Metabolic characteristics of midwater zooplankton: Ammonia excretion, O:N rations, and the effect of starvation

Abstract

The nature of protein catabolism in a wide range of species of midwater zooplankton was investigated. The weight-specific ammonia excretion rates (μg NH3−N g−1 dry wt h−1, y) decline exponentially with minimum depth of occurreece (MDO, x), y=163.4 x−0.479±0.212 (95%ci) (CI=confidence interval), when temperature is held constant. The change in ammonia excretion can be partially explained by the decrease in percent protein (%P) with MDO, %P=80.17 MDO−0.148±0.122 (95%ci) The atomic O:N ratio of freshly caught zooplankters ranged from 9.1 to 91, with most measurements between 9 and 25. Detailed studies were carried out on the response of one of the species studied (Gnathophausia ingens) to starvation (28 d). After 14 d of starvation the average ammonia excretion rate declined by more than 75% to less than 1 μg NH3−N g−1 wet wt h−1, although the average oxygen consumption declined by only 13% within the first 7 d of starvation and then remained stable. This differential response of oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion to starvation resulted in an increase in the average O:N ratio of starved animals from an initial 33 to 165 after 21 d. The average O:N ratios of fed mysids remained below 38 during the experiment. G. ingens maintains a relatively uniform metabolic rate during starvation by relying more heavily on its large lipid stores than when being fed.