5| CONCLUSION
Ambient minor cations regulate the expression patterns of specific genes
involved in ion transport and thereby affect the hemolymph ionic
composition and, ultimately, the survival of H. tridens andM. japonicus. In contrast, in C. dehaani , which lives in
more upstream region, ambient minor cations hardly affect the hemolymph
ionic composition, likely because of less susceptibility of gene
expression to ambient minor cations. The different response to
ambient minor cations between euryhaline species could be due to the
difference in the microenvironment of their habitats or phylogenetic
difference.