Coastal wetlands of the northern Gulf of California: inventory and conservation status

• 1. Above 28°N, the coastline of the northern Gulf of California is indented at frequent intervals by negative or inverse estuaries that are saltier at their backs than at their mouths due to the lack of freshwater inflow. These ‘esteros’ total over 215 000 ha in area and encompass mangrove marshes below 29°N and saltgrass (Distichlis palmeri) marshes north of 29°N. An additional 6000 ha of freshwater and brackish wetlands are found in the Colorado River delta where fresh water enters the intertidal zone.
• 2. The mangrove marshes in the Gulf of California have been afforded some degree of protected status in Mexico, but the northern saltgrass esteros do not have priority conservation status and are increasingly becoming development targets for resorts, vacation homes and aquaculture sites.
• 3. We conducted an inventory of the marshes using aerial photography and satellite images, and evaluated the extent and type of development on each marsh. We reviewed the available literature on the marshes to document their vegetation types and ecological functions in the adjacent marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
• 4. Over 95% of the mangrove marshes have been developed for shrimp farming. However, the farms are built adjacent to, rather than in, the marshes, and the mangrove stands are still mostly intact.
• 5. The majority of saltgrass marshes above the mangrove line are still relatively unspoiled. However, resort and vacation home development is taking place on land surrounding them.
• 6. We recommend a system of protected reserves incorporating the pristine wetlands, along with water quality management and buffer zones for the more developed esteros. The saltgrass marshes should be considered for conservation protection, similar to the protection given to the southern mangrove marshes whose value has already been recognized.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Survival and Growth of Crangon nigricauda Larvae (Decapoda, Caridea) Raised on Experimental Diets

Newly hatched Crangon zoeae from different maternal shrimp were raised separately using an Imhoff cone larval-rearing system. Experimental diets were Chaetoceros gracile , live Artemia nauplii, lyophilized Arremia nauplii particles, calcium alginate microencapsulated (CAM) Artemia nauplii, lyophilized Daphnia magna and CAM Daphnia magna . A dependable "atomizer" design for lab oratory preparation of CAM diets was developed. Initially, survival rates of zoeae fed either Chaetoceros or live Artemia nauplii were evaluated in order to establish a suitable control diet for subsequent growth experiments, and the interbrood and intrabrood components of zoed survival variation were analyzed.
Crangon zoeae ate every type of food offered to them, but only Chaeroceros- fed zoeae survived to metamorphosis. Zoeal survival rates were extremely variable. Interbrood variation was greater than intrabrood variation, but the difference was not statistically significant. Zoeae from smaller maternal shrimp were generally more active and had greater survival rates than zoeae from larger, presumably older and senescent shrimp. Zoeae that were fed Chaetoceros supplemented with CAM Artemia nauplii had significantly greater ( P < 0.001) growth rates than siblings fed only Chaetoceros .
Suspension feeding on Chaetoceros was probably more efficient than raptorial feeding on Artemia nauplii, resulting in greater survival rates. Supplementing a successful microalgal diet with CAM Artemia nauplii allowed greater use of zoeal feeding mechanisms, added an animal nutrient source to the diet, and affected growth rates by increasing the molt increment and decreasing the intermolt period.