Effects of chronic exposure to Cu2+ and Zn2+ on growth and survival of juvenile Apostichopus japonicus

AbstractJuvenile Apostichopus japonicus were cultured in seawater containing Cu2+ and Zn2+ for 75 days at 10–13 °C. The effects of Cu2+ and Zn2+ accumulation on the growth and survival of juvenile A. japonicus were investigated. Juvenile A. japonicus were poisoned at 0.050 mg L-1 Cu2+ and survival was just 65.33±8.33%, while the length and weight growth rates of the survivors were very low. Cu2+ accumulation in the 0.050 mg L-1 group increased with exposure time and this resulted in poisoning and death. However, at 0.5 mg L-1 Zn2+, the length and weight growth rates and survival of juvenile A. japonicus were reduced significantly, and the accumulation rate in each group stressed with Zn2+ was greater than in the control group (P 0.05). The present study demonstrates that exposure to Cu2+ and Zn2+ can affect growth, survival and accumulation in juvenile A. japonicus; however, diff...