Desal Prize, High School Project
Mozambique Tilapia have been known for their high stress tolerance and adaptability in various water conditions. The tilapia species have been found to have twice the growth rate in SW compared to FW (Katsuhisa Uchida). For our research, the Mozambique Tilapia will be exposed to both freshwater and acclimated to brackish water. This is important to note because our fish will fall somewhere in between that research. The research helps support the chance of the Mozambique Tilapia surviving the acclimation and thriving thereafter. In addition to the growth rate, the anatomy and bodily functions of the Mozambique Tilapia support the acclimation to brackish water. Mozambique Tilapia are teleosts that have been found to use their chloride cells in their gills to pump sodium and chloride ions against a concentration gradient (Encyclopedia.com). In terms of our experiment, this means that the tilapia will be more adaptable compared to other fish to regulate the ions from both the saltwater and their urine. With Mozambique Tilapia being a Euryhaline, they take in seawater and release SO2- and Mg2+(Wikipedia), and when these ions are mixed with water, they can create MgOH and HSO, a weak acid and a strong base, which could create an increase in pH.
Sources
MICHEAL ALLABY "chloride cells." A Dictionary of Zoology. Encyclopedia.com. Web. 3 Apr. 2015. <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
"Euryhaline." Euryhaline. Wikipedia Foundation. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euryhaline>.