Energetics of a population of Asellus aquaticus (Crustacea, Isopoda): respiration and energy budgets

SUMMARY. Respiration of Asellus aquaticus was determined on tiine occasions throughout the year using a Gilson differential respirometer. On each occasion the determination was made at the lake temperature, which ranged from 2 to 18°C, Linear regressions were derived for log oxygen uptake against log dry weight. There was a significant difference between mean rates of oxygen uptake at the various temperatures but the slopes of the regression lines, which varied from 0,62 to O.85 with a mean of 0,76, were not significantly different.
The temperature of the lake was monitored throughout the year. Using the relationship of oxygen uptake against temperature, and estimates of population density obtained previously, the total annual respiration of the population was calculated as 4571 ml O₂ m^-2, equivalent to an energy loss of 92.3 kj m^-2 year^-1 from a mean biomassof 752 mg m^-2.
Consumption of decayed Alnus glutinosa leaves and faecal production rates, and thus assimilation efficiency, were determined by gravimetric methods in the laboratory at 10°C, close to the mean temperature of the lake (10.rC), In the four size classes investigated, larger animals consumed more food per individual, but less on a weight specific basis. However, it was shown that consumption was greater if the leaf material was more highly decomposed, Assimiliation efficiency was calculated as 23%.
Using data for respiration, population density and the assimilation efficiency, the annual population energy budget was estimated as (kJ m^-2year^-1): consumption, 568.9 (100%); production, 38.5 (6.8%); respiration, 92.3 (16.2%); faeces, 438.1 (77%). The significance of these energy values, and the ecological efficiencies calculated from them, are discussed in relation to other published work.     

Impact of biological activity on detritus transported in the lower river Rhine: an exercise in ecosystem analysis

SUMMARY. 1. Published data are used to construct a tentative carbon budget for the ecosystem of the lower river Rhine and its sedimentation areas in The Netherlands.
2. It is estimated that 287 × 10⁶kg Cy⁻¹ of particulate organic material is transported by the river Rhine, and 100 × 10⁶ kgCy⁻¹ of this material is deposited in the delta.
3. Phytoplankton and nitrifying bacteria seem to contribute significantly to the carbon budget, by producing c. 78 × 10⁶kgCy^−l.
4. The mineralization in the water (estimated from routine determinations of biological oxygen demand and from in situ diurnal fluctuations of oxygen) and in the bottom (estimated from the denitrification rates in the delta, from the production rate of methane and from overall oxygen consumption) is shown to degrade c. 50% of the carbon input plus autochthonous production.
5. The carbon budget and oxygen regime in the lower Rhine suggest that after decades of severe organic pollution the river has more or less resumed the normal, slightly heterotrophic state of a large lowland river.     

Effects of light and temperature on the cell size and some biochemical components in two freshwater cryptophytes

The effects of light and temperature on cell size and cellular composition (chlorophyll, protein, carbohydrate) of two freshwater cryptophytes were studied with batch cultures. Neither of the species had a constant cell size but the size varied with growth conditions. At each temperature the smallest cells were recorded at the lowest experimental photon flux density. The smallest cells of Cryptomonas 979/67 had an average volume of 232 μm³ and the largest ones 1 020 μm³. In Cryptomonas 979/62 the smallest and largest cells measured 4 306 μm³ and 12 450 μm³. Both species increased their cellular chlorophyll content when PFB dropped below 110–120 μmol m^-2 s^-1. The highest and lowest chlorophyll contents of 979/67 were 7.45 fg μm^-3 and 0.55 fg μm^-2 respectively. For 979/62 the corresponding values were 10.23 fg μm^-3 and 0.93 fg μm^-3. In both species the protein content remained stable at PFDs higher than 110–120 μmol m^-2 S^-1. The highest content of protein measured in 979/67 was 638 fg μm^-3 and the lowest 147 fg μm^-3. For 979/62 these values were 1 036 fg μm^-3 and 148 fg μm^-3 respectively. The carbohydrate results were less clear and no pattern either in response to photon flux density or temperature was obvious. The lowest and highest contents recorded for 979/67 were 62 fg μm^-3 and 409 fg μ^-3 and for 979162, 36 fg μm^-3 and 329 fg μm^-3     

Survival of κ-carrageenan-encapsulated and unencapsulated Pseudomonas aeruginosa UG2Lr cells in forest soil monitored by polymerase chain reaction and spread plating

Abstract A method was developed for direct extraction, purification and amplification of DNA from forest soil. Eighty-two % of the DNA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa UG2Lr introduced into soil was recovered. The detection limit for the strain was approximately 800 cfu g⁻¹ of dry soil based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Survival of κ-carrageenan-encapsulated and unencapsulated UG2Lr was monitored by antibiotic selective and bioluminescence-based nonselective plating and PCR-amplification of a tnsA fragment. After freeze-thaw treatment of soil samples, the unencapsulated UG2Lr declined from an initial population density of 1 × 10⁹ cfu g⁻¹ of dry soil to below the detection threshold of both selective (14 cfu g⁻¹ of dry soil) and nonselective (1 × 10³ cfu g⁻¹ of dry soil) plating. However, presence of nonculturable UG2Lr cells in the soil was revealed by PCR and resuscitation of the bacteria. Population density of the encapsulated UG2Lr increased from 2.7 × 10⁶ to 2.9 × 10⁸ cfu g⁻¹ of dry soil after a 3-week incubation at 22°C and declined to 6.3 × 10⁶ cfu g⁻¹ of dry soil after the freeze-thaw treatment.     

Litter decomposition by slugs in mixed deciduous woodland

For the one year period considered, it is calculated that 683.5 g m^-2 plant litter entered the study area site. Of the six slugs studied, Arion intermedius Normand, the smallest species, had the highest overall consumption rate on the nine test foods (29.1 ± 0.9 mg dry wt g live wt^-1 d^-1) and the highest overall mean assimilation efficiency (72.0 + 0.9%). The mean faecal production for each of the six slug species was very similar, ranging from 8.4 to 9.9 mg dry wt g live wt^-1 d^-1. Using regression equations of food consumed on faeces produced, it is estimated that the slug fauna each year consumes 8.4% of the leaf litter input and 6.5% of the total available plant litter. Of the plant material consumed, 13.8 g dry wt m^-2 are deposited annually as faeces. The role of slugs in decomposition processes is discussed and compared with that of other soil organisms.     

Leaf Gas Exchange Characteristics in Relation to Leaf Canopy Position of Myrica faya in its Native Environment (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Abstract: Diurnal courses of gas exchange were measured throughout one year in fully expanded current-year leaves in the uppermost canopy (sun leaves, 18 m above ground) and in the lower canopy (shade leaves, 12 m above ground) of Myrica faya Ait., a dominant component of the Canarian laurel forest in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
M. faya showed large differences between sun and shade leaves in gas exchange characteristics (about 50 % of maximum carbon assimilation rate (A_max) reduction in shade leaves, but this reduction can be higher on specific days) that were modulated by strong light attenuation and high leaf area index (LAI) of the stand. This species presented low A_max, about 10 μmol m^-2 s^-1, high maximum transpiration (E, 8 mmol m^-2 s^-1) and stomatal conductance (g_s, 750 mmol m^-2 s^-1) and very low instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE, mean maximum 1.1 mmol mol^-1) and A/g_s (mean maximum 23.5 μmol mol^-1). M. faya responded to high air vapour pressure deficit (VPD), decreasing its g_s but maintaining relatively high values of A and E during the studied period. Stomatal response to VPD showed a higher sensitivity than its congeners, M. cerifera, and Laurus azorica, tree species co-occurring in the Canarian laurel forest. In general, all these gas exchange characteristics lead us to consider this species more similar to subtropical plants of humid regions than to species of the Mediterranean region.     

Ecology of an Indian grassland millipede Streptogonopus phipsoni (Diplopoda: Polydesmoidea)

Each of stadia II-VII and adults (stadia VIII) of Streptogonopus phipsoni (Pocock) can be distinguished by segment numbers, length, breadth and paired legs. Sexes are separate from stadium IV and sex ratios in immature stages were more or less 50% throughout the year, but high proportions of adult females are noted from June to September. High ratios of immature to adult were related to the breeding periods, from May to October, and in other months adults increased in proportion as a result of heavy mortality of immatures.
Adults were aggregated in distribution from April to October while solitary individuals were common in other months of the year.
Population density of S. phipsoni varied from 0.25 to 98 m^-2 on the soil surface and 1 to 11.75 m^-2 in the lower layer (0–7 cm deep). Biomass ranged from 12.25 to 2253 mg^-2 on the surface and 50.75 to 424.75 mg^-2 in the lower layer (0–7 cm deep).
A positive and significant correlation was found between mean monthly population density and mean monthly rainfall.
Streptogonopus phipsoni appears to complete its life cycle in one or two years     

Carbon source utilization of soil extracted microorganisms as a tool to detect the effects of soil supplemented with genetically engineered and non-engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum and a recombinant peptide at the community level

Abstract: Substrate utilization of microbial cells extracted from soil with a 0.85% aqueous sodium chloride solution, was determined to estimate effects on soil microorganisms at the community level with microtiter plates (Biolog GN®) containing 95 different sources of organic carbon. A consistent pattern of utilized substrates was obtained after 24 h of microtiter plate incubation at 28°C. The absorbance values (OD₅₉₀) obtained from a microtiter plate reader after background correction were transformed by using the average absorbance values of oxidized substrates as a threshold to distinguish between well utilized and poorly or non-utilized substrates and thereby reduce variances between replicates. Doubling times of the extracted soil microorganisms in the microtiter plates were tested with 12 substrates and ranged from 1.96 h to 3.23 h, depending on the carbon source. The carbon source utilization assay was used to assess the effects of soil inoculation with Corynebacterium glutamicum with and without a genetically engineered plasmid (pUN1; 6.3 kb), which encoded for the synthesis of the mammalian protease inhibiting peptide, aprotinin. Additionally, aprotinin itself was added at two concentrations to soil samples. An identical decrease in the number of carbon sources utilized, especially carbohydrates, occurred upon soil inoculation with both C. glutamicum strains after inoculation with 10⁶ cells g⁻¹ soil. This effect was only detectable during the first three weeks of incubation, as long as cell numbers of C. glutamicum (pUN1) were above 10⁵ cfu g⁻¹. Soil amendment with aprotinin resulted in utilization of additional substrates, most of them carbohydrates. With 0.1 mg aprotinin g⁻¹ soil this stimulation lasted 2 days and with 10 mg g⁻¹ it lasted for 7 days.     

Frequency of Erwinia carotovora in the Alyth Burn in eastern Scotland and the sources of the bacterium

Contamination of the Alyth Burn by Erwinia carotovora was monitored monthly over 2 years at nine sites spread over a distance of ca 20 km. The bacterium was detected only once in the upper reaches of the river where it flows in uninhabited moorland but frequency of detection and contamination level tended to increase progressively as the river flowed through the middle reaches mostly in grassland to the lower reaches in arable land where the bacterium was almost always present. Erwinia populations rose from < 10² cells/1 before May to frequently > 10³ but < 10⁴ cells/l thereafter at sites in the arable land zone. A similar pattern was found in the grassland zone except that erwinia numbers were lower. Erwinia numbers at one site in the arable land zone were positively and negatively correlated with the river water temperature and flow rate respectively when there was a 1 month lag between the environmental data and the population recorded. More than 80% of isolates tested were E. carotovora subsp. carotovora.
Water from field drains in arable fields, especially those recently planted with potatoes, was frequently contaminated by E.c. carotovora , with numbers and a temporal pattern similar to those of the Alyth Burn. Drainage water from non-arable fields was rarely contaminated. Infected and rotting potatoes deposited in rivers temporarily contaminated the water. Survival of E. carotovora in dilute phosphate buffer was greater at pH 5˙7 than at pH 7˙7 and they survived for at least 10 d in river water.     

Chlorophyll fluorescence measured using the Fraunhofer line-depth principle and relationship to photosynthetic rate in the field

Abstract. A field study was conducted to determine the relationship of solar-excited chlorophyll a fluorescence to net CO₂ assimilation rate in attached leaves. The Fraunhofer line-depth principle was used to measure fluorescence at 656.3 nm wavelength while leaves remained exposed to full sunlight and normal atmospheric pressures of CO₂ and O₂. Fluorescence induction kinetics were observed when leaves were exposed to sunlight after 10 min in darkness. Subsequently, fluorescence varied inversely with assimilation rate. In the C₄ Zea mays , fluorescence decreased from 2.5 to 0.8 mW m^-2 nm^-1 as CO₂ assimilation rate increased from 1 to 8 μmol m^-2 s^-1 (r²= 0.520). In the C₃ Liquidambar styraciflua and Pinus taeda , fluorescence decreased from 6 to 2 mW m^-2 nm^-1 as assimilation rate increased from 2 to 5 or 0 to 2 μmol m^-2 s^-1 (r²= 0.44 and 0.45. respectively). The Fraunhofer line-depth principle enables the simultaneous measurement of solar-excited fluorescence and CO₂ assimilation rate in individual leaves, but also at larger scales. Thus, it may contribute significantly to field studies of the relationship of fluorescence to photosynthesis.     

Oxygen consumption in Caridina nilotica (Decapoda: Atyidae) in relation to temperature and size

SUMMARY. The oxygen consumption of shrimps ranging from 1 to 30 mg dry mass was determined at 18, 24 and 30°C using a continuous flow recording respirometer based upon a Clark-type oxygen electrode. Respiration (ascribed to routine metabolism) is described by the power curve: R = a M^b , ( R =μg O₂ h⁻¹, M = mg dry mass), which gives values of a = 1.632, 2.564 and 4.181, and b = 0.800, 0.898, and 0.793, at 18, 24 and 30°C respectively. The single expression, R = 0.008 T ^1.829 M ^0.830 provides a reasonable prediction of respiration as a combined function of shrimp size ( M ) and temperature (T, °C). Using an energy equivalent of 14.14 J mg O₂⁻¹ estimates of the energy requirements ( E , J h⁻¹ 10⁻³) of routine metabolism are given by the expression: E = 0.115 T ^1.829 M ^0.830.
Variability in oxygen consumption values between individuals is discussed and the observations on C. nilotica are compared with other crustacean studies.     

Metabolic utilization of body stores during the early life of whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus L.

Patterns of oxygen consumption, ammonia and urea excretion were monitored during late embryogenesis, i.e. 5 days before mass hatching and 12 days during the free-swimming stage of whitefish larvae, Coregonus lavaretus. Oxygen consumption increased from 1.31 to 2.53 mgO₂ h⁻¹× 10³ eggs⁻¹ at hatching. Fasted, free-swimming larvae showed increasing oxygen consumption to the tenth day after hatching when it reached 5.52 mgO₂h⁻¹× 10³ larvae⁻¹. Ammonia and urea excretion increased during pre-hatching period from 52.1 to 163.2 and 26.8 to 51.4 μgh⁻¹× 10³ eggs⁻¹, respectively. The nitrogen excretion rate increased between the sixth and tenth day of fasting, i.e. for ammonia from 117.7 to 160.9 and for urea from 35.8 to 52.5 μg h⁻¹× 10³ larvae⁻¹. Cumulative data on nitrogen and energy metabolism indicated that during late embryogenesis, and up to the fifth day after hatching, protein dominated in the energy expenditure. During the free swimming stage, the ratio of fat to protein in energy expenditure rose from 0.86 to 1.99. Combined data for several fish species indicated high dependance of oxygen uptake during the hatching period on egg size and temperature.     

Bacterivory by the ciliate Euplotes in different states of hunger

Abstract: The feeding of the marine ciliate Euplotes mutabilis was studied using bacteria ( Vibrio natriegens ) doubly labelled with ³H-thymidine and ¹⁴C-leucine. In the presence of abundant bacteria (30 × 10⁶ bacteria ml⁻¹), an average Euplotes cell (initially without food vacuoles) with a protein content of 12 ng consumed 16 × 10³ bacteria in the first hour and 27 × 10³ bacteria over four hours, accumulating about 60% of the bacterial protein into ciliate macromolecules. Euplotes which had been starved or under-fed to reduce cell protein biomass to 7 or 9 ng consumed significantly fewer bacteria, but the gross growth efficiency for protein did not change. The rate of consumption of bacteria by large Euplotes of protein content 15 ng was initially less than that of 12 ng cells, and it decreased markedly before the end of a 4-hour experiment. Recently divided cells ingested bacteria rapidly, but showed a reduced gross growth efficiency of about 40%. At low bacterial concentrations (6 × 10⁶ bacteria ml⁻¹) the rates of ingestion were markedly reduced to between     and     of maximal levels; the smallest cells could not sustain feeding activity at the low prey concentration and gross growth efficiency fell from 43 to 20% during a 4-hour experiment. The strategy adopted by Euplotes in response to local fluctuations in food supply involves rapid consumption with high growth efficiency in times of plenty, but slow shrinkage without cell division to survive in times of shortage.     

Energy partitioning in the Antarctic collembolan Cryptopygus antarcticus

Abstract. 1. Consumption, production and assimilation rates were determined for two age groups of Crypropygus antarcticus to give an estimate of energy utilization, and to investigate low temperature adaptation in its energy partitioning.
2. Feeding selectivity shown in laboratory preference tests was supported by gut analysis of field animals from contrasting sites. Although moulting rate was not significantly affected by food type, rates of growth were slowest and mortality highest when fed on a non-preferred substrate.
3. Both a radio labelling and a more direct method for measuring dry weight consumed gave similar results for Cvpropygus feeding on algae. The consuniption rate for animals when feeding on algae was lower than that on moss peat. The assimilation efficiency for immature animals feeding on algae was 46% and for mature animals was 19%; the values when feeding on moss peat were 7% and lo%, respectively, The net production efficiency ranged from 35%(inimatures) to 13% (matures) and was similar on both substrates.
4. Food consumption exceeded assimilation over the range 2.5–10°C, but the two converged from 2.5 to 0°C. Immature Cryptopygus maintained a net positive energy balance over 0–10°C, whilst below 1S°C respiration exceeded assimilation for mature individuals.
5. An estimate of the annual dry matter consumption (7 g m^-1 y^-1) by Ctypropygus in a moss turf at Signy Island agrees with one based on respiration data alone (Davis, 1981). The consumption at an alga-dominated site was c . 26 g m^-2 y^-l, and Crypropygus may have a locally limiting effect on net priniary production at such sites.     

The Effects of Electroshock Convulsions on Calcium Transport within Synaptic Terminals

Abstract: Calcium transport was assessed within synaptic terminals isolated from cerebral cortices of rats which experienced one maximal electroshock (ES) convulsion daily. No significant change in calcium content [(Ca₁)] of synaptosomes was present after 2 consecutive days of maximal convulsions. After 4 and 6 days of maximal seizures, (Ca₁) rose 20% and 37%, respectively. ¹⁵Ca²⁺ influx within synaptosomes in vitro increased after 6 days of ES convulsions (1.94 ± 0.4 μmol/g protein/min in ES convulsions versus 1.54 ± .03 μmol/g protein/min in controls). The higher rate of ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ influx in convulsed animals was accounted for by elevated internal sodium [(Na₁)] values. Maximal ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ efflux decreased after ES convulsions (0.48 μmol/g protei/min in ES convulsions versus 0.8 μmol/g protei/min in controls). The slower rate of ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ efflux after convulsions was also accounted for by elevated (Na₁). Our results suggest that (Ca₁) increased within synapses after in vivo ES convulsions secondary to a primary ionic event, namely, elevated (Na₁).     

Seasonal Variation of δ^13C of Four Tree Species： A Biological Integrator of Environmental Variables

Foliar δ^13C values, an indicator of long-term intercellular carbon dioxide concentration and, thus, of long-term water use efficiency （WUE） in plants, were measured for Pinus massoniana Lamb., P. elliottii Engelm., Cunninghamia laceolata （Lamb.） Hook., and Schima superba Gardn. et Champ. in a restored forest ecosystem in the Jiazhu River Basin. Seasonal variation and the relationship between the foliar δ^13C values of the four species and environmental factors （monthly total precipitation, monthly average air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, and monthly total solar radiation and evaporation） were investigated. The monthly δ^13C values and WUE of the four species increased with increasing precipitation, air temperature, solar radiation, and evaporation, whereas δ^13C values of the four species decreased with increasing relative humidity and atmospheric pressure. Despite significant differences in δ^13C seasonal means for the four species, our results demonstrate a significant convergence in the responses of δ^13C values and WUE to seasonal variations in environmental factors among the species investigated and that the δ^13C signature for each species gives a strong indication of environmental variables.     

LIGHT-DEPENDENT GROWTH, DARK SURVIVAL, AND GLUCOSE UPTAKE BY CRYPTOPHYTES ISOLATED FROM A FRESHWATER CHEMOCLINE

Clones of Cryptomonas phaseolus Skuja , Cryptomonas rostratiformis ( Skuja ) Skuja in Huber-Pestalozi, and Cryptomonas undulata Gervais were isolated from the deep chlorophyll maximum near the oxic/anoxic boundary layer of the mesoeutrophic lake Schlachtensee, Germany. Different autecological features of these species were studied in batch culture experiments . Cryptomonas cf . ovata Ehrenberg and Chroomonas sp. that never dominated in the deep chlorophyll layer were also isolated from Schlachtensee to study their light-dependent growth in comparison to the deep-living species . Cryptomonas undulata, C. cf . ovata, and C. phaseolus had a very low light compensation point ( 5–7 μmol.m^-2.s^-1 ), whereas the growth rate of Chroomonas sp. and C. rostratiformis was positive above 16 and 24 μmol.m^-2.s^-1 . Cryptomonas phaseclus and Chroomonas sp. became photoinhibited above photon flux densities of 92 and 116 μmol.m^-2.s^-1 . Cryptomonas rostratiformis, C. cf . ovata, and C. undulata reached a maximum growth rate at a considerably higher photon flux density (198–250 μmol.m^-2.s^-1 ). Cryptomonas phaseolus grew fastest under light-limiting conditions . Chyptomonas phaseolus and C. undulata were best able to suruive prolonged periods of darkness . Cryptomonas phaseolus, C. rostratiformis, and C. undulata did not show any uptake of fluorescent latex beads. When labeled glucose was provided in naturally occurring concentrations, carbon uptake by C. phaseolus, C. rostratiformis, and C. undulata was negligibly small in comparison to cellular carbon content. I suggest that the adaptation to a low-light environment is an important preadaptation for the dominance of C. phaseolus and C. undulata near the freshwater chemocline .     

THE USE OF STABLE CARBON ISOTOPE ANALYSIS FOR DETERMINING THE DIETARY HABITS OF THE FLORIDA MANATEE, TRICHECHUS MANATUS LATIROSTRIS

The sloughed skin from three captive manatees at Lowry Park Zoological Garden (Tampa, Florida) was examined over a period of one year to determine its stable carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C). The food consumed by these manatees in a controlled diet was also sampled and its δ¹³C values determined. The sloughed skin δ¹³C values from the captive manatees were enriched by an average of +4.1%0 relative to lettuce (generally >98% of the diet) the animals consumed. δ¹³C values of the skin were shown to be related to changes in δ¹³C values of the lettuce.
The stable carbon isotopic composition of internal tissues (liver, kidney, and blubber) and skin from dead, stranded manatees was also determined. These values were compared to values of vegetation that manatees are known to eat in the wild. The δ¹³C values of the internal tissues and skin of wild manatees were consistent with the range of δ¹³C values of their expected diet.     

Densities and energetics of two streamliving larval populations of Sericostoma personatum (Trichoptera)

Two populations of Sericostoma personatum Spence were studied during one year in two first order woodland streams, varying in water flow and temperature regime. The life cycles look two and three years, respectively.
Numbers in drift varied with water flow, and daily elimination rates of about 1% due to catastrophic drift were found in one of the streams. Differences in elimination rates between the two populations are discussed in relation to predation, catastrophic drift, and quantity of food present during the year.
The production was about 0.9 g AFDW m^-2 yr^-1 in both streams, 20–22% of which was production of cases. P/B ratios were 2.4 and 3.8, and reflect differences in life cycle.
Total potential leaf consumption was estimated to about 50 g AFDW m^-2 yr^-1 in both streams, which makes up about 10% of yearly leaf input. The seasonal pattern of the consumption is discussed in relation to biomass, temperature and leaf input. There was little agreement between the patterns of leaf input and leaf consumption.     

Oxygen consumption by eggs and larvae of striped mullet, Mugil cephalus, in relation to development, salinity and temperature

Oxygen consumption rates during embryonic and the first 38 days of larval development of the striped mullet were measured at 24° C by differential respirometry. Measurements were obtained at the blastula, gastrula and four embryonic stages, and at the yolk-sac, preflexion, flexion and post-flexion larval stages.
Oxygen uptake rates of eggs increased linearly from 0.024 μl O₂ per egg h^-1 (0·323 μl O₂ mg^-1 dry wt h^-1) by blastulae to 0·177 μlO₂ per egg h^-1 (2·516 μlO₂mg ¹dry wth^-1) by embryos prior to hatching. Respiration rates did not vary significantly among four salinities (20,25, 30, 35%₀).
Larval oxygen consumption increased in a curvilinear manner from 0·243 μl O₂ per larva h^-1 shortly after hatching to 18·880 μl O₂ per larva h^-1 on day 38. Oxygen consumption varied in direct proportion to dry weight. Mass-specific oxygen consumption rates of preflexion, flexion, and postflexion larvae did not change with age (10·838 μl O₂ mg ¹dry wt h^-1).
Larval oxygen consumption rates did not vary significantly among salinities 10–35%. Acute temperature increases elicited significant increases in oxygen consumption, these being relatively greater in yolk-sac larvae ( Q₁₀ = 2·75) than in postflexion larvae ( Q₁₀ = 1·40).