Euryhaline

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Euryhaline organisms are able to adapt to a wide range of salinities. An example of a euryhaline fish is the molly, Poecilia sp., which can live in fresh, brackish, or salt water. The European shore crab Carcinus maenas is an example of a euryhaline invertebrate. Euryhaline organisms are commonly found in habitats such as estuaries and tide pools where the salinity changes regularly. However, some organisms are euryhaline because their life cycle involves migration between freshwater and marine environments, as is the case with salmon and eels.

The opposite of euryhaline organisms are stenohaline ones, which can only survive within a narrow range of salinities. Most freshwater organisms are stenohaline, and will die in sea water, and similarly most marine organisms are stenohaline, and cannot live in fresh water.

See also: salinity

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