Influence of Temperature and Salinity on the Growth and Size of the Rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and B. rotundiformis

Rotifers of the genus Brachionus are commonly used as a live food for larval fish, and rotifers of different sizes are preferred according the mouth size of the fish. Rotifer species vary in size, and individual size can depend on the temperature and salinity of the rearing environment. We investigated the effects of temperature and salinity for two species, B. plicatilis (250-300 ${\mu}m$) and B. rotundiformis (100-220 ${\mu}m$). Two strains of B. plicatilis (CCUMP 36 and 48) and two strains of B. rotundiformis (CCUMP 51 and 56) were received from the Culture Collection of Useful Marine Plankton (CCUMP) at Pukyong National University and cultured with the green alga, Nannochloris oculata (KMMCC 16) from the Korea Marine Microalgal Culture Center (KMMCC). The growth and size of rotifers were examined at three water temperatures ($16^{\circ}C$, $24^{\circ}C$, $32^{\circ}C$) and four salinities (20 psu, 25 psu, 30 psu, 35 psu) under continuous light (40 ${\mu}molm^{-2}s^{-1}$). The maximum density and growth rate of B. rotundiformis were greater than those of B. plicatilis. The lorica length of B. plicatilis ranged from 215.4 to 269.7 ${\mu}m$ and from 154.9 to 206.6 ${\mu}m$ for B. rotundiformis, depending on strain, temperature and salinity. Rotifers were smaller when cultured at high temperatures, regardless of salinity. B. rotundiformis preferred higher salinity than B. plicatilis. The results demonstrated that the size of rotifers could be controlled to some extent by temperature and salinity.

온도와 염분이 Rotifer Brachionus plicatilis와 B. rotundiformis의 성장과 크기에 미치는 영향