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Effect of Background Color on the Coloration of Juvenile Giant Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii

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Abstract

The influence of the color and brightness of the surroundings on the body coloration was studied for juveniles of giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. In the first experiment, prawns were kept for 10 days in containers with white, gray, black, green, blue, and red backgrounds; in the second, for 30 days in containers with red, gray, and blue backgrounds. The color indices at the end of the experiments were evaluated for abdomen, branchiostegites, and rostrum in the CIELab color space. When the color of the background changed, the brightness component of color elements changed as well in juveniles of M. rosenbergii. This effect was most pronounced against a black background. The chromatic indices of coloration also changed, indicating involvement of the prawn’s color vision in the regulation of body coloration. The change in the chromatic indices of body coloration was less pronounced, and the changes were statistically significant only in a longer experiment.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to the team of the Department of Invertebrate Aquaculture of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution VNIRO for their help in carrying out the experiments.

Funding

The study was carried out within a state assignment of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, 107140, Moscow, Russia

    R. R. Borisov, I. N. Nikonova, A. V. Parshin-Chudin & N. P. Kovacheva

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  1. R. R. Borisov
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  2. I. N. Nikonova
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  4. N. P. Kovacheva
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Correspondence to R. R. Borisov.

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COMPLIANCE WITH ETHICAL STANDARDS

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals have been followed. The study does not contain any research involving humans.

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Translated by D. Martynova

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Borisov, R.R., Nikonova, I.N., Parshin-Chudin, A.V. et al. Effect of Background Color on the Coloration of Juvenile Giant Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Russ J Ecol 53, 40–47 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413622010039

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