I worked on effects of photoperiod and stocking density on Astacus leptodactylus. I found that glucose and lactate levels of crayfish reared under higher stocking densities are higher than those reared under lower densities. Does anybody have information on measuring stress responses on crustaceans during crowding stress?
You may want to check out papers by Elwood et al. 2009, Pain and stress in crustaceans. Applied Animal Behavior Science; Lorenzon, S. 2005. Hyperglycemic stress response in crustacea ISJ2:132-141; Lornzon, S., et. al. 2005. Role of biogenic amines and cHH in the crustacean hyperglycemic stress response. J. Exp. Biol. Sept; 208 (Pt 17): 3341-3347; Chang, E.S. et. Al. Crustacean hyperglycemic hormone and hemolymph metabolites: stress responses in two lobster species. http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_70210_en.pdf. and Stoner, A.W. 2012. Assessing stress and predictitng mortality in economically significant crustaceans. Reviews in Fisheries Science 20(3):111-135.
Maybe you find information on this topic by papers from Dr. W. C. M. Klein Breteler who did research on stress factors by crowding of copepods in cultures.
You can measure plasma cortisol levels.. Just google cortisol levels on fish and you will find articles on the same.
Dear Mary Opiyo and Muhammad Mughal yes you are right. unfortunately I don't have samples.This work was done in last year.
Would you like to share what data is available from those samples?
There's no such a thing as cortisol in crustaceans! People confused often vertebrate physiology with that of invertebrates which is very different! Check out this paper instead: Minireview
Health management during handling and live transport of crustaceans:
A review
S. Fotedar ⇑, L. Evans; Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 106 (2011) 143–152.
The refernce was provided by my colleague Grant Stentiford
Energy charge (ATP-ADP-cAMP balance), glucose metabolism, as well as arginine levels have been used as metabolic parameters by my colleagues (I.S. Racotta (PI); A. Robles-Romo; L. Mercier)
Like mentioned by others I guess there are several indicators you could measure. But, as I see it, most of these (lactate, glucose, energy charge) is most likely affected due to a change in activity level by the animal. That is: crowding=stress --> increased activity --> changes in physiological parameter. I think behavior and respiration also could be used if you are assuming this relationship.
I'm not sure if there are some parameter (gene or hormone?) that could be studied to more directly determine if the animal is experiencing the crowding as an "uncomfortable situation". cHH which have been mentioned earlier could maybe be a candidate.. (Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone, which I have understood is considered to have a similar function as "cortisol" in vertebrates). (See "Lorenzon et al 2005 - Role of biogenic amines and cHH....." or Chung et al 2010 - Crustacean hyperglycemic hormone neuropeptides..."). Good luck!
crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (cHH) level in the haemolymph and beta-glucan binding protein (BGBP) likely associated with stress i.e. hypoxia, poor nutrition, diseases, environmental shocks etc can be measured.
Consider which level of the stress response you wish to focus on; primary, secondary or tertiary. Primary indicators are so rapidly affected even by sampling itself that in situ monitoring is normally required to separate sampling effects from the variable of interest. Secondary effects such as haemolymph pH, lactate, glucose, and the many antioxidants are all viable, but then cell-based assays such as phagocytic activity and lysosomal membrane activity would be something else to consider, as these show rapid effects from handling in molluscs. Tertiary responses are less useful for interpreting handling effects, as these are the longer term impacts on growth, reproduction and disease resistance that flow on from the secondary measures that we can determine.
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