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COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FECAL PELLETS OF A MARINE CRUSTACEAN 1
Author(s) -
Johannes R. E.,
Satomi Masako
Publication year - 1966
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.1966.11.2.0191
Subject(s) - organic matter , pellets , autotroph , feces , environmental chemistry , diatom , chemistry , biology , ecology , bacteria , paleontology , genetics
The role of feces in energy flow and nutrient cycles in the marine ecosystem was examined using fecal pellets of the shrimp Palaemonetes pugio, fed on the diatom Nitzschia closterium. The pellets were rich in organic matter, particularly protein. The feces were readily eaten by P. pugio when diatoms were not available and assimilation efficiency was high, indicating that the pellets contained considerable assimilable organic matter. Solution and bacterial respiration reduced the organic content of the feces while light and dissolved organic matter stimulated the growth of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms. It is estimated that the rate of incorporation of organic matter into fecal pellets in the sea exceeds the rate of incorporation of organic matter into herbivore tissue and that fecal pellets therefore constitute a major potential food source for marine animals.