Using of Artemia to deal with biological studies in great saline habitats
Alireza Asem*; Amin Eimanifar; Yosefali Asadpour
Iranian Artemia Research Center (I.A.R.C.), Urmia, IRAN
Summary:
Nowadays, different biological systems have been used for evolutionary changes of organisms during life-cycle development. It's has observed that they might be a little differences in findings obtained from researches with another. Among them, Artemia as a tiny filter-feeding animal play an integral role in study of biological investigations at hypersaline environment. Among different Artemia species, Artemia urmiana which is existing in Urmia Lake, Northwest of Iran has worked various studies in different aspects by researchers. Both morphological and genetical studies approved that A. urmiana consisted of multiple populations but the number of formed populations are in contrast with together. By morphological assays, at least there are two distant populations but genetical studies showed six genotypes at different ecological zones of Urmia Lake when using HinfI as a molecular marker. By the way, Urmia Lake composed of different chemical zones due to ecological differences during spring and summer season. One of each area has been defined as an "Adaptation Zone" and it can cause to move "Ecological Speciation". These zones can cause temporary biological variations which will lead to form various populations at different ecological zones. Numerous studies have been performed on biometrical and nutritional aspect of this organism, too. A study about biometrical of A. urmiana cysts proven that diameter of cysts and its chorion thickness had a high variation in Urmia Lake. Other investigations about nutrition value (protein and fatty Acid) had the same results. There are variations of diameter decapsulated cysts, chorion thickness and lent-instar1 of A. franciscana in different years among North and South part of Great Salt Lake. These differences can be attenuated for existence of different populations or seasonal fluctuations of physico-chemical parameters and food availability in different regions of the saline habitats. In conclusion, one should be careful to get samples from saline habitats with regard to geographical locations, date of sampling and finally physico-chemical parameters.
