Rhopilema esculentum is one of the edible cephalopods, a traditional Chinese fishery resource and an important economic aquaculture species. However, given the current natural resource depletion and frequent disease problems in breeding populations, the quantity and quality of seedlings in artificial propagation cannot meet market demand. Temperature and salinity have been hypothesized to play important roles in regulating asexual reproduction in R. esculentum. In this study, we investigated the combined effects of exposure to R after preservation. esculentum podocysts (stored at 2 ± 1 °C for more than 12 months) to three variable temperatures (14.5 °C on April 1, 18 °C on May 1, and 23.2 °C on July 1). simulated temperature obtained from the start date), corresponding to natural levels) and three salinities (20, 25, and 30). We tested podocyst excystation, strobilation onset time, strobilization duration, and cumulative number of efia over 45 days, and analyzed the rate of migration from podiatric to efia to determine the optimal combination of temperature and salinity. Results showed that popodocyst excystation and ephia production occurred with all treatments. Higher temperature and lower salinity significantly accelerated postcyst excystation and accelerated the onset of strobilation (p<0.05). Lower salinity (20 and 25) produced significantly larger ephyra numbers when the temperature increased from 18 °C on May 1 to natural values (p<0.05). There was a significant interaction between temperature and salinity in cumulative ephyra counts and podocyst-to-ephyra transmission rates (p<0.05). These results suggest that R. esculentum podocysts can be recycled for long-term cryopreservation. Temperature and salinity adjustments can influence the number and timing of R. esculentum seedlings to achieve high production and meet market demand for real-time seedling supply. This conclusion provides a scientific basis for innovative methods for sustainable utilization of edible cephalopod (R. esculentum) resources.
KeywordsEconomic cephalopods; Experimental ecology; Control technology; Polyps; Asexual reproduction; Resource utilization
Published Date: 2023-03-31; Received Date: 2023-03-02
