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FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS ON THE CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT OF MARINE ZOOPLANKTON 1
Author(s) -
Raymont J. E. G.,
Conover Robert J.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1961.6.2.0154
Subject(s) - calanus finmarchicus , biology , krill , crustacean , calanus , carbohydrate , plankton , phytoplankton , zoology , diel vertical migration , dry weight , zooplankton , euphausia , ecology , botany , copepod , biochemistry , nutrient
Studies on the carbohydrate content of 11 species of planktonic animals have been carried out. In the case of Calanus finmarchicus, C. hyperboreus and Neomysis americana, certain animals were fed laboratory phytoplankton cultures and comparisons were made between fed and starved groups. For Calanus finmarchicus, fed animals contained from 0.90–2.85 µ g and starved animals from 0.68–1.50 µ g carbohydrate/animal. As percent wet weight the carbohydrates ranged from 0.11–0.40 for fed and from 0.10–0.24 for starved C. finmarchicus. The carbohydrates in C. hyperboreus ranged from 0.14–0.29% wet weight and in Neomysis from 0.19–0.23%, but there was no significant difference between fed and starved animals. Feeding experiments were also attempted with the euphausids Meganyctiphanes norvegica and Thysanoessa sp. but feeding was poor and again no significant difference over the concentrations in starved animals could be detected. The concentration for all the euphausids was rather low: 0.05–0.08% wet weight for Meganyctiphanes, 0.09–0.11% for Thysanoessa, and 0.08–0.17 for Nematoscelis megalops. Carbohydrates were also low for the copepods Paraeuchaeta norvegica (0.06–0.11%) and Pleuromamma sp. (0.10%) and for Hyperia galba (0.15%). Another amphipod Euthemisto contained from 0.25–0.62% wet weight carbohydrate and an ostracod Conchoecia 0.31%. Respiratory measurements during periods of starvation were made for Calanus hyperboreus, Nematoscelis megalops and Neomysis americana which indicated that considerably more carbon was being oxidized than could be accounted for by changes in the carbohydrate content of the animals. Conversely, in certain feeding experiments with Neomysis americana and C. finmarchicus it seemed very doubtful that sufficient carbohydrate was obtained in the food consumed to meet the carbon requirements if carbohydrate was the principal energy source. It is concluded that the animals in question do not contain sufficient carbohydrate reserves to meet energy requirements, particularly during periods of food scarcity, and therefore, other metabolic substrates must be utilized as well.