Premium
Cellulose digestion and metabolism in the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pseudolimnaeus Bousfield
Author(s) -
CHAMIER ANNECAROLE
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
freshwater biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2427
pISSN - 0046-5070
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1991.tb00470.x
Subject(s) - gammarus , cellulose , detritus , digestion (alchemy) , biology , respiration , metabolism , zoology , amphipoda , ecology , chemistry , botany , biochemistry , crustacean , chromatography
SUMMARY. 1. Weight‐specific respiration and feeding rates of Gammarus pseudolimnaeus were inversely related to body weight at 12°C, the temperature of the stream from which they were collected. 2. At this temperature animals could digest about a third of ingested, purified 14 C‐cellulose. In animals greater than 20 mg live weight, about 38% of ingested cellulose was metabolized; animals smaller than 20 mg metabolized about 28%. 3. Respired CO 2 from cellulose metabolism was 33–47% of measured uptake of C 2 in animals greater than 20 mg live weight and approximately 25% in smaller animals. 4. Ability to digest cellulose would be of nutritional benefit to Gammarus feeding on any plant material, but would be of particular advantage in the spring/summer period when fine detritus is the main foodstuff.