Open AccessDevelopment of a Model to Simulate Nitrogen Dynamics in an Integrated Shrimp–Macroalgae Culture System with Zero Water Exchange
Author(s) -
SánchezRomero Adolfo,
MirandaBaeza Anselmo,
RivasVega Martha Elisa,
LópezElías José Antonio,
MartínezCórdova Luis Rafael,
TejedaMansir Armando
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of the world aquaculture society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1749-7345
pISSN - 0893-8849
DOI - 10.1111/jwas.12242
Subject(s) - litopenaeus , biology , shrimp , nitrifying bacteria , aquaculture , eutrophication , nitrate , effluent , recirculating aquaculture system , shrimp farming , mariculture , environmental chemistry , monoculture , ecosystem , fishery , nitrogen , ecology , environmental engineering , nitrification , environmental science , nutrient , fish <actinopterygii> , chemistry , organic chemistry
The effluents of traditional shrimp monoculture cause pollution and promote eutrophication and hypernutrification of the receiving coastal ecosystems. Integrated aquaculture and a recirculating aquaculture system ( RAS ) have been proposed as an alternative to address these problems. In this study, we developed a dynamic model to simulate the concentration of total ammonia nitrogen ( TAN ), nitrite, and nitrate in an integrated culture of whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei , and seaweed, Gracilaria vermiculophylla , in a recirculating and zero water exchange system, and the effect of nitrifying and heterotrophic bacteria was also included. The experiments demonstrated that a dynamic model can explain the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and variations in these concentrations over time in the integrated culture. The results also suggest that nitrifying and heterotrophic bacteria play an important role in the transformation of dissolved nitrogenous compounds; therefore, these bacteria should be considered within the dynamics of nitrogen in integrated systems with low water exchange.