Abstract
Continuous temperature measurements were made in a typical South East African estuary. Mean summer (November to March) temperatures were in the range 19° to 24°C, and in winter (June to August) from 13° to 16°C. Large daily temperature fluctuations of 6° to 10°C occurred in summer; these appear to result from tidal movement of cool sea water into the estuary. In winter, temperature fluctuations were much smaller (3° to 5°C). The burrowing prawn Upogebia africana (Obtmann) was found to have an upper lethal temperature of 29°C in both winter and summer. The resistance time of prawns to temperatures above 30°C was much greater in summer than in winter. It was possible to acclimate winter prawns and increase their resistance time to a level comparable to that of summer individuals. A latent period of 40 h occurred before acclimation effects were detectable. Long-term exposure of prawns to high temperatures did not increase their resistance above that of summer prawns. Water at a temperature above this upper lethal temperature is not pumped through the burrows. This avoidance behaviour considerably increases the ability of U. africana to withstand short-lived temperature extremes.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Literature cited
Allanson, B. R. and R. G. Noble: The tolerance of Tilapia mossambica (Peters) to high temperature. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 93, 323–332 (1964).
Brett, J. R.: Some principles in the thermal requirements of fishes. Q. Rev. Biol. 31, 75–87 (1956).
Day, J. H.: The origin and distribution of estuarine animals in South Africa. In: Ecological studies in Southern Africa, Monographiae biol. 15, 159–173 (1964).
Edney, D. J.: The water and heat relations of fiddler crabs (Uca spp.). Trans. R. Soc. S. Afr. 36, 71–91 (1961).
Finney, D. J.: Probit analysis, 2nd Ed. 318 pp. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1952.
Fay, F. E. J.: Animals in aquatio environments: fishes. In: Handbook of physiology, Section 4, Adaptation to the environment, pp 715–728. Ed. by D. B. Dill. Washington: American Physiological Society 1964.
Gibson, M. B.: The upper lethal temperature relations of the guppy Lebistes reticulatus. Can. J. Zool. 32, 393–407 (1954).
Hodgkin, E. P.: Catastrophic destruction of the littoral fauna and flora near Fremantle, Jan 1959. W. Aust. Nat. 7, 6–11 (1959).
Lowe, C. H. and W. G. Heath: Behavioural and physiological responses to temperature in the desert pupfish Cyprinodon macularis. Physiol. Zoöl. 42, 53–59 (1969).
MacNae, W. and M. Kalk: A natural history of Inhaca island, Mocambique, 163 pp. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press 1958.
McLeese, D. W.: Effects of temperature, salinity and oxygen on the survival of the American lobster. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 13, 247–272 (1956).
Read, K. R. H.: Thermal tolerance of the bivalve molluse, Modiolus modiolus. Am. Zool. 9, 279–282 (1969).
Reese, E. S.: Behavioural adaptations of intertidal hermit crabs. Am. Zool. 9, 343–556 (1969).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by G. F. Humphrey, Cronulla
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hill, B.J., Allanson, B.R. Temperature tolerance of the estuarine prawn Upogebia africana (Anomura, Crustacea). Marine Biology 11, 337–343 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00352452
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00352452