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Pathways of carbon incorporation in marine copepods: Effects of developmental stage and food quantity
Author(s) -
Roman Michael R.
Publication year - 1991
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.1991.36.4.0796
Subject(s) - acartia tonsa , copepod , polysaccharide , biology , algae , biochemistry , food science , chemistry , botany , ecology , crustacean
Incorporation of carbon ( 14 C) into various biochemical fractions (protein, polysaccharide, lipid) was measured in developmental stages (N3–N4, C3–C4, adult females) of the copepod Acartia tonsa fed labeled algae. Nauplii had the highest weight‐specific incorporation of C into protein whereas adult females had the highest weight‐specific incorporation of C into lipid. Incorporation rates of C into protein, lipid, and polysaccharide increased with food concentration. At the highest food concentration (1,055 µ g C liter −1 ) C3–C4 stages of A. tonsa had a daily, weight‐specific incorporation rate of 18% of their body protein, 15% of their lipid, and 2% of their polysaccharides. Incorporation of C into the various biochemical compounds responded rapidly to increases in food concentration. Within 1.5 h after food was increased (5 ×), A. tonsa incorporated more algal C into its low molecular weight, protein, lipid, and polysaccharide fractions. Pulse‐chase experiments showed that once incorporated, C in protein had a much lower turnover rate and was thus conserved more than C in polysaccharides and lipids.