analysis was per-
formed using SPSS (statistic package for social science)
10.0.
3. RESULTS
Table 1 showed percentage survival of P. monodon
postlarvae through 96 h under different temperature and
salinity combinations. Results showed that temperature
had a greater influence on survival of P. monodon post-
larvae than salinity and low water temperature (29˚C)
gave better larval survival than higher water tempera-
tures (33˚C and 35˚C). In addition, the PL1 had better
tolerance to high temperatures than PL15. Statistical
analyses of the survival data by means of two-way
ANOVA (Table 2) showed that temperature exerted a
significantly higher influence on the survival at different
stages of P. monodon from PL1-PL15 stages (P < 0.05).
The effect of temperature and temperature-salinity in-
teraction was significant at 5% level. At the termination
of the experiment, the best survival of PL1 was found at
Table 1. Percentage survival of P. monodon postlarvae through 96 h under different temperature and salinity combinations.
Temperature (˚C) Salinity (ppt) Survival (%)
PL1 PL15
29 25 95.7 ± 0.42a 75.9 ± 1.28a
30 96.6 ± 0.84a 69.9 ± 1.27b
33 94.1 ± 0.49a 65.2 ± 0.99c
35 97.1 ± 0.57a 71.4 ± 0.85a
33 25 87.9 ± 1.06b 69.0 ± 1.34b
30 86.2 ± 0.98b 65.1 ± 0.78c
33 87.3 ± 0.71b 66.5 ± 0.78c
35 86.9 ± 1.49b 68.2 ± 0.42b
35 25 64.6 ± 0.78c 37.1 ± 1.56e
30 69.2 ± 0.98c 43.7 ± 1.49d
33 68.9 ± 1.34c 47.1 ± 1.27d
35 76.3 ± 0.70c 44.6 ± 0.85d
Mean in the same column with different superscript letters are significantly different (P < 0.05).
Copyright © 2013 SciRes. OPEN ACCESS
N. Chaitanawisuti et al. / Agricultural Sciences 4 (2013) 53-56 55
Tab le 2 . Results of two-way ANOVA for survival of P. monodon postlarvae through 96 h under different temperature and salinity
combinations at 95% confidence interval.
Parameters Sum of square df Mean square F-value P-value
Postlarvae stage (PL1)
Corrected model 4246.765a 11 386.070 293.589 0.000
Intercept 89377.215 1 89377.215 67967.464 0.000
Temperature 3907.922 2 1953.961 1485.902 0.000
Salinity 41.515 3 13.838 10.523 0.001
Temperature × salinity 297.328 6 49.555 37.684 0.000
Error 15.780 12 1.315
Total 93639.760 24
Corrected Total 4262.545 23
Postlarvae stage (PL15)
Corrected model 2992.991a 11 272.090 289.329 0.000
Intercept 170302.954 1 170302.954 181093.083 0.000
Temperature 2843.192 2 1421.596 1511.666 0.000
Salinity 55.355 3 18.452 19.621 0.000
Temperature × salinity 94.444 6 15.741 16.738 0.000
Error 11.285 12 0.940
Total 173307.230 24
Corrected total 3004.276 23
R Squared = 0.996 (Adjusted R Squared = 0.993).
29˚C for all salinities with an average of 95.8% (94.1% -
97.1%), while the lowest survival of PL1 was found at
35˚C for all salinities with an average of 69.8% (64.6% -
76.3%). In contrast, the best survival of PL15 was found
at 29˚C for all salinities with an average of 70.6%
(65.2% - 75.9%), while the lowest survival was found at
35˚C for all salinities with an average of 43.1% (37.1% -
47.1%).
4. DISCUSSION
The present study showed that temperature had a
greater influence to postlarvae tiger prawn P. monodon
than salinity and low water temperature (29˚C) gave bet-
ter larval survival than higher water temperatures (33˚C
and 35˚C). In addition, the PL1 had better tolerance to
high temperatures than PL15. The best survival of PL1
was found at 29˚C for all salinities tested with an average
of 95.8% as compared to 70.6% for those of PL15. The
elevated temperature might be suitable for growth of
aquatic animals, but it had an inverse effect on survival
[3]. Consistent with our study, temperature, salinity,
shrimp size and the interaction of these parameters sig-
nificantly influence the specific oxygen consumption of
shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. At 25˚C and 30˚C oxygen
consumption was more stable at salinities 13‰ and 25‰
for all groups. At 20˚C and salinity below 25‰ oxygen
consumption was higher, possibly due to the reduced
hyperosmoregulatory ability in lower temperatures [9].
Maximum survival of the larval stages of P. merguie nsis
during the protozoeal stages also had been reported at 35
ppt followed by 48% at 33˚C and 45% at 29˚C and salin-
ity exerted a greater influence than temperature on the
survival and development of larvae. Based on the results,
the best temperature-salinity combination for larval sur-
vival and metamorphosis is 33˚C and 35 ppt. A salinity
range of 30 - 35 ppt is ideal for larval development [2]. A
reduction in temperature level was also found resulting
in a decreased osmoregulatory capacity of farmed shrimp
P. stylirostris at low salinity and at high salinity, respec-
tively, below and above the isoosmotic point (26.2 ppt).
Furthermore, the sensitiveness of osmoregulation to
temperature changes was dependent on the developmen-
tal stage of the shrimp. Subadults were more sensitive
than juvenile animals [10]. Similar effects temperature
and salinity on various marine and freshwater penaeid
shrimp species are found. Juveniles of P. vannamei have
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N. Chaitanawisuti et al. / Agricultural Sciences 4 (2013) 53-56
56
their best survival between temperatures of 20˚C and
30˚C and salinities above 20%. Best growth was ob-
tained between temperatures of 25˚C and 35˚C, with lit-
tle difference being noted among salinities. Survival and
growth coincide best at around 28˚C to 30˚C and 33% to
40%. In addition, many studies also indicated the effect
of high temperature on development and growth of
penaeid species but not for survival [8]. Development
rate from the naupliar stage to the protozoal stage of
Metapenaeus monoceros was best at a salinity level of 35
g·L1 combined with temperatures of 28˚C and 32˚C and
larval activity was found to be best at 28˚C and 32˚C at
35 g·L1 and 40 g·L1, as compared to that at 24˚C in all
salinity levels [4]. Growth of the prawn Macrobrachium
rosenbergii was also increased as temperature increased
from 26˚C to 30˚C then the growth declined at the high-
est temperature (34˚C). Also as salinity increased from 0
to 16 ppt, growth of females decreased at all tempera-
tures tested. It was clearly found that optimum level of
both temperature and salinity for growth, reproduction
and hatching success of M. rosenbergii was 30˚C tem-
perature and 6 ppt salinity [5]. In addition, larvae Panda-
lus jordani were shown to have a wide tolerance to salin-
ity, especially in the early stages, but a relatively narrow
tolerance to temperature. The optimal temperatures for
survival, 8˚C to 11˚C, were also optimal for growth as
reflected by maximal growth increments and body size.
It is therefore felt that fluctuations in temperature as seen
within and between successive larval seasons would have
profound effects on larval survival, growth rates and size
at metamorphosis to the benthic juvenile phase [1].
Temperature also exerted a greater influence than the
salinity on the growth and survival of P. semisulcatus
during the larval development. The range of temperature
in which the larvae showed high survival and growth is
relatively narrow as compared to that of salinity. At all
salinity levels, survival to PL1 (69% - 77%) was higher
at 26˚C as compared to 30˚C (44% - 73%) and 34˚C
(14% - 21%). However, daily growth rate at 30˚C and
34˚C was about 60% higher than at 26˚C. Larval devel-
opment was also 3 - 4 days faster at 30˚C and 34˚C.
Based on the survival and growth results, the best salin-
ity and temperature combination for the culture of P.
semisulcatus were 30 ppt and 30˚C [3]. Jackson and Bur-
ford (2003) found that salinity did not have a significant
effect on growth or survival of P. semisulcatus larvae
above 28‰. At 28‰, both growth rate and survival de-
creased, and there was significantly lower survival at the
higher temperatures (32˚C and 29˚C).
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was partially supported by the Higher Education Re-
search Promotion and National Research University Project of Thailand,
Office of the Higher Education Commission (CC1030A) and the Inte-
grated Innovation Academic Center: IIAC Chulalongkorn University
Centenary Academic Development Project (CU56-CC06). The authors
thank Sichang Marine Science Research and Training Station, Aquatic
Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, in particular
Mr. Soontorn Thepmoon for his help and suggestion during the ex-
periments.
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