Energy budget of the Amazon shrimp (Macrobrachium amazonicum) in the function of the exposure to different salinities

• Grant number: 18/04006-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2018
• End date: November 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Compared Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Alessandra da Silva Augusto
• Grantee: Emanuelle Pereira Borges
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Shrimp Macrobrachium amazonicum is a native species with wide distribution and economic potential. Since 2001, it has become the focus of researchers for the development of a technological package for its commercial creation. However, little is known about aspects of shrimp physiology, although such knowledge is important for its creation. In this sense, there are studies that demonstrate that the total body length of M. amazonicum collected in the estuary can be up to 70% higher than those that inhabit freshwater in the wild or are maintained in this salinity in shrimp farms. One of the hypotheses for the lower size of animals kept in freshwater is that they could be diverting some of the energy that would be channeled into the growth for osmoregulation. This can occur because in fresh water there is a high energy expenditure with the absorption of salt by the gills. In this sense, it is proposed to compare the effect of exposure to three different salinities (d0.5, 10 and 20S) on the energy balance of shrimp M. amazonicum. The energy balance will be evaluated by quantifying the ingested and channeled energy for growth, exudation, metabolism, excretion, and feces. The osmo-ionoregualatory capacity of the species, the hepatosomatic index and the predominantly oxidized energy substrate in each salinity will also be evaluated. The results will help to understand the influence of salinity on the various physiological processes of M. amazonicum that use energy, being able to clarify the differences in size between populations and to provide data on the energy costs of maintaining the species in different salinities. (AU)