Effect of water quality on the fecundity and body size oisphaeroma serratum : (Crustacea : Isopoda)‎

Abstract EN

Sphaeroma serratum was found to vary in the maximum length attained in pereonal width and fresh body weight in response to water pollution.

In Sphaeromatids from polluted site, the body size (Length x average pereonal width) and wet weight were significantly lower than those collected from the clean site.

The number of eggs contained in the marsupia of ovigerous females increases with body size.

However, the actual number of eggs is dependent upon the water quality, there being more eggs in the marsupia of all sizes of ovigerous females from clean site than those of the polluted site.

Ovigerous females from the polluted site, kept in clean water, produced F, generation which, when grown in clean water, showed a significant increase in body size and weight.

F, generation males, derived from the clean water site females and grown up in clean or polluted water, showed a significantly greater increase in width (for any given body length) in clean water than they did in polluted water.

Fecundity and body size, using methods described in this study might be a useful bioassay technique for measuring pollution in natural waters.