Effects of Long-Term Salinity Exposure on Growth, Survival, Hepatopancreatic Health, and Intestinal Microbiota in Juvenile Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir japonica sinensis).
- 1College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
- 2College of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
- 3Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Jiangsu Synthetic Innovation Center for Coastal Bio-Agriculture, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Wetland Bioresources and Environmental Protection, School of Wetlands, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224007, China.
Abstract
Salinity is a key environmental factor in crustacean aquaculture, but its long-term effects on juvenile Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir japonica sinensis) remain poorly understood. Megalopae were reared for seven months at 0, 15, and 30 ppt, with three replicate tanks per treatment. Growth, survival, hepatopancreatic histology and biochemistry, multi-omics profiles, and intestinal bacterial communities were evaluated. Crabs at 0 ppt achieved the greatest growth and production. Survival was highest at 15 ppt, although growth and production were lowest, whereas survival was lowest at 30 ppt despite greater growth among survivors than at 15 ppt. Increasing salinity was associated with more pronounced hepatopancreatic lesions and TUNEL-positive signals, increased serum aminotransferase activities, and decreased albumin. Immune-related enzyme activities increased under saline conditions, whereas antioxidant capacity declined and lipid peroxidation increased. Multi-omics analyses highlighted the Lysosome and Tyrosine metabolism pathways. Intestinal bacterial diversity tended to increase with salinity, accompanied by a greater relative abundance of Vibrio and a lower abundance of Dysgonomonas. Thus, 15 ppt favored survival without supporting growth, whereas 30 ppt was associated with the poorest tissue condition and lowest survival. These findings show that survival, growth, production, and physiological health should be considered together when evaluating salinity suitability for long-term culture.
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BibTeX
@article{lu2026effects,
title = {{Effects of Long-Term Salinity Exposure on Growth, Survival, Hepatopancreatic Health, and Intestinal Microbiota in Juvenile Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir japonica sinensis).}},
author = {Xiang Lu and Dan-Dan Bian and Xin Liu and Xin-Yao An and Bo-Ping Tang and Qiu-Ning Liu},
journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ani16203192},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42939123},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of Long-Term Salinity Exposure on Growth, Survival, Hepatopancreatic Health, and Intestinal Microbiota in Juvenile Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir japonica sinensis).
AU - Xiang Lu
AU - Dan-Dan Bian
AU - Xin Liu
AU - Xin-Yao An
AU - Bo-Ping Tang
AU - Qiu-Ning Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/11
JO - Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
DO - 10.3390/ani16203192
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42939123
AB - Salinity is a key environmental factor in crustacean aquaculture, but its long-term effects on juvenile Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir japonica sinensis) remain poorly understood. Megalopae were reared for seven months at 0, 15, and 30 ppt, with three replicate tanks per treatment. Growth, survival, hepatopancreatic histology and biochemistry, multi-omics profiles, and intestinal bacterial communities were evaluated. Crabs at 0 ppt achieved the greatest growth and production. Survival was highest at 15 ppt, although growth and production were lowest, whereas survival was lowest at 30 ppt despite greater growth among survivors than at 15 ppt. Increasing salinity was associated with more pronounced hepatopancreatic lesions and TUNEL-positive signals, increased serum aminotransferase activities, and decreased albumin. Immune-related enzyme activities increased under saline conditions, whereas antioxidant capacity declined and lipid peroxidation increased. Multi-omics analyses highlighted the Lysosome and Tyrosine metabolism pathways. Intestinal bacterial diversity tended to increase with salinity, accompanied by a greater relative abundance of Vibrio and a lower abundance of Dysgonomonas. Thus, 15 ppt favored survival without supporting growth, whereas 30 ppt was associated with the poorest tissue condition and lowest survival. These findings show that survival, growth, production, and physiological health should be considered together when evaluating salinity suitability for long-term culture.
SN - 2076-2615
ER -