Environmental Biology of Fishes

, Volume 21, Issue 2, pp 153–159 | Cite as

Growth, aluminium uptake and mucous cell morphometrics of early life stages of brown trout, Salmo trutta, in low pH water

  • Helmut Segner
  • Roland Marthaler
  • Michael Linnenbach
Article
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Synopsis

Young (7–10 days after hatching) brown trout (Salmo trutta) exposed for 5 days to pH 5 in high calcium water and at 2 temperatures (12°, 4°C) in the laboratory displayed no alterations in growth or in mucous cell concentration and volume, compared to the control group kept at pH 7.2. Contamination of acid-stressed young with 230 µg All-1 resulted in significant growth depression and Al accumulation, but in no changes of mucous cell morphometrics. Field tests in low calcium water produced high mortality at low pH (5.1), but showed consistent effects on mucous cells as in laboratory experiments. Three-month-old juveniles of brown trout, subjected to decreased pH values at 12° and in high calcium water for 8 days exhibited mucous cell hyperplasia (without hypertrophy) within 3 h of the acid addition. After 120 h sloughing of the integument occurred with full recovery not possible within a 4-day-recovery period. Although the results presently apply only to hard water conditions, the differences between juveniles and recently hatched young in tolerance to pH- and Al-mediated stress may also be of importance for soft waters affected by acid rain.

Key words

Acidification Sublethal Ontogenetic effects Integument Histochemistry 
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Copyright information

© Dr W. Junk Publishers 1988

Authors and Affiliations

  • Helmut Segner
    • 1
  • Roland Marthaler
    • 1
  • Michael Linnenbach
    • 1
  1. 1.Zoologisches Institut I (Morphologie/Ökologie)Im Neuenheimer Feld 230Federal Republic of Germany

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