Biochemical and physiological effects of nickel in the euryhaline crab Neohelice granulata (Dana, 1851) acclimated to different salinities.

The estuarine crab Neohelice granulata was maintained under control condition or exposed to sublethal concentrations of dissolved Ni (measured: 128 and 1010μg/L) for 96h at different salinities (2 and 30ppt). After metal exposure, whole-body oxygen consumption was measured and tissue (hemolymph, gills, hepatopancreas and muscle) samples were collected. Control crabs acclimated to 2ppt salinity showed lower hemolymph concentrations of Na (33%), Mg (19%) and K (30%), as well as increased LPO levels in anterior gills (379%), posterior gills (457%) and hepatopancreas (35%) with respect to those acclimated to 30ppt salinity.