New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
Avoidance behaviour of freshwater fish and shrimp
exposed to ammonia and low dissolved oxygen
separately and in combination
JODY RICHARDSON
ERICA K. WILLIAMS
CHRISTOPHER W. HICKEY
National Institute of Water & Atmospheric
Research Ltd
P. O. Box 11 115
Hamilton, New Zealand
Abstract The responses of common smelt (Retropinna
retropinna Richardson), inanga (Galaxias maculatus Jenyns), common
bully (Gobiomorphus cotidianus McDowall), and shrimp (Paratya
curvirostris Heller) to ammonia and low dissolved oxygen (DO), separately
and in combination, were measured in a fluvarium. Only common smelt avoided
high or low ammonia (c. 8.5 and 2.0 g m-3 NH3, respectively) and low
DO (c. 2 g m-3) alone and in combination. Shrimp avoided high
ammonia and low DO+ammonia but not low DO on its own. Inanga and bullies showed
no significant negative response to either contaminant; rather, inanga were
strongly attracted to low ammonia and bullies to low DO. These results parallel
those from toxicity experiments that show common smelt and shrimp are usually
among the most sensitive native species to various contaminants. The consistent
and appropriate avoidance behaviour shown by common smelt, in particular,
suggests this species would be a good indicator organism for assessing the
health of lowland waterways.
Keywords Retropinna retropinna; Galaxias
maculatus; Gobiomorphus cotidianus; Paratya curvirostris;
avoidance; ammonia; oxygen
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2001, Vol. 35:
625-633
0028-8330/01/3503-0625 $7.00 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
2001
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1271K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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