The influence of salinity on certain aspects of the biology of Bulinus (Physopsis) africanus

The hatchability of eggs and the fecundity and survival of adult Bulinus (Physopsis) africanus was investigated in different salinities. Experimental results revealed egg masses and hatchlings to be considerably more sensitive to salinity than the adult snails. Egg-laying was recorded in salinities 4·5 ‰ and further increases in salinity resulted in a progressive reduction in the hatching success up to a lethal concentration of 5·25 ‰ Survival of these hatchings was adversely affected by salinities as low as 1·0 ‰ and a salinity of 4·5 ‰ was lethal within 6 days. In contrast, adult survival was unaffected in salinities < 3·5 ‰ while further increases in salinity resulted in significant reductions in survival up to a lethal salinity of 8·7 ‰, which caused 100% mortality within 24 h. The survival of B. africanus infected with Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mattheei was lower in the different salinities and control than that of their uninfected counterparts.     

Effects of reduced salinities on development and bioenergetics of early larval shore crab, Carcinus maenas

The shore crab, Carcinus maenas L. (Portunidae), is a coastal and estuarine species, which can live and reproduce under brackish water conditions; freshly hatched larvae have been observed in the field at salinities below 15‰. In the present laboratory study, the tolerance of hypo-osmotic stress was experimentally investigated in early larvae of a marine (North Sea) population of C. maenas reared at four different salinities (15, 20, 25, 32‰). Two and 4 days after hatching, the Zoea I larvae were moult-staged microscopically, and their rates of respiration and growth (changes in dry weight, W, carbon, C, nitrogen, N, and hydrogen, H) were measured. Survival and development were monitored until the megalopa was reached: 15‰ did not allow for development beyond the first zoeal stage, while metamorphosis to the megalopa was reached at salinities ≥20‰. At 20‰, development was significantly delayed and mortality enhanced as compared with 25 and 32‰. Rates of growth and respiration decreased during exposure to reduced salinities ≤25‰. Hence, the suppression of growth could not be explained as a consequence of enhanced metabolic losses per larva. Instead, a partial C budget indicates that the Zoea I larvae suffered from decreased capabilities of assimilating ingested and subsequently converting assimilated matter to tissue growth. Net growth efficiency (K₂, C-based) was at 25 and 32‰ initially high (>60% during the postmoult and intermoult stages of the Zoea I moult cycle), but decreased during the later stages (down to ≤30% in premoult). An inverse pattern of C partitioning was observed at ≤20‰, with initially low K₂ values (≤21% during the first 2 days of the moult cycle), and a later increase (up to ≥46% in premoult). Thus, larval growth was initially suppressed under conditions of reduced salinity, but this was later (during premoult) partially compensated for by an increase in C assimilation and K₂. Our observations indicate that Zoea I shore crab larvae react during the late stages of their moulting cycle less sensitively against reduced salinities than during postmoult and intermoult. This suggests that the transition between moult cycle stages C and D₀ may be a critical point for effects of hypo-osmotic stress, similarly as already known in relation to effects of nutritional stress. Negative effects were found also when freshly hatched Zoea I shore crab larvae were exposed only transitorily (for 24–72 h) to 20‰, with significantly lower rates of survival, development, growth, respiration, and K₂. These effects increased with increasing duration of initial exposure to reduced salinity.     

Onset of temperate carbonate sedimentation during transgression in a low-energy siliciclastic embayment (Pliocene of the Val d’Orcia Basin,Tuscany, Italy)

A Mid-Pliocene sequence in the sedimentary fill of the Val d’Orcia Basin (Tuscany, Italy) records coeval accumulation of temperate carbonate and siliciclastic deposits in close proximity. This study investigates the role played by local parameters in influencing the spatially discontinuous onset of carbonate sedimentation. Carbonate facies developed during transgression of an irregular coastline and were restricted to the more enclosed portion of an embayment. Coralline red algae were the main carbonate producers and are preserved in the skeletal association as isolated branches, rhodoliths, and incipient bindstone. When comparing the sedimentological attributes of the siliciclastic- and carbonate-dominated deposits, no significant differences are observed. They both appear to have accumulated in shallow-marine areas, subjected to general low-energy conditions punctuated by sporadic higher-energy events. Nevertheless, coastal morphology and bedrock composition at the basin margin created local heterogeneities that were sufficient to induce restricted spatial distribution of the carbonate-producing factory.     

Salinity effects on maturation, reproductive and life span characteristics of four Egyptian Artemia populations (International Study on Artemia. LXVIII)

Three parthenogenetic Artemia populations, i.e. two coastal from Borg El-Arab and El-Max saltworks and one from the inland Qarun Lake, and a bisexual strain (Artemia salina) from the inland carbonate lake of Wadi El-Natrun, all from upper Egypt were assayed for their response in 5 salinities (i.e. 35, 80, 120, 150 and 200 g l^?1). The experimental procedure was carried out under laboratory conditions, where the effects of salinity on maturation and ten reproductive and life span characteristics were investigated. The parthenogenetic Egyptian populations are more euryhaline compared to the bisexual one. The two coastal parthenogenetic populations appeared to be very similar in maturation rate and reproductive output at all salinities tested. The inland asexual strain showed a different reproductive response to the elevation of salinity from the two coastal populations. Discriminant function analysis has proven to be a useful tool in determining the differential response of closely related Artemia populations. The bisexual population showed significantly lower reproductive output compared to the parthenogenetic ones and performed best at 35 g l^?1; this is the first record of an A. salina population inhabiting a carbonate lake. These findings may provide valuable information on Artemia biodiversity in an area where very little is known. %     

Hydromineral regulation in the saline water corixid Trichocorixa reticulata (Hemiptera: Corixidae)

The aquatic corixid Trichocorixa reticulata (Guerin-Meneville) inhabits coastal marshes, brackish water ponds and salt ponds of high salinity, suggesting the presence of well developed mechanisms for hydromineral regulation.Groups of corixids acclimated in salinities ranging from fresh water to just above 300% sea water (100‰) were analyzed for total body water content, haemolymph ionic and osmotic levels, and haemolymph free amino acids.Results indicate an excellent ability to maintain haemolymph Na⁺, Cl^?, Mg²⁺ and K⁺ hyperosmotic to the medium at low salinities and hyposmotic at high salinities. Calcium appears to conform closely to changes in external medium, becoming hyposmotic at very high salinities (80‰).Total haemolymph osmotic pressure was well regulated, the freezing point depression varying from 0.75°C in distilled water to 1.15°C in salinities of 100‰. Total body water was maintained at approx. 75% of the total animal wet weight at all salinities tested.Free amino acids were maintained between 40–60 mM in all tests and did not appear to change with salinity.     

Euryhaline adaptations in the fat sleeper, Dormitator maculatus

Salinity tolerances and plasma osmotic concentrations were determined in the fat sleeper, Dormitator maculatus , a common species in estuarine and coastal fresh waters along the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts of North, Central and South America. Analyses followed sequential laboratory acclimations to a series of ambient salinities at a constant temperature of 20 ± 1° C and photoperiod of 12L: 12D. These fish tolerated a range of ambient salinities from fresh water through a salinity of 75‰. Plasma osmotic concentrations were regulated at an essentially constant level in the salinity range from fresh water through a salinity of 50‰, beyond which plasma concentrations trended upward with increased ambient salinity. We conclude that D. maculatus , while truly euryhaline, docs not show the extreme euryhalme capabilities of several teleost fishes that are 'full-time' estuarine inhabitants.     

Relationships among salinity, egg size, embryonic development, and larval biomass in the estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulata Dana, 1851

We studied interrelationships between initial egg size and biomass, duration of embryogenesis at different salinities, and initial larval biomass in an estuarine crab, Chasmagnathus granulata. Ovigerous females were maintained at three different salinities (15‰, 20‰ and 32‰); initial egg size (mean diameter), biomass (dry weight, carbon and nitrogen) as well as changes in egg size, embryonic development duration, and initial larval biomass were measured.

Initial egg size varied significantly among broods from different females maintained under identical environmental conditions. Eggs from females maintained at 15‰ had on average higher biomass and larger diameter. We hypothesise that this is a plastic response to salinity, which may have an adaptive value, i.e. it may increase the survivorship during postembryonic development. The degree of change in egg diameter during the embryonic development depended on salinity: eggs in a late developmental stage were at 15‰ significantly larger and had smaller increment than those incubated at higher salinities. Development duration was longer at 15‰, but this was significant only for the intermediate embryonic stages. Initial larval biomass depended on initial egg size and on biomass loss during embryogenesis. Larvae with high initial biomass originated either from those eggs that had, already from egg laying, a high initial biomass (reflecting individual variability under identical conditions), or from those developing at a high salinity (32‰), where embryonic biomass losses were generally minimum. Our results show that both individual variability in the provisioning of eggs with yolk and the salinity prevailing during the embryonic development are important factors causing variability in the initial larval biomass of C. granulata, and thus, in early larval survival and growth.     

Moulting frequency and behavioural responses to salinity and diesel oil in Austromegabalanus psittacus (Molina) (Cirripedia: Balanidae)

Moulting frequency and behavioural responses to salinity and diesel oil concentration were studied in specimens of the giant barnacle Austromegabalanus psittacus (Molina). Moulting frequency and frequency and type of cirral beat, in addition to opercular valve closure time, were measured under controlled conditions. A binary factorial experimental design was carried out at salinities of 20 and 30‰ and diesel oil concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5% v/v. Moulting frequency was greater at 30‰ than at 20‰ salinity and at 0.1% oil concentration than at both 0.5% oil concentration and in controls; it is unlikely that this signified variations in growth. Diesel oil provoked lethal effects at 0.5%, with an average lethal time of 8 days; at 0.1%, only sublethal effects were generated. Cirral beat frequency was greater at 0.1 and 0.5% diesel oil concentration than in controls. This was probably associated with an increase in metabolism, since the most frequent cirral beats are associated with respiration and the active capture of plankton. The effects of the contaminant varied with time, as observed at 15 and 60 min. The opercular valve closure time was longer in controls and decreased as diesel oil concentration increased. Results suggest that this species is highly resistant to pollution, although contaminants could provoke changes in the feeding and growth of specimens. Local variations in salinity have only minor effects on barnacle behaviour.     

International study on Artemia. XXXII. Combined effects of temperature and salinity on the survival of Artemia of various geographical origin

The brine shrimp inhabits geographically isolated biotopes with specific biotic and abiotic conditions. This has resulted in various geographical strains between which marked genetical, biological and chemical differentiation exists. The response of 13 different Artemia strains to the combined effect of temperature and salinity has been studied. Experimental temperatures tested ranged from 18 to 34°C and salinities from 5 to 120%..

Except for Chaplin Lake (itCanada) Artemia, all strains showed high survival over a wide range of salinities (35–110%.). For all strains the common temperature optimum was between 20 and 25°C. Interaction 7between temperature and salinity was negligible or very limited. Substantial differences in tolerance were recorded in particular at the lower end of the range of experimental salinities and at the upper end of the range of temperatures. Resistance to high temperature seems to be related to the genetic classification of the Artemia strains in different sibling species. Differences, however, also exist among strains from the same sibling species. Genetic adaptation to high temperature seems to take place in Artemia.

The data obtained provide a first guideline for strain selection for specific aquacultural purposes.     

Late Holocene lake-level fluctuations in Walker Lake, Nevada, USA

Walker Lake, a hydrologically closed, saline, and alkaline lake, is situated along the western margin of the Great Basin in Nevada of the western United States. Analyses of the magnetic susceptibility (χ), total inorganic carbon (TIC), and oxygen isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O) of carbonate sediments including ostracode shells (Limnocythere ceriotuberosa) from Walker Lake allow us to extend the sediment record of lake-level fluctuations back to 2700 years B.P. There are approximately five major stages over the course of the late Holocene hydrologic evolution in Walker Lake: an early lowstand (> 2400 years B.P.), a lake-filling period ( 2400 to  1000 years B.P.), a lake-level lowering period during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) ( 1000 to  600 years B.P.), a relatively wet period ( 600 to  100 years B.P.), and the anthropogenically induced lake-level lowering period (< 100 years B.P.). The most pronounced lowstand of Walker Lake occurred at  2400 years B.P., as indicated by the relatively high values of δ¹⁸O. This is generally in agreement with the previous lower resolution paleoclimate results from Walker Lake, but contrasts with the sediment records from adjacent Pyramid Lake and Siesta Lake. The pronounced lowstand suggests that the Walker River that fills Walker Lake may have partially diverted into the Carson Sink through the Adrian paleochannel between 2700 to 1400 years B.P.     

Growth response of major USA cowpea cultivars: II. Effect of salinity on leaf gas exchange

In an effort to elucidate the physiological processes involved in cowpea differential growth response of four major USA cowpea cultivars (CB5, CB27, 8517 and 7964) to increasing salinity, we investigated the effect of salinity on leaf gas exchange of net photosynthetic rate per unit leaf mass (Pnm) and per unit leaf area (Pna), and stomatal conductance (gs) of the four cowpea cultivars. The experiment was set up as a standard split-plot design in which cowpea plants were grown in greenhouse sand tanks irrigated with nutrient solutions. Seven salinities ranging from 2.6 to 20.5 dS m⁻¹ were constructed based on Colorado River water salt composition with NaCl, CaCl₂ and MgSO₄ as the salinization salts. Light-saturated Pnm, Pna and gs of fully expanded trifoliage were examined at the vegetative growth and flowering stages, and the data were analyzed using a split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) model. We found a highly significant (P ≤ 0.0001) reduction of Pnm, Pna and gs due to salinity. The responses of Pnm, Pna and gs to salinity could be further described by a general model of log(y) = a₁ + a₂x + a₃x², where y represents either Pnm, Pna, or gs; a₁, a₂ and a₃, empirical constants; x, salinity. We found that Pnm was more sensitive to salinity than Pna. Additionally, we found that increasing stomatal closure with increasing salinity might limit Pnm or Pna. While we did not find any significant difference (P > 0.05) of Pnm and Pna among the four cultivars, we did find a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) in gs. No significant salt × cultivar interaction effect (P > 0.05) was found with Pnm, Pna and gs indicating that the four cowpea cultivars have the same response pattern of their leaf gas exchange to salinity.     

Salt marsh foraminifera from the Great Marshes, Massachusetts: environmental controls

By using sites in the Great Marshes at Barnstable (Massachusetts, USA) this study examines the effects of a set of environmental parameters on the foraminiferal distribution. The studied parameters are: elevation above mean high water; salinity of the porewater; various sediment characteristics; vegetation; and food source. Relations between the environmental parameters and foraminiferal properties (frequencies, densities and diversities) are quantified with correlation coefficients. For the first time Siphotrochammina lobata and Balticammina pseudomacrescens are documented in the New England region.

The following species show a significant correlation with one or more of the studied parameters and are designated as key-species: Haplophragmoides manilaensis, Jadammina macrescens, Balticammina pseudomacrescens, Miliammina fusca and Tiphotrocha comprimata. Based on cluster analysis and the presence, absence or dominance of the key-species characteristic associations are distinguished. The distribution of three associations is indicative of specific marsh environments: the marsh fringe, the middle marsh and the marsh edge. These three marsh units are separated by their own salinity regime, flooding and sediment characteristics.

The marsh fringe is typified by the H. manilaensis Association and experiences freshwater input (seepage, surface runoff and rainwater) and only slight marine influence, resulting in low salinity values (2.5–20‰). The width of the marsh fringe is variable, dependent on the amount of seepage which in turn is controlled by the permeability of the basement and the peat. The J. macrescens Association characterizes the middle marsh where salinities are controlled by infiltration of sea- and rainwater and by evaporation. Salinity values are higher than 20‰, while temporarily salinity can reach extreme high values during periods without flooding and high evaporation rates (e.g., 44‰). The fully marine M. fusca Association occupies the daily flooded marsh edge where the salinities have the same values as Cape Cod bay water (ca. 28‰).

Unlike many other salt marshes the distribution of foraminiferal assemblages in the Great Marshes does not show a vertical zonation with respect to mean high water. This shows that a worldwide applicable model for paleoenvironmental studies in salt marshes based on foraminifera is not feasible. Each salt marsh has its own characteristics. Regional factors such as climate play an important role in the salinity regime, while the local upland characteristics determine if seepage takes place. Thus each marsh has its own foraminiferal fingerprint showing the opportunistic behaviour of the salt marsh agglutinants. A surface study is an indispensable first step in assessing the value of foraminifera as paleo-ecological indicators.     

Paléoécologie des associations d'ostracodes d'une formation carbonatée à Rudistes en environnement péri-deltaïque: l'exemple du Santonien de la Cadière d'Azur (Sud-Est France)

Paleoecological studies carried out in the Carbonate bank with Rudists of La Cadière d'Azur (Southeast France) and adjacent perideltaic areas have been made in order to define some stages during the evolution of the formation. For each period, type of ostracode assemblage can be proposed. This is undertaken by analysis using both a more precised systematics and especially quantitative methodology, particularly the factorial analysis of correspondances. One purpose of this study is to justify the paleoecological interpretations and moreover to conclude on the autecology of ostracode species. Lastly, it is suggested that carbonate rate (i.e. water content in calcium), turbulence of sea-waters (influencing the grain-size of terrigenous deposits) and perhaps depth are locally important controlling factors of ostracode diversity.     

Influence of Salinity Concentration on Aquatic Insect Community Structure: A Mesocosm Experiment in the Dead Sea Basin Region

Salinity varies considerably among temporary pools in the Dead Sea Basin, Israel. We experimentally assessed the effects of four salinity levels (0, 10, 20 and 30 g NaCl per liter) on the aquatic insect community in this basin in an artificial pool experiment. Each salinity level was randomly assigned to six pools (total=24 pools). Salinity did not affect total insect abundance but strongly affected abundance and distributions of different species, and consequently, community structure. Of 13 taxa colonizing the pools, 12 were Diptera including 10 mosquito species. Five taxa were sufficiently common to assess abundance in relation to salinity. Polypedilum nubiferum Skuse (Diptera: Chironomidae) was largely salinity intolerant being abundant only in the freshwater. Ephydra flavipes Macquart (Diptera: Ephydridae) was most abundant at the highest salinity level and was rare in freshwater. Ochlerotatus caspius Pallas (Diptera: Culicidae) abundance tended to be highest at 10 g/l and lowest at 30 g/l although the differences were not statistically significant. Anopheles multicolor Cambouliu (Diptera: Culicidae) was relatively euryhaline although numbers dropped significantly at the highest salinity. Cleon dipterum Linnaeus (Baetidae: Ephemeroptera) was also euryhaline and showed no significant differences in abundance across salinities. For the mosquito species, we also estimated survival to pupation. Survival to pupation was significantly lower for O. caspius in freshwater, but was not statistically significantly different across salinities for A.␣multicolor. Species diversity was highest at the two lowest salinities tested and then dropped with increasing salinity. Evenness was not significantly different across salinities. Community similarity generally decreased with increasing salinity differences though dissimilarity was greatest when comparing freshwater to other salinities. Thus, regional diversity is likely increased when there is a range of salinities among pools.     

虾池拟柱胞藻爆发的生态因子调查

2002～2003年,在广东珠三角地区凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)低盐度养殖虾池水体生态的调查过程中发现部分虾池爆发拟柱胞藻(Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii).在调查的低盐度虾池中,共统计20个拟柱胞藻爆发的虾池,其种群密度平均高达7.74×10⁷ filaments·L^-1,平均优势度达47.0%.虾池水体平均水温为30.3℃,pH为8.9,盐度1.4,透明度19cm,化学耗氧量为24.3mg·L^-1.拟柱胞藻爆发的虾池水体环境表现为高水温、高pH、高有机质、低盐度且水体不断被搅动;通常爆发在对虾养殖的中后期富营养化水体.调查发现大量的拟柱胞藻对虾池其它藻类和微生物菌群表现一定的抑制作用,蓝纤维藻和小环藻等少数藻种可与拟柱胞藻形成共优势种.拟柱胞藻为广东珠三角凡纳滨对虾低盐度虾池重要优势藻种,且以螺旋型为主.     

Halophily and halotolerance in cyanophytes

The survival, growth and distribution of organisms in hypersaline environments is discussed using cyanophytes (cyanobacteria) as examples. The distinction between halophilic (Na⁺-requiring) and halotolerant organisms is not adequate to describe the entire spectrum of adaptations to salt. The classical division into stenohaline (narrow) and euryhaline (wide) adaptational types, with optima identified as oligo-, meso- and polyhaline, better reflects both organismal adaptations and the environmental conditions to which these are adjusted and is therefore recommended as a conceptual model.Two independent properties of organisms are growth and survival. Organisms requiring narrow ranges of salt concentration are considered specialists and are restricted to environments with relatively constant salinities at any particular concentration. Organisms which tolerate wide ranges of fluctuation in salinity are considered generalists. The existence of separate and distinct microbial assemblages in these two types of environments is demonstrated in marine intertidal zones and seasonal salt works, representative of fluctuating salinity, and in the open ocean. The hypersaline ponds of Yallahs, Jamaica, and Solar Lake, Sinai represent different but relatively constant salinities. It is concluded that cyanophytes speciate along the salinity gradient, and that separate halophilic taxa occupy environments with relatively constant salinities.Proceedings of the fourth College Park Colloquium on Chemical EvolutionLimits of Life, University of Maryland, College Park, 18–20 October 1978.     

Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay

Salt evaporation ponds have existed in San Francisco Bay, California, for more than a century. In the past decade, most of the salt ponds have been retired from production and purchased for resource conservation with a focus on tidal marsh restoration. However, large numbers of waterbirds are found in salt ponds, especially during migration and wintering periods. The value of these hypersaline wetlands for waterbirds is not well understood, including how different avian foraging guilds use invertebrate prey resources at different salinities and depths. The aim of this study was to investigate the dietary flexibility of waterbirds by examining the population number and diet of three feeding guilds across a salinity and depth gradient in former salt ponds of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes. Although total invertebrate biomass and species richness were greater in low than high salinity salt ponds, waterbirds fed in ponds that ranged from low (20 g l⁻¹) to very high salinities (250 g l⁻¹). American avocets (surface sweeper) foraged in shallow areas at pond edges and consumed a wide range of prey types (8) including seeds at low salinity, but preferred brine flies at mid salinity (40–80 g l⁻¹). Western sandpipers (prober) focused on exposed edges and shoal habitats and consumed only a few prey types (2–4) at both low and mid salinities. Suitable depths for foraging were greatest for ruddy ducks (diving benthivore) that consumed a wide variety of invertebrate taxa (5) at low salinity, but focused on fewer prey (3) at mid salinity. We found few brine shrimp, common in higher salinity waters, in the digestive tracts of any of these species. Dietary flexibility allows different guilds to use ponds across a range of salinities, but their foraging extent is limited by available water depths. Guest Editors: J. John & B. Timms Salt Lake Research: Biodiversity and Conservation—Selected papers from the 9th Conference of the International Society for Salt Lake Research     

Osmoregulatory strategies in natural populations of the black-chinned tilapia Sarotherodon melanotheron exposed to extreme salinities in West African estuaries

The effect of salinity was studied in natural populations of the black-chinned tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) from West Africa. This euryhaline species colonizes nearly all coastal environments from bays to lagoons characterized by salinities ranging from fresh water to hypersaline water over 100 ‰. Individuals were sampled during the dry season at several locations characterized by different levels of salinity (3-102 ‰). Their osmotic status and their gills were analyzed. The branchial mitochondria-rich cells (MRC), localized at the basis of the filaments and along the lamellae in fish taken from the saline stations, showed a wide plasticity with significant differences in their number and size. The most striking results were a significant larger area (≈3x) and a higher number (≈55x) of MRC at high salinity (102 ‰) compared to low salinity (3 ‰). The major ion transporters and channels were localized by immunocytochemistry and different expression patterns have been recorded between stations. Despite an increased Na?/K?-ATPase (NKA) α-subunit expression and NKA activity, pointing to an increased monovalent ion excretion, a severe osmotic imbalance was recorded in animals living in hypersaline environments.     

Effects of brackish water on growth, feed conversion and energy absorption efficiency by juvenile euryhaline and freshwater stenohaline fishes

Among six species of juvenile fishes (<6 months old), stenohaline species (channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and goldfish Carassius auratus ) had their highest specific growth rate ( G ) and most efficient food conversion ratio ( E _C) and energy absorption efficiency ( I _E) in fresh water. Three of the euryhaline species (rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss , striped bass Morone saxatilis and Gulf sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi ) had higher G and had more efficient E _C and I _E in 3 and 9‰ salinities than in lower salinities (fresh water and 1‰). For brown trout Salmo trutta (age 3–4 months), 9‰ was above the optimum level for G and E C. However, I _E for brown trout was not significantly different at 3 and 9‰ salinities. Over the salinity range tested, channel catfish had the largest change in G , E _C and I _E, while changes for euryhaline species were relatively small. Although all species tested survived and grew in all treatments, salinities as low as 1‰ adversely affected the stenohaline species, and 9‰ adversely affected brown trout.