Blust, R.

Dasan, A.F.

De Boeck, G.

Rasoloniriana, R.

Sinha, A.K.

Open Marine Archive

  
 
 
 
 
 
 Ammonia toxicity is a one of the major 
problem in aquatic natural environment and 
culture system. 
 European Seabass  (Dicentrarchus labrax) an 
important fish species for aquaculture, is a 
euryhaline species, implies that they are 
capable of living in environments of wide 
range salinity.  
 This experimental study will seek to establish 
the adaptability of the fish to High 
Environmental Ammonia (HEA), at different 
ambient salinities. 
 
 
 
Objectives 
Methods 
 
Adaptive Responses to High Environmental Ammonia in European 
Seabass Acclimated to Different Salinities 
Antony Franklin Dasan, Rindra Rasoloniriana, Amit Kumar Sinha, Ronny Blust, Gudrun De Boeck. 
Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium 
franklin_antony@yahoo.com 
To determine the physiological, metabolic, hormonal and ion-regulatory responses in the European seabass acclimated to 
different salinities combined with High Environmental Ammonia Exposure. 
 
Introduction 
 
1. The researchers will expose European sea bass acclimated to HEA (20 mgL-1), 
and feed at up to 2 % of body weight, to different salinities (32 0/00, 20 
0/00, 10 
0/00 and 2.5 
0/00) in different experimental tanks. 
2. The adaptive response of the fish will be observed after 0h (control) 12h, 48h, 
84h and 180h intervals.  
3. Additionally, ammonia excretion rate and ammonia quotient (AQ) will be taken 
at each interval to help draw conclusions about the fish’s adaptive responses to 
different ambient salinities.  
4. After each interval, fish will be removed from the tank and blood drawn from 
them for serology. At the end of the experiment, the fishes will be dissected 
and liver, brain, white muscle, gill and kidney tissues obtained for analysis. 
 
Preliminary Results  
Expected outcome 
 
 It is expected that fish would suffer marked disturbance of normal functions following prolonged exposure to HEA. 
 Additionally, it is expected that ammonia excretion by the fish would increase in an attempt to maintain the positive ammonia 
gradient.  
 However, the levels of ammonia in plasma and muscles, lactate accumulation in muscles and the ammonia quotient are expected 
to markedly increase. 
 High salinity environments have been shown to augment ammonia toxicity because it facilitates increased concentration of the 
NH3 moiety, which is solely responsible for ammonia toxicity, in aqueous ammonia. 
 As such, these changes, and even loss of function, will be expected to be more severe in fish exposed to higher salinities.  
 Ions status in plasma response to HEA and Salinity. 
 Interpretation of results is on-going. 


Adaptive responses to high environmental ammonia in European seabass acclimated to different salinities

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