Isotopic turnover rate and fractionation in multiple tissues of red rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) and blue cod (Parapercis colias): Consequences for ecological studies

This study experimentally determined the turnover rates of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N as a function of growth and metabolism and isotopic fractionation for different tissues in captive populations of red rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) and blue cod (Parapercis colias). Isotopic turnover was estimated using the model of Hesslein et al. [Hesslein, R., Hallard, K., Ramlal, P., 1993. Replacement of sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen in tissue of growing broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus) in response to a change in diet traced by δ³⁴S, δ¹³C, and δ¹⁵N. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 50, 2071–2076.]. Isotopic fractionations relative to diet differed among tissues and isotopes. Lobster muscle was more enriched than hemolymph and blue cod fin tissue was more enriched than blood for δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N. The metabolic component of turnover accounted for > 90% of the total isotopic turnover in lobster tissues and 30%–60% in blue cod tissues. Lobster muscle (half-life 147 d) and hemolymph (half-life 117 d) turnover rates were not significantly different but were faster than turnover rates of blue cod tissues. Whole blood, blood plasma fraction, and the blood cellular fraction had similar turnover rates; the whole blood half-life was 240 d for blue cod. Measuring turnover in larger, slower growing animals allowed for a more precise estimate of the metabolic component of isotopic turnover than in fast growing animals in which change is predominantly the result of dilution through growth. The differences in fractionation values among tissues observed here demonstrate that using generic trophic fractionation values would introduce error into diet reconstruction or migration studies. We demonstrate that a modified version of Hesslein et al.'s [Hesslein, R., Hallard, K., Ramlal, P., 1993. Replacement of sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen in tissue of growing broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus) in response to a change in diet traced by δ³⁴S, δ¹³C, and δ¹⁵N. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 50, 2071–2076.] turnover model could be used to estimate the temporal component of migration.     

Tissue Turnover Rates and Isotopic Trophic Discrimination Factors in the Endothermic Teleost,Pacific Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus orientalis)

Stable isotope analysis (SIA) of highly migratory marine pelagic animals can improve understanding of their migratory patterns and trophic ecology. However, accurate interpretation of isotopic analyses relies on knowledge of isotope turnover rates and tissue-diet isotope discrimination factors. Laboratory-derived turnover rates and discrimination factors have been difficult to obtain due to the challenges of maintaining these species in captivity. We conducted a study to determine tissue- (white muscle and liver) and isotope- (nitrogen and carbon) specific turnover rates and trophic discrimination factors (TDFs) using archived tissues from captive Pacific bluefin tuna (PBFT), Thunnus orientalis, 1–2914 days after a diet shift in captivity. Half-life values for ¹⁵N turnover in white muscle and liver were 167 and 86 days, and for ¹³C were 255 and 162 days, respectively. TDFs for white muscle and liver were 1.9 and 1.1‰ for δ ¹⁵N and 1.8 and 1.2‰ for δ ¹³C, respectively. Our results demonstrate that turnover of ¹⁵N and ¹³C in bluefin tuna tissues is well described by a single compartment first-order kinetics model. We report variability in turnover rates between tissue types and their isotope dynamics, and hypothesize that metabolic processes play a large role in turnover of nitrogen and carbon in PBFT white muscle and liver tissues. ¹⁵N in white muscle tissue showed the most predictable change with diet over time, suggesting that white muscle δ ¹⁵N data may provide the most reliable inferences for diet and migration studies using stable isotopes in wild fish. These results allow more accurate interpretation of field data and dramatically improve our ability to use stable isotope data from wild tunas to better understand their migration patterns and trophic ecology.     

Effects of food quality on tissue-specific isotope ratios in the mussel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perna perna</Emphasis>

Investigations into trophic ecology and aquatic food web resolution are increasingly accomplished through stable isotope analysis. The incorporation of dietary and metabolic changes over time results in variations in isotope signatures and turnover rates of producers and consumers at tissue, individual, population and species levels. Consequently, the elucidation of trophic relationships in aquatic systems depends on establishing standard isotope values and tissue turnover rates for the level in question. This study investigated the effect of diet and food quality on isotopic signatures of four mussel tissues: adductor muscle, gonad, gill and mantle tissue from the brown mussel Perna perna. In the laboratory, mussels were fed one of the two isotopically distinct diets for 3 months. Although not all results were significant, overall δ¹³C ratios in adductor, mantle and gill tissues gradually approached food source signatures in both diets. PERMANOVA analyses revealed significant changes over time in tissue δ¹³C (mantle and gill) with both diets and in δ¹⁵N (all tissues) and C:N ratios (mantle and gill) for one diet only. The percentage of replaced carbon isotopes were calculated for the 3 month period and differed among tissues and between diets. The tissue with the highest and lowest amount of replaced isotopes over 81 days were mantle tissue on the kelp diet (33.89%) and adductor tissue on the fish food diet (4.14%), respectively. Percentages could not be calculated for any tissue in either diet for δ¹⁵N due to the lack of significant change in tissue nitrogen. Fractionation patterns in tissues for both diets can be linked to nutritional stress, suggesting that consumer isotopic signatures are strongly dependent on food quality, which can significantly affect the degree of isotopic enrichment within a trophic level.     

Using stable isotopes to assess carbon and nitrogen turnover in the Arctic sympagic amphipod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Onisimus litoralis</Emphasis>

Food web studies based on stable C and N isotope ratios usually assume isotopic equilibrium between a consumer and its diet. In the Arctic, strong seasonality in food availability often leads to diet switching, resulting in a consumer’s isotopic composition to be in flux between different food sources. Experimental work investigating the time course and dynamics of isotopic change in Arctic fauna has been lacking, although these data are crucial for accurate interpretation of food web relationships. We investigated seasonal (ice-covered spring vs. ice-free summer) and temperature (1 vs. 4°C) effects on growth and stable C and N isotopic change in the common nearshore Arctic amphipod Onisimus litoralis following a diet switch and while fasting in the laboratory. In spring we found no significant temperature effect on N turnover [half-life (HL) estimates: HL-N = 20.4 at 4°C, 22.4 days at 1°C] and a nonsignificant trend for faster growth and C turnover at the higher temperature (HL-C = 13.9 at 4°C, 18.7 days at 1°C). A strong seasonal effect was found, with significantly slower growth and C and N turnover in the ice-free summer period (HL-N = 115.5 days, HL-C = 77.0 days). Contrary to previous studies, metabolic processes rather than growth accounted for most of the change in C and N isotopic composition (84–89 and 67–77%, respectively). This study provides the first isotopic change and metabolic turnover rates for an Arctic marine invertebrate and demonstrates the risk of generalizing turnover rates based on taxon, physiology, and environment. Our results highlight the importance of experimental work to determine turnover rates for species of interest.     

Dual‐tracer‐based isotope turnover rates in a highly invasive mysid Limnomysis benedeni from Lake Constance

Understanding the ecological patterns of invasive species and their habitats require an understanding of the species’ foraging ecology. Stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope values provide useful information into the study of animal ecology and evolution, since the isotope ratios of consumers reflect consumer's dietary patterns. Nevertheless, the lack of species‐ and element‐specific laboratory‐derived turnover rates could limit their application. Using a laboratory‐based dual stable isotope tracer approach (Na¹⁵NO₃ and NaH¹³CO₃), we evaluated the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C isotope turnover rates in full‐grown adult invasive Limnomysis benedeni from Lake Constance. We provide δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C turnover rates based on nonlinear least‐squares regression and posterior linear regression models. Model precisions and fit were evaluated using Akaike's information criterion. Within a couple of days, the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C of mysids began to change. Nevertheless, after about 14 days, L. benedeni did not reach equilibrium with their new isotope values. Since the experiment was conducted on adult subjects, it is evident that turnover was mainly influenced by metabolism (in contrast to growth). Unlike traditional dietary shifts, our laboratory‐based dual stable isotope tracer approach does not shift the experimental organisms into a new diet and avoids dietary effects on isotope values. Results confirm the application of isotopic tracers to label mysid subpopulations and could be used to reflect assimilation and turnover from the labeled dietary sources. Field‐based stable isotope studies often use isotopic mixing models commonly assuming diet‐tissue steady state. Unfortunately, in cases where the isotopic composition of the animal is not in equilibrium with its diet, this can lead to highly misleading conclusions. Thus, our laboratory‐based isotopic incorporation rates assist interpretation of the isotopic values from the field and provide a foundation for future research into using isotopic tracers to investigate invasion ecology.     

Forward Modeling of Fluctuating Dietary 13C Signals to Validate 13C Turnover Models of Milk and Milk Components from a Diet-Switch Experiment

Isotopic variation of food stuffs propagates through trophic systems. But, this variation is dampened in each trophic step, due to buffering effects of metabolic and storage pools. Thus, understanding of isotopic variation in trophic systems requires knowledge of isotopic turnover. In animals, turnover is usually quantified in diet-switch experiments in controlled conditions. Such experiments usually involve changes in diet chemical composition, which may affect turnover. Furthermore, it is uncertain if diet-switch based turnover models are applicable under conditions with randomly fluctuating dietary input signals. Here, we investigate if turnover information derived from diet-switch experiments with dairy cows can predict the isotopic composition of metabolic products (milk, milk components and feces) under natural fluctuations of dietary isotope and chemical composition. First, a diet-switch from a C₃-grass/maize diet to a pure C₃-grass diet was used to quantify carbon turnover in whole milk, lactose, casein, milk fat and feces. Data were analyzed with a compartmental mixed effects model, which allowed for multiple pools and intra-population variability, and included a delay between feed ingestion and first tracer appearance in outputs. The delay for milk components and whole milk was ∼12 h, and that of feces ∼20 h. The half-life (t_½) for carbon in the feces was 9 h, while lactose, casein and milk fat had a t_½ of 10, 18 and 19 h. The ¹³C kinetics of whole milk revealed two pools, a fast pool with a t_½ of 10 h (likely representing lactose), and a slower pool with a t_½ of 21 h (likely including casein and milk fat). The diet-switch based turnover information provided a precise prediction (RMSE ∼0.2 ‰) of the natural ¹³C fluctuations in outputs during a 30 days-long period when cows ingested a pure C3 grass with naturally fluctuating isotope composition.     

Benthic community metabolism and trophic conditions of four South American lakes

Oxygen uptake rates of undisturbed sediment columns have been used as an integrative measure of the metabolic activities of benthic communities. Since the intensity of metabolic processes of profundal lake is dependent on the production of organic matter in the pelagic zone, oxygen uptake rates reflect the trophic condition of the whole lake. Four small lakes of central Chile, differing strongly in trophic conditions, provided a possibility to compare benthic oxygen uptake rates, under different oxygen conditions (Quiñenco, Grande, Chica and Lleulleu). Our objective was to establish the relationship between the oxygen uptake rates and bottom characteristics of lakes with different trophic conditions. At 8 mg O₂ l^-1 in the overlying water of the cores studied, the oxygen uptake rates of the sediment were: Quiñenco 51.2–56.0 mg O₂ m² h^-1 (eutrophic), Grande 41.2–46.4 mg O₂ m² h^-1 (mesotrophic), Chica 23.2–18.1 mg O₂ m² h^-1 (mesotrophic) and Lleulleu 11.7–16.0 mg O₂ m² h^-1 (oligotrophic). By exposing the sediments to different oxygen levels in the laboratory, it was found that benthic community metabolism decreased with oxygen concentrations. The slope of regression lines, relating oxygen uptake rates to oxygen concentrations, differed for the different sites investigated, closely related with the trophic conditions of the lakes. It was positively correlated with the organic matter content of the sediment of the cores (r ²= 0.78, p<0,05) and the nutrients of the bottom waters (total-P: r ²= 0.73, p<0,05; total-N: r ²= 0.73, p<0,05), and negatively with the redox potential of the sediments (r ²= 0.88, p<0,05).     

‘Are fish what they eat’ all year round?

Isotope turnover in muscle of ectotherms depends primarily on growth rather than on metabolic replacement. Ectotherms, such as fish, have a discontinuous pattern of growth over the year, so the isotopic signature of muscle (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) may only reflect food consumed during periods of growth. In contrast, the liver is a regulatory tissue, with a continuous protein turnover. Therefore, the isotopic composition of liver should respond year round to changes in the isotopic signature of food sources. Therefore, we predicted that (1) Whitefish in Lake Geneva would have larger seasonal variation in the isotopic variation of the liver compared to that of the muscle tissue, and (2) the isotope composition of fish muscle would reflect a long-term image of the isotope composition of the food consumed only throughout the growth period. To test these expectations, we compared the isotope compositions of Whitefish muscle, liver and food in a 20-month study. We found that the seasonal amplitude of isotope variation was two to three times higher in liver compared to muscle tissue. During the autumn and winter, when growth was limited, only the isotopic signature of liver responded to changes in the isotope composition of the food sources. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of muscle tissue only reflected the food consumed during the spring and summer growth period.     

Leaf and fine root carbon stocks and turnover are coupled across Arctic ecosystems

Estimates of vegetation carbon pools and their turnover rates are central to understanding and modelling ecosystem responses to climate change and their feedbacks to climate. In the Arctic, a region containing globally important stores of soil carbon, and where the most rapid climate change is expected over the coming century, plant communities have on average sixfold more biomass below ground than above ground, but knowledge of the root carbon pool sizes and turnover rates is limited. Here, we show that across eight plant communities, there is a significant positive relationship between leaf and fine root turnover rates (r² = 0.68, P < 0.05), and that the turnover rates of both leaf (r² = 0.63, P < 0.05) and fine root (r² = 0.55, P < 0.05) pools are strongly correlated with leaf area index (LAI, leaf area per unit ground area). This coupling of root and leaf dynamics supports the theory of a whole‐plant economics spectrum. We also show that the size of the fine root carbon pool initially increases linearly with increasing LAI, and then levels off at LAI = 1 m² m^?2, suggesting a functional balance between investment in leaves and fine roots at the whole community scale. These ecological relationships not only demonstrate close links between above and below‐ground plant carbon dynamics but also allow plant carbon pool sizes and their turnover rates to be predicted from the single readily quantifiable (and remotely sensed) parameter of LAI, including the possibility of estimating root data from satellites.     

Estimating tissue‐specific discrimination factors and turnover rates of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in the smallnose fanskate Sympterygia bonapartii (Rajidae)

This study aimed to estimate trophic discrimination factors (TDFs) and metabolic turnover rates of nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes in blood and muscle of the smallnose fanskate Sympterygia bonapartii by feeding six adult individuals, maintained in captivity, with a constant diet for 365 days. TDFs were estimated as the difference between δ¹³C or δ¹⁵N values of the food and the tissues of S. bonapartii after they had reached equilibrium with their diet. The duration of the experiment was enough to reach the equilibrium condition in blood for both elements (estimated time to reach 95% of turnover: C t95%_blood = 150 days, N t95%_blood = 290 days), whilst turnover rates could not be estimated for muscle because of variation among samples. Estimates of Δ¹³C and Δ¹⁵N values in blood and muscle using all individuals were Δ¹³C_blood = 1·7‰, Δ¹³C_muscle = 1·3‰, Δ¹⁵N_blood = 2·5‰ and Δ¹⁵N_muscle = 1·5‰, but there was evidence of differences of c.0·4‰ in the Δ¹³C values between sexes. The present values for TDFs and turnover rates constitute the first evidence for dietary switching in batoids based on long‐term controlled feeding experiments. Overall, the results showed that S. bonapartii has relatively low turnover rates and isotopic measurements would not track seasonal movements adequately. The estimated Δ¹³C values in S. bonapartii blood and muscle were similar to previous estimations for elasmobranchs and to generally accepted values in bony fishes (Δ¹³C = 1·5‰). For Δ¹⁵N, the results were similar to published reports for blood but smaller than reports for muscle and notably smaller than the typical values used to estimate trophic position (Δ¹⁵N c. 3·4‰). Thus, trophic position estimations for elasmobranchs based on typical Δ¹⁵N values could lead to underestimates of actual trophic positions. Finally, the evidence of differences in TDFs between sexes reveals a need for more targeted research.     

Tissue-specific turnover rates of the nitrogen stable isotope as functions of time and growth in a cyprinid fish

Ecological applications of stable isotope data require knowledge on the isotopic turnover rate of tissues, usually described as the isotopic half-life in days (T _0.5) or the change in mass (G _0.5). Ecological studies increasingly analyse tissues collected non-destructively, such as fish fin and scales, but there is limited knowledge on their turnover rates. Determining turnover rates in situ is challenging, with ex situ approaches preferred. Correspondingly, T _0.5 and G _0.5 of the nitrogen stable isotope (δ¹⁵N) were determined for juvenile barbel Barbus barbus (5.5 ± 0.6 g starting weight) using a diet-switch experiment. δ¹⁵N data from muscle, fin and scales were taken during a 125 day post diet-switch period. Whilst isotopic equilibrium was not reached in the 125 days, the δ¹⁵N values did approach those of the new diet. The fastest turnover rates were in more metabolically active tissues, from muscle (highest) to scales (lowest). Turnover rates were relatively slow; T _0.5 was 84 (muscle) to 145 (scale) days; G _0.5 was 1.39 × body mass (muscle) to 2.0 × body mass (scales), with this potentially relating to the slow growth of the experimental fish. These turnover estimates across the different tissues emphasise the importance of estimating half-lives for focal taxa at species and tissue levels for ecological studies.     

Tissue-specific response of δ15N in adult Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) following an isotopic shift in diet

The objective of this study was to measure the tissue-specific response of isotope δ¹⁵N to changes in isotopic signature of diet in an adult Pacific herring, Clupea pallasi, and to examine the importance of growth and metabolism in this shift. This was accomplished by placing wild adult Pacific herring in captivity and monitoring isotopic shift in tissues with a corresponding isotopic shift in diet, and the application of a metabolism/growth mixing model. Tissues examined were blood, eye, heart, liver, and white muscle. One group of herring was given a δ¹⁵N diet depleted by approximately 5.4‰, and another given a ¹⁵N-enriched diet labeled with 98 atom% l-phenylalanine. This study showed that (i) isotopic response of individual tissues following an isotopic shift in diet varied in both rate of change and fractionation level, (ii) most of this isotopic shift is due to growth, and (iii) white muscle and liver tissue appeared the most responsive to isotopic shift in diet, reaching isotopic equilibrium with diet in a matter of months (not years). For trophic studies using δ¹⁵N, these results indicate that field measurement of Pacific herring should be done after much of summer growth has occurred.     

Turnover rates of nitrogen stable isotopes in the salt marsh mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, following a laboratory diet switch

Nitrogen stable isotopes are frequently used in ecological studies to estimate trophic position and determine movement patterns. Knowledge of tissue-specific turnover and nitrogen discrimination for the study organisms is important for accurate interpretation of isotopic data. We measured δ¹⁵ N turnover in liver and muscle tissue in juvenile mummichogs, Fundulus heteroclitus, following a laboratory diet switch. Liver tissue turned over significantly faster than muscle tissue suggesting the potential for a multiple tissue stable isotope approach to study movement and trophic position over different time scales; metabolism contributed significantly to isotopic turnover for both liver and muscle. Nitrogen diet-tissue discrimination was estimated at between 0.0 and 1.2‰ for liver and –1.0 and 0.2‰ for muscle. This is the first experiment to demonstrate a significant variation in δ¹⁵ N turnover between liver and muscle tissues in a fish species.     

Inhibitory effect of dihydroxyacetone onGluconobacter oxydans: Kinetic aspects and expression by mathematical equations

Summary Microbial conversion of glycerol into dihydroxyacetone (DHA) byGluconobacter oxydans was subjected to inhibition by excess substrate. Comparison of cultures containing increasing initial DHA contents (0 to 100 g l^–1) demonstrated that DHA also inhibited this fermentation process. The first effect was on bacterial growth (cellular development stopped when DHA concentration reached 67 gl^–1), and then on oxidation of glycerol (DHA synthesis only occurred when the DHA concentration in the culture medium was lower than 85 g l^–1). Productivity, specific rates and, to a lesser extent, conversion yields decreased as initial concentrations of DHA increased. The changes in the specific parameters according to increasing initial DHA contents were described by general equations. These formulae satisfactorily express the concave aspect of the curves and the reduction in biological activity when the cells were in contact with DHA concentrations of up to 96 g l^–1.Abbreviations X, S, P biomass, substrate, product concentrations - r _x,r _s,r _p rates of growth, consumption and production - ,q _s,q _p specific rates of growth, glycerol consumption and DHA production - Y _x/s, Y_p/s conversion yields of substrate into biomass and product - K _s constant of affinity of cells to the substrate - K _ip product inhibition constant - P _m threshold concentration of DHA in substrate     

Energy requirements of the red kangaroo (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Macropus rufus</Emphasis>): impacts of age,growth and body size in a large desert-dwelling herbivore.

Generally, young growing mammals have resting metabolic rates (RMRs) that are proportionally greater than those of adult animals. This is seen in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), a large (>20 kg) herbivorous marsupial common to arid and semi-arid inland Australia. Juvenile red kangaroos have RMRs 1.5–1.6 times those expected for adult marsupials of an equivalent body mass. When fed high-quality chopped lucerne hay, young-at-foot (YAF) kangaroos, which have permanently left the mother's pouch but are still sucking, and recently weaned red kangaroos had digestible energy intakes of 641±27 kJ kg^–0.75 day^–1 and 677±26 kJ kg^–0.75 day^–1, respectively, significantly higher than the 385±37 kJ kg^–0.75 day^–1 ingested by mature, non-lactating females. However, YAF and weaned red kangaroos had maintenance energy requirements (MERs) that were not significantly higher than those of mature, non-lactating females, the values ranging between 384 kJ kg^–0.75 day^–1 and 390 kJ kg^–0.75 day^–1 digestible energy. Importantly, the MER of mature female red kangaroos was 84% of that previously reported for similarly sized, but still growing, male red kangaroos. Growth was the main factor affecting the proportionally higher energy requirements of the juvenile red kangaroos relative to non-reproductive mature females. On a good quality diet, juvenile red kangaroos from permanent pouch exit until shortly after weaning (ca. 220–400 days) had average growth rates of 55 g body mass day^–1. At this level of growth, juveniles had total daily digestible energy requirements (i.e. MER plus growth energy requirements) that were 1.7–1.8 times the MER of mature, non-reproductive females. Our data suggest that the proportionally higher RMR of juvenile red kangaroos is largely explained by the additional energy needed for growth. Energy contents of the tissue gained by the YAF and weaned red kangaroos during growth were estimated to be 5.3 kJ g^–1, within the range found for most young growing mammals.Abbreviations BMR basal metabolic rate - DEI digestible energy intake - MER maintenance energy requirement - MER_g maintenance plus growth energy requirement - PPE permanent pouch exit - RMR resting metabolic rate - YAF young-at-foot Communicated by I.D. Hume     

Field metabolic rate and water turnover of the numbat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Myrmecobius fasciatus</Emphasis>)

The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a diurnal and exclusively termitivorous marsupial. This study examines interrelationships between diet, metabolic rate and water turnover for wild, free-living numbats. The numbats (488±20.8 g) remained in mass balance during the study. Their basal metabolic rate (BMR) was 3.6 l CO₂ day^–1, while their field metabolic rate (FMR) was 10.8±1.22 l CO₂ day^–1 (269±30.5 kJ day^–1). The ratio FMR/BMR was 3±0.3 for numbats. We suggest that the most accurate way to predict the FMR of marsupials is from the regression log FMR=0.852 log BMR+0.767; (r²=0.97). The FMR of the numbat was lower than, but not significantly different from, that of a generalised marsupial, both before (76%) and after (62–69%) correction for the significant effect of phylogeny on FMR. However the numbat's FMR is more comparable with that of other arid-habitat Australia marsupials (98–135%), for which the regression relating mass and FMR is significantly lower than for nonarid-habitat marsupials, independent of phylogeny. The field water turnover rate (FWTR) of free-living numbats (84.1 ml H₂O day^–1) was highly correlated with FMR, and was typical (89–98%) of that for an arid-habitat marsupial after phylogenetic correction. The higher than expected water economy index for the numbat (FWTR/FMR=0.3±0.03) suggests that either the numbats were drinking during the study, the water content of their diet was high, or the digestibility of their termite diet was low. Habitat and phylogenetic influences on BMR and FMR appear to have pre-adapted the numbat to a low-energy termitivorous niche.Abbreviations BMR basal metabolic rate - FMR field metabolic rate - EWL evaporative water loss - FWTR field water turnover rate - MR metabolic rate - PVR phylogenetic vector regression - RER respiratory exchange ratio - T_a ambient temperature - T_b body temperature - TBW total body water - CO₂ rate of carbon dioxide production - O₂ rate of oxygen consumption - WEI water economy index - WER water efflux rate - WIR water influx rateCommunicated by I.D. Hume     

Patterns of stable carbon isotope turnover in gag, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycteroperca microlepis</Emphasis>, an economically important marine piscivore determined with a non-lethal surgical biopsy procedure

To determine the feasibility of using stable isotopes to track diet shifts in wild gag, Mycteroperca microlepis, populations over seasonal timescales, we conducted a repeated measures diet-shift experiment on four adult gag held in the laboratory. Fish were initially fed a diet of Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, (mean δ¹³C = −21.3‰ ± 0.2, n = 20) for a period of 56 days and then shifted to a diet of pinfish, Lagodon rhomboids, (mean δ¹³C = −16.6‰ ± 0.6, n = 20) for the 256 day experiment. We developed a non-lethal surgical procedure to obtain biopsies of the muscle, liver, and gonad tissue monthly from the same four fish. We then determined the δ¹³C value of each tissue by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. For the gonad tissue we used the relationship between C/N and lipid content to correct for the influence of lipids on δ¹³C value. We observed a significant shift in the δ¹³C values of all of the tissues sampled in the study. Carbon turnover rates varied among the three tissues, but the shift in diet from mackerel to pinfish was clearly traceable through analysis of δ¹³C values. The turnover rates for muscle tissue were 0.005‰ day⁻¹, and for gonad tissue was 0.009‰ day⁻¹. Although it is generally thought that tissue turnover rates in ectotherms are driven primarily by growth, we found that metabolic rate can be a major factor driving tissue turnover in adult gag.     

Isotope Fractionation in Photosynthetic Bacteria during Carbon Dioxide Assimilation

The δ _PDB¹³C values have been determined for the cellular constituents and metabolic intermediates of autotrophically grown Chromatium vinosum. The isotopic composition of the HCO₃^- in the medium and the carbon isotopic composition of the bacterial cells change with the growth of the culture. The δ _PDB¹³C value of the HCO₃^- in the media changes from an initial value of −6.6‰ to +8.1‰ after 10 days of bacterial growth and the δ _PDB¹³C value of the bacterial cells change from −37.5‰ to −29.2‰ in the same period. The amount of carbon isotope fractionation during the synthesis of hexoses by the photoassimilation of CO₂ has a range of −15.5‰ at time zero to −22.0‰ after 10 days. This range of fractionation compares to the range of carbon isotope fractionation for the synthesis of sugars from CO₂ by ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase and the Calvin cycle.     

Effect of the dilution rate on the biomass yield ofBacillus thuringiensis and determination of its rate coefficients under steady-state conditions

Depending on the biomass yield on glucose and the cell morphology ofBacillus thuringiensis, three different metabolic states were observed in continuous culture. At dilution rates between 0.18 h^–1 and 0.31 h^–1 vegetative cells, sporulating bacteria and spores coexisted, while glucose and amino acids were consumed. Only vegetative cells were observed at dilution rates between 0.42 h^–1 and 0.47 h^–1 and glucose was used as the main carbon and energy source. AtD = 0.50 h^–1 the biomass yield on glucose decreases sharply. To define better the specific growth rate range in which the microorganism uses mainly glucose, a dilution rate of 0.25–0.45 h^–1 was studied. The experimental data could be adjusted to a Monod model and the following rate coefficients and growth yields were determined: maximum specific growth rate 0.54 h^–1, saturation constant 0.56 mg glucose ml^–1, biomass growth yields 0.43 g cells (g glucose)^–1, and 0.76 g cells (g oxygen)^–1, and maintenance coefficients 0.065 g glucose (g cells)^–1 h^–1 and 0.039 g oxygen (g cells)^–1 h^–1.