Influence of temperature and salinity on embryonic development of Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk., 1816).

The combined effects of temperature and salinity on early development of the sea urchinParacentrotus lividus (Lmk, 1816) are reported. The optimal temperature-salinity combinations for development are 18 \ub0\u201320 \ub0C and 34\u201335\u2030; there is a significant temperature-salinity interaction. The optimal conditions found in the experiments are above the mean yearly values for the sampled population's environment (North Adriatic Sea), being more similar to those of the Tyrrhenian Sea. These results suggest that embryonic tolerances to temperature and salinity are under genetic and not environmental control