Open AccessTEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON FEED INGESTION AND ASSIMILATION EFFICIENCY OF NUTRIENTS BY THE MALAYSIAN PRAWN, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man)
Author(s) -
Newman Mark W.,
Lutz Peter L.,
Snedaker Samuel C.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of the world mariculture society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1749-7345
pISSN - 0735-0147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-7345.1982.tb00016.x
Subject(s) - macrobrachium rosenbergii , biology , assimilation (phonology) , dry matter , zoology , ingestion , prawn , absorption efficiency , nutrient , feed conversion ratio , fishery , ecology , body weight , biochemistry , linguistics , philosophy , endocrinology
Feed ingestion and assimilation of dry matter, total lipid, total carbohydrate and inorganic material by adult, male Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man) were measured at temperatures ranging from 22–34°C. Assimilation efficiency of dry matter was measured gravimetrically. Significantly less feed was ingested by prawns at water temperatures below 25°C than at higher temperatures. Water temperatures had little effect on the assimilation efficiency of dry matter, although there was a trend toward decreased dry matter assimilation at high temperature extremes. There was no effect of water temperature on assimilation efficiencies of lipid, carbohydrate or inorganic material. It is proposed that feed ingestion and metabolic rates are affected more by water temperature and are more responsible for differences in growth rates than is the efficiency of feed assimilation. Regurgitation was a consistent occurrence following feeding by prawns and accounted for a significant proportion of egested material. It is suggested that regurgitation results in energetic benefits to the prawn, owing to a decreased energy requirement because unassimilable material need not be transported through the entire digestive system. There may also be an increase in the rate of energy intake due to the clearance of ingested, but unassimilable, material from the proventriculus. The absorption of minerals from the diet and the phenomenon of regurgitation are taken into account in a critical discussion of assimilation determination methods used for aquatic invertebrates.