Jump to content


Salinity tolerances of estuarine cyprinodonts


5 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_fundulus_*

Guest_fundulus_*
  • Guests

Posted 05 December 2007 - 10:39 AM

There was a discussion in another thread recently about whether or not the banded killifish, Fundulus diaphanus, was found in fully saline water in a marsh north of Boston. That lead me back to a review published last year that assessed the known physicochemical tolerances of 28 species of cyprinodontoid fishes in North America: "Physicochemical environments and tolerances of cyprinodontoid fishes found in estuaries and salt marshes of North America", Frank G. Nordlie, Rev. Fish Biol. Fisheries (2006) 16:51 -- 106. This is a hugely comprehensive review. For banded killifish the encountered (reported) salinity range is 0 -- 14.1 ppt, well below oceanic salinity of ~35 ppt. Interestingly, laboratory stress tests found the upper salinity limit to be 69.6 ppt before all of the tested individuals died.

The most tolerant fish was the sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus, followed by my personal fave the mummichog, F. heteroclitus.

Frank Nordlie's interest in compiling this review was to examine what's known of these fishs' tolerances as it might related to a changing climate, and how well these fishes might be able to respond to warmer and/or drier conditions as forecast by most of the computer models of North American climate for the next 100 years. Fun stuff.

So anyway, don't keep any banded killifish you have in salt water, they won't like it.

#2 Guest_dsmith73_*

Guest_dsmith73_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 December 2007 - 06:43 AM

There was a discussion in another thread recently about whether or not the banded killifish, Fundulus diaphanus, was found in fully saline water in a marsh north of Boston. That lead me back to a review published last year that assessed the known physicochemical tolerances of 28 species of cyprinodontoid fishes in North America: "Physicochemical environments and tolerances of cyprinodontoid fishes found in estuaries and salt marshes of North America", Frank G. Nordlie, Rev. Fish Biol. Fisheries (2006) 16:51 -- 106. This is a hugely comprehensive review. For banded killifish the encountered (reported) salinity range is 0 -- 14.1 ppt, well below oceanic salinity of ~35 ppt. Interestingly, laboratory stress tests found the upper salinity limit to be 69.6 ppt before all of the tested individuals died.

The most tolerant fish was the sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus, followed by my personal fave the mummichog, F. heteroclitus.

Frank Nordlie's interest in compiling this review was to examine what's known of these fishs' tolerances as it might related to a changing climate, and how well these fishes might be able to respond to warmer and/or drier conditions as forecast by most of the computer models of North American climate for the next 100 years. Fun stuff.

So anyway, don't keep any banded killifish you have in salt water, they won't like it.



Hey Bruce, is there a way I can get a copy of that?

#3 Guest_Mysteryman_*

Guest_Mysteryman_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 December 2007 - 09:12 AM

I'll tell ya one thing about those sheepsheads, they're some salt-tolerant little guys! I know a place where they are trapped in big puddles on sandbars near the water, and the puddle water is pure brine. It's so salty that it's slimy-feeling to the touch. It's dark brown and nothing lives in it except these fish. I don't know exactly what they eat, because there's no obvious food available. The temperature is also 100F or more, but these fish are everywhere. I've collected them a few times, but they didn't do very well. Others I got from much "better" water did fine, though.

#4 Guest_fundulus_*

Guest_fundulus_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 December 2007 - 09:24 AM

Dustin, I'll see what I can do. I can at least photocopy the offprint I have from Nordlie; maybe he has more, I'll ask.

And yeah, I've seen sheepsheads in incredibly foul, salty pools in salt marshes along the New England coast. I think that they've acclimated to the hot, warm water and would be harmed by "clean" water. They can get by for at least a short period by eating plant detritus. I also used to find high densities of young of the year, around 15 mm long, in these pools and they always seemed to be in good shape. With those tolerances they can use habitats available to few others, except mummichogs and spotfin killies (Fundulus luciae).

#5 Guest_mzokan_*

Guest_mzokan_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 December 2007 - 10:34 AM

Here is a copy of the article:

Attached File  salinity_tolerances.pdf   712.85KB   52 downloads

In South Carolina I would only see sheepshead minnows in upper saltmarsh pools that rarely get flushed with the tides, but in south Florida I would get them in freshwater -- these ones made great aquarium fish, one male stayed colored up throughout the year with a turquoise back and orange fins.

Marcus

#6 Guest_fundulus_*

Guest_fundulus_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 December 2007 - 10:51 AM

Thanks Marcus, you the man! And you're right that sheepsheads are an extremely variable species for environmental preferences.



Reply to this topic



  


0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users