The effects of elevated concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphate in seawater on the growth and survival of juvenile abalone,Haliotis iris |
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| Authors: | Neill G Barr |
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| Institution: | National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand |
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| Abstract: | Seawater sampling from three abalone farms in New Zealand showed average ambient concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphate (Pi) varying between 2.36 and 238 μM. The Pi concentration within each system appeared to be directly linked to the percentage of water that was replaced each day. An experiment was conducted over 5 months to examine the effect of elevated Pi concentrations on the growth of two juvenile abalone (Haliotis iris) size classes (small: average shell length=23.9 ± 0.1 and large: average shell length=61.9 ± 0.1 mm). Abalone from each size class were exposed to Pi concentrations of; (a) natural incoming seawater (average 0.12 ± 0.12 μM), (b) 10.7 ± 1.3 μM, (c) 60.9 ± 5.8 μM and (d) 113.1 ± 5.6 μM. The results suggest that over the course of the 5‐month period of this experiment there was a significant negative impact on growth (shell length and wet weight) when the smaller size class of abalone were exposed to Pi concentrations greater than 10.7 μM and for the large size class of abalone when exposed to greater than 60.9 μM Pi. However, elevated Pi concentrations did not significantly impact on abalone survival during the course of the experiment. |
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| Keywords: | dissolved reactive phosphorous dissolved inorganic phosphate elevated concentrations abalone
Haliotis iris
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