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THE CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN AMPHIBIAN EMBRYOGENESIS
Author(s) -
Needham Joseph
Publication year - 1927
Publication title -
quarterly journal of experimental physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1469-445X
pISSN - 0370-2901
DOI - 10.1113/expphysiol.1927.sp000429
Subject(s) - glycogen , carbohydrate , amphibian , embryo , gratitude , biology , carbohydrate metabolism , zoology , chemistry , ecology , biochemistry , fishery , psychology , social psychology
1. The total carbohydrate in the egg of the frog has been estimated quantitatively at the beginning and end of its normal development. Only 7 per cent. of this fraction is lost, so that the 50 per cent. diminution previously reported for glycogen cannot mean that much carbohydrate is burned during the ontogenesis of this animal. The amount burned in percentage of the total amount of foodstuff burned gives a figure very close to that of the chick. 2. The proportion of the various energy‐sources, carbohydrate, protein, and fat used in development are calculated for the chick and the frog, and compared with the existing data for other embryos. As a preliminary generalisation it is suggested that aquatic embryos are much more dependent on protein than are terrestrial ones, possibly because the disposal of incombustible waste‐products is a much more difficult problem in the latter case than it is in the former. The author's gratitude is due to Professor Sir F. G. Hopkins , F. R. S., for his continual inspiration.