Impact of Low Salinity on Hemocytes Morphology and Functional Aspects in Alien Clam Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906)

The impact of low salinity on morphology and function of hemocytes in ark clam species Anadara kagoshimensis was investigated using light microscopy and flow cytometry. In the control group, the water salinity was adjusted to 19.6‰, and the experimental group was maintained at 14.8 and 8.8‰. Two cell types, amebocytes and erythrocytes, were identified in control group of ark clams. Erythrocytes constituted the main type of the cells; their share was 92.3 ± 3.9%. Hyposalinity changed that proportion: the number of amebocytes decreased by 2.7 times and number of erythrocytes increased by 7.6 times. Morphometric characteristics of hemocytes did not show statistically significant changes. As the salinity decreased, the number of erythrocyte ghosts in hemolymph increased (by 3.5 times at salinity of 8.8‰) and, in hemocytes, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production grew (by 3.5 times at salinity of 8.8‰).