Brine Shrimp : Natural History Experience

In this lab experience we will create an environment for a population of marine zooplankton and study their population dynamics and general life history.
Brine shrimp  ( Artemia salina )  are  Crustaceans that inhabit the extreme environment of salt lakes. Salt lakes typical have seasonal or cyclical droughts and dry out completely. During this process the salt water concentrations vary from ideal to barely tolerable. As zooplankton they are consumers that feed on photosynthesizing phytoplankton that are suspended in the water column.
The lack of competitors (or effective predators!) in this extreme environment allows them to build large populations during seasons when the conditions for reproduction are suitable (warmth, sunlight, range of salt concentration, water).   This extremophile organism can endure long periods of drought in a cyst (tiny egg) stage and emerge in the nauplii stage when the conditions for development and reproduction are suitable. The nauplii develop into reproductive adults that reproduce live young in rapid succession when conditions are favorable (salt concentrations OK) and by cyst like eggs that can survive in dry conditions for years when the conditions start to become less favorable (salt concentrations become great as dry seasons approach).

Anatomical features of the Nauplii stage of development of  A.salina	Anatomical features of the Adult stage of development of  A.salina
The nauplii swim through the water column towards light (phototaxis) using the secondary antenna Mandibles are used to filter water and capture phytoplankton (green) The nauplii have only one simple eye (photoreceptor) .	The adults swim using swim/filter feeding appendages The median eye is accompanied by 2 lateral compound eyes A simple brain forms a ring like structure around the oral cavity (typical of most invertebrates)  Females develop eggs in a ventral egg sac at a rapid rate during favorable conditions. Males have longer tufted antennae

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Brine Shrimp Videos
hatched nauplii	2 weeks old	mating competition
4 days old	adults mating mature content ahead	sex ID