Effects of light intensity on growth, immune response, plasma cortisol and fatty acid composition of juvenile Epinephelus coioides reared in artificial seawater

doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2013.08.004

Aquaculture

Volumes 414–415, 15 November 2013, Pages 135-139

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2013.08.004 Get rights and content

Highlights

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The WG, SGRd and survival rate were significantly higher at 320–1150-lx.
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Activities of ACP and T-SOD and NO content were higher at 600–1150 lx.
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Plasma cortisol concentration was significantly lower at 320–1150 lx.
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∑ PUFA was significantly higher at 320–550 lx and ∑ SFA at 10–50 lx.
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Optimal light intensity was 320–1150 lx under artificial seawater for E. coioides.

Abstract

Because light is one of the major environmental factors and regulates the physiological and biochemical processes of fish, the effects of light intensity on growth, immune response, and plasma cortisol and fatty acid composition of juvenile Epinephelus coioides (orange-spotted grouper, also known as estuary cod) reared in a recirculating artificial seawater system were researched and evaluated in this study. A completely randomized design with five light treatments (0, 10–50, 320–550, 600–1150 and 3000–3500 lx) and three replicates was used. The experiment lasted for 56 days. The weight gain rate (WG, %), specific growth rate (SGR_d) and survival rate were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in the 320–1150-lx treatments compared with the other treatments. Activities of acid phosphatase (ACP) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and content of nitric oxide (NO) were significantly higher at 600–1150 lx, whereas the highest activity of alkaline phosphatase (AKP) was at 320–550 lx (p ≤ 0.05). Plasma cortisol concentration was significantly lower at 320–1150 lx and significantly higher at 0 lx and 3000–3500 lx (p ≤ 0.05). The content of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (∑ PUFA) was significantly higher at 320–550 lx than in the other treatments. However, total saturated fatty acids (∑ SFA) were significantly higher at 10–50 lx than at 320–1150 lx (p ≤ 0.05). The results showed that light intensity could significantly affect growth, immune response, plasma cortisol and fatty acid composition of juvenile E. coioides, with optimal light intensity being 320–1150 lx.

Introduction

Environmental factors play an important role in regulating reproduction of different animals including fish (Maitra et al., 2006). Light is one of the major environmental factors and synchronizes from embryo development to sexual maturation of fish (Biao et al., 2012, Villamizar et al., 2011). Studies have shown that most marine fish are visual feeders and need a minimal threshold light intensity to be able to develop and grow normally (Blaxter, 1986, Hunter, 1981). However, the optimum light intensity for feeding is specific to each species, with either high or low light intensity potentially being stressful or even lethal for some fish species (Boeuf and Le Bail, 1989, Hunter, 1981).

Epinephelus coioides (grouper) is one of most important aquaculture species in China and Southeast Asian countries due to its high commercial value. In the last decades, a number of studies have focused on the investigation of grouper for aquaculture, artificial breeding and disease (Stuart and Drawbridge, 2011, Yoseda et al., 2008). Also, many studies have reported the effect of light on larval growth performance and physiology (Chatain and Ounais-Guschemann, 1991, Dave et al., 2009, Inayah and Jian, 2009, Villamizar et al., 2011). However, only a few studies have reported the effects of light intensity on juvenile fish (Boeuf and Le Bail, 1989, Stefansson et al., 1993). Currently, factories have been established to farm groupers in inland areas of China using artificial seawater (Peng et al., 2008). With respect to commercial production, the use of artificial light regimes is widely accepted as tools for enhancing productivity within the grouper industry. However, no lighting systems have been specifically tuned to aquaculture rearing systems (Herve et al., 2007). In order to provide a theoretical basis to underpin fish factory farming in artificial seawater, we investigated the effects of light intensity on growth, immune response, plasma cortisol and fatty acid composition of juvenile E. coioides under recirculating seawater water system.

Section snippets

Fish and feeding

The experiment was performed in the Marine Science Laboratory of Nanjing Agricultural University. Juvenile E. coioides were purchased from the Qingdao Universal Aquaculture Company of China in March, 2012. The fish acclimated to laboratory conditions for 15 days. During the acclimation period, the juveniles were fed once daily (at 8 a.m.) with commercial feed. Selected healthy juveniles (average weight 22.5 ± 0.6 g) were randomly divided into five groups for the light intensity treatments at 0 lx,

Growth and survival

Table 1 showed that final body weight, weight gain rate (WG, %) and specific growth rate (SGR_d) were significantly higher at 320–1150 lx and lower at 0 lx (p ≤ 0.05) than in the other treatments. The final survival of juvenile E. coioides varied from 86.7% to 100% in different treatments, with the lowest survival being at 0 lx (p ≤ 0.05).

Immune responses

Light intensity had a significant effect on the immune response of juvenile E. coioides. Activities of ACP and T-SOD and concentration of NO were the highest at

Discussion

In aquaculture, light intensity is a limiting factor depending on water depth and turbidity, eliciting differential responses in different fish species at various developmental stages (Boeuf and Le Bail, 1989). Wallace et al. (1988) observed better growth in 0.7 g fry Salmo salar maintained for 35 days at 700 lx (compared to 200, 50 and 10 lx). Chatain and Ounais-Guschemann (1991) found that the best light intensity for the Sparus aurata growth was 1300 lx. Puvanendran and Brown (2002) found that

Conclusions

In artificial seawater in the recirculating water system, E. coioides larvae reared at light intensity from 320 to 1150 lx grew quickly, were healthy and accumulated unsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, in the actual production, it is important to control the light intensity at the optimal level. However, given that our study was based on juvenile E. coioides, it remains to be established whether adult E. coioides would be affected by light intensity in a similar manner or not.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the National Key Projects of Scientific and Technical Support Programs funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2011BAD13B09) and the Project of a Special Fund for Public Welfare Industrial (Agriculture) Research of China (No. 200903001-5).

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^☆: No conflict of interest in the paper.

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Effects of light intensity on growth, immune response, plasma cortisol and fatty acid composition of juvenile Epinephelus coioides reared in artificial seawater☆

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Fish and feeding

Growth and survival

Immune responses

Discussion

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

Analytical Biochemistry

Analytical Biochemistry

Fish & Shellfish Immunology

Fish & Shellfish Immunology

Animal Feed Science and Technology

Aquaculture

Fish & Shellfish Immunology

Aquaculture

Aquaculture

Aquaculture

Aquaculture

Fish & Shellfish Immunology

Aquaculture

Physiological changes in fish from stress in aquaculture with emphasis on the response and effects of corticosteroids

Annual Review of Fish Diseases

Effects of fluctuating light intensity on molting frequency and growth of Litopenaeus vannamei

Aquaculture

Development of sense organs and behaviour of teleost larvae with special reference to feeding and predator avoidance

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society

Does light have an influence on fish growth?

Aquaculture

The essential fatty acid requirement of milkfish

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry

The relationship between light and larvae of Sparus aurata

The effects of tank color and light intensity on growth, survival, and stress tolerance of white seabass, Atractoscion nobilis, larvae

Journal of the World Aquaculture Society

Effect of light intensity on growth, survival and skin color of juvenile Chinese longsnout catfish

Aquaculture

Colorimetric method for determination of sugars and related substances

Analytical Chemistry

Effects of photoperiod and light intensity on growth and activity of juvenile haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)

Aquaculture

Response to short term starvation of growth, haematological, biochemical and non-specific immune parameters in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and blackspot sea bream (Pagellus bogaraveo)

Marine Environmental Research

The effect of spectral composition and light intensity on melatonin stress and retinal damage in post-smolt Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar

Aquaculture