Effects of temperature and particle size on the filter-feeding rate of brine shrimp Artemia franciscana at different growth stages and stocking densities

Brine shrimp Artemia is able to filter particulate substances non-selectively and continuously, and its filtration capacity is related to various environmental parameters as well as Artemia growth stage. In this study, the filter-feeding rate (FFR) of Artemia franciscana at different temperatures (20°C /25°C /30°C) and stocking densities (200/400/750/1000 ind./L at two earlier growth stages with the body length of 0.91 ± 0.05 mm and 1.53 ± 0.22 mm, respectively; 50/100/200 ind./L at two later growth stages with the body length of 4.72 ± 0.51 mm and 10.26 ± 0.46 mm, respectively) on three unicellular algae ( Chlorella vulgaris , Porphyridium purpureum , Phaeodactylum tricornutum ) and two sizes of polyethylene beads (30 μm and 50 μm) was determined at Artemia four growth stages. In total 144 combinations were tested. The results showed that the FFR was positively correlated with the ambient temperature and Artemia body length, while it was negatively correlated with the Artemia density and particle size. One way ANOVA analysis showed that ambient temperature, Artemia stocking density and particle size mostly had significant effects on FFR (P