BACKGROUND As a response to harsh environments, the crustacean artemia produces diapause gastrula embryos (cysts), in which cell division and embryonic development are totally arrested. This dormant state can last for very long periods but be terminated by specific environmental stimuli. Thus, artemia is an ideal model organism in which to study cell cycle arrest and embryonic development. PR...

Endemic Artemia franciscana populations can be found throughout the American continent and also as an introduced specie in several country all over the world, such as in the Mediterranean region where Artemia franciscana was identified as an invasive specie replacing native Artemia parthenogenetica and Artemia salina. In the present study, the characterization of the new invasive Artemia franci...

The present study revealed the toxic effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in Artemia nauplii and evaluated the mortality rate, hatching percentage, and genotoxic effect in Artemia nauplii/cysts. The AgNPs were commercially purchased and characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Nanoparticles were spherical in nature and with siz...

The effect of diet on larval growth, anionic trypsinogen gene expression (ssetryp1), and trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) and chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) activities was assessed in Solea senegalensis. Changes in larval carbon stable isotope (δ(13)C) composition were used to estimate carbon assimilation. Diets were supplied for 20days to fish held in larval rearing tanks and consisted of live rotifers, Arte...

Chitosan (CS) was prepared from Artemia urmiana cyst shells using the same chemical process as described for the other crustacean species, with minor adjustments in the treatment conditions. The influence of modifications of the CS production process on the physiochemical and functional properties of the CS obtained was examined. The study results indicate that Artemia urmiana cyst shells are a...

To evaluate the effect of two bacterial strains isolated from Artemia cysts and yeast (Candida utilis) on the survival, growth and total biomass production of its larvae, challenge tests were performed with Candida utilis, Pseudomonas stutzeri and Pasteurella haemolityca. In addition, a pathogenic strain of Vibrio alginolyticus was tested for comparative purposes. Pseudomonas stutzeri and Candi...

Information related to varied uses of several species of the genus Artemia (commonly known as brine shrimp), is dispersed among literature from several scientific areas, such as Ecology, Physiology, Ecotoxicology, Aquaculture and Genetics. The present paper reviews information related to Artemia that may be considered relevant for ecotoxicity testing. Integration of different areas of scientifi...

We report on the construction of sex-specific linkage maps, the identification of sex-linked markers and the genome size estimation for the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana. Overall, from the analysis of 433 AFLP markers segregating in a 112 full-sib family we identified 21 male and 22 female linkage groups (2n = 42), covering 1,041 and 1,313 cM respectively. Fifteen putatively homologous linka...

Trophically transmitted parasites often manipulate the behaviour of their intermediate host, which is assumed to increase the vulnerability to predation by the final host (for a review, see Moore 2002). However, the adaptive value of behavioural changes associated with infections is difficult to demonstrate. Increased predation by the final host is the main criterion supporting adaptive manipul...

Filter-feeding organisms are often keystone species with a major influence on the dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. Studies of filtering rates in such taxa are therefore vital in order to understand ecosystem functioning and the impact of natural and anthropogenic stressors such as parasites, climate warming and invasive species. Brine shrimps Artemia spp. are the dominant grazers in hypersaline ...