Introduction

Artemia franciscana, offer a convenient study for experimental designs due to their high reproduction rates and their tolerance to varying environmental changes, which can be easily duplicated (website). Due to these varying environmental components, distinctions occur amongst certain populations, of which many analyses attempt to replicate to find a correlation between abiotic environments and the functioning and development of this species. The comparison of energy availability and the functioning of Artemia is a particularly important and greatly researched subject due to the importance of Artemia as a food source amongst hatcheries (MacDonald,2). By considering the theory that there is a association between nourishment and metabolic activity, it can be further stipulated that higher levels of nourishment can lead to greater activity and consequently an intensification in numbers of offspring (Lab manual). Many studies have found this correspondence between sustenance availability and the functioning of Artemia, including the work by DAgostino and Provasoli (1968) (effect of different light intensities) where a direct correlation between nutritional uptake of Artemia and the fecundity of the population was observed. However, variability of surroundings such as the salinity of water and the stage of maturity of Artemia in experimental designs have led to vastly different outcomes (Browne and wanigasekera-hydrobiologica, Van Stappen- Hydrobiologica). Temperature of the habitat is also another component that has been seen to have a significant impact upon results (website). Overall, the purpose of this study is to attain a significant relationship between energy availability and metabolism and reproduction rates (including both the fecundity of the population and overall reproductive output) (lab manual).

Method
Initially two groups of Artemia were fed on either a high or low energy diet for approximately a week. Both groups were then separated into 11 replicates, each containing 7-13 Artemia. Following that, replicates on the high-energy diet were

placed into glass vials using a pipette and incubated at 25C for 5 minutes. Measurements of oxygen concentration were then recorded using the FiBOX 3: FibreOptic Oxygen Electrode every 5 minutes. This was then repeated 5 times, and the first measurement was taken from time at 0 minutes. Once results were recorded, the Artemia were placed into a watch glass and category (male, female, or gravid female) of Artemia were recorded using a dissecting scope. The preceding steps were then repeated for the Artemia replicates on a low-energy diet. Overall average lengthspecific oxygen consumption rates (mol/mm/hr) were then calculated, and category (male, female, or gravid female) of Artemia were recorded using a dissecting scope. Recordings of Artemia on both high and low-energy diets were taken and the average individual-velocity of five Artemia per replicate were calculated from approximately 30 slides, using the Tracker program. Results The replicates (n=11) of Group A (low-energy diet) recorded a mean length-specific oxygen consumption rate of 0.014 (mol/mm/hr), with a range of 0.0072-0.0270. Whereas, replicates (n=11) of Group B (high-energy diet) recorded an average lengthspecific oxygen consumption rate of 0.0180, and a range of data from: 0.0078-0.0300. The H for mean length-specific oxygen consumption rate was therefore accepted, as the results were non-significant (t=0. 18, d.f. 10, P>0.05). These results are represented by Figure 1 below. The H for population proportions (male (m): female (f) (non-gravid): gravid female (gf)) was also accepted, as the results were non-significant (t=0.59, d.f. 7, P>0.05). Replicates from Group A (low-energy diet) catalogued a proportion of 27:69:19 (m:f:gf), whereas replicates from Group B (high energy-diet) recorded values of 47:54:25 (m:f:gf). The results are demonstrated in Figure 2 below. The H for mean average velocity (mm/s) was likewise accepted, as the results were non-significant (t=2.81E-11, d.f. 10, P>0.05). Replicates (n=11), of Group A (lowenergy diet) demonstrated a mean value of 5.10 (mm/s) and a standard deviation of () 2.59, and replicated from Group B (n=11) catalogued a mean value of 12.66 (mm/s) and a standard deviation () 6.61. These results are seen within Table 1 below.

Discussion According to the results of this experiment, the variation of energy availability on Artemia has no significant impact upon metabolic rates or reproductive states (both the reproductive output in terms of fitness, and the fecundity of the population) (Living Systems Lab Manual). A substantially large range in the data for average length-specific oxygen consumption rate and the population proportions was discerned, and could have resulted from varying experimental procedures or the lack thereof, as overall the results conflicted with other experiment outcomes. This included the study done by DAgostino and Provasoli (1968) (effect of different light intensities)which concluded that diet changes impacted upon the fecundity of Artemia. This disparity amongst results may have resulted from discrepancies in experimental procedures. One difference includes the previous monitoring of conditions in the abiotic environments of the Artemia before analyses were conducted. Considering that the conditions of Artemia environments werent previously monitored, except for energy availability, this would have impacted upon the reproduction rates of the population, given that optimum temperature for reproduction is allegedly at 30C (website). Despite the use of incubation baths to maintain a constant temperature throughout the study, the handling of the glass vials would have also had a significant impact upon the oxygen concentration within (hydrobiologica), and the duration of the incubation may have been insufficient to attain accurate results, this should be considered in future experiments.

Furthermore, temperature differences before the experiment was conducted would have produced a distinctive growth difference in the Artemia population, and these growth differences may have had a significant impact upon the metabolic and activity rates. These differences, in combination with the use of length instead of mass when oxygen consumption was calculated, may have resulted in the dissimilarities between previous experiments and those that were observed. For example, the results of (Hydrobiologica), recorded a significant relationship between oxygen consumption rates and the weight of the Artemia. The salinity of the environment, should also be taken into account; according to various analyses (Browne and wanigasekera-hydrobiologica) the salinity of the environment impacts upon the metabolic and reproductive rates of Artemia. The age

of the Artemia could be scrutinised as well when further tests are conducted in order to achieve greater validity of results, as metabolism and reproduction in Artemia is dependent upon maturity (Van Stappen- Hydrobiologica), as well as the water supply available to the Artemia before the experiment is conducted (website). Therefore, variability and the lack of significant data may be due to differences in metabolic rates of the individual Artemia, or due to other experimental processes which werent controlled. Overall, the results of the experiment show an insignificant relationship between the variation of nutrition of Artemia and reproduction and metabolism. The results facilitate future studies in obtaining a correlation between high and low energy diets of Artemia and their functioning, by demonstrating the need for a greater control in variables such as age of individual Artemia, abiotic environments, and the application of equipment to obtain results.