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A method for temporal measurement of hemolymph composition in the giant clam symbiosis and its application to glucose and glycerol levels during a diel cycle
Publication year - 1993
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.1993.38.1.0213
Subject(s) - hemolymph , symbiosis , biology , diel vertical migration , glycerol , botany , ecology , biochemistry , bacteria , genetics
A syringe method for taking repeated, small‐volume, in vivo samples of hemolymph from the giant clam Tridacna gigas is described. Hemolymph collected by syringe had similar ionic and protein characteristics to hemolymph from the same clams killed immediately afterward. Glucose concentrations in the hemolymph showed a diurnal increase, with the maximum daytime levels being 3.2‐fold higher than the nighttime minimum. In contrast, the glycerol concentrations were consistently negligible. The method has considerable potential for monitoring metabolic interactions between host and symbiont in this alga‐invertebrate symbiosis.