Temperature and starvation effects on the metabolism of the brachiopod,Terebratulina retusa(L.)

Abstract

Oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion rates were assessed for Terebratulina retusa (L.) held under 3 different regimes of temperature and food availability. These were: 5.6ˆC, no food (cold, starved); 5.8ˆC, food present (cold, fed) and 10.7ˆC food present (warm, fed), which simulated winter conditions, summer conditions and an intermediate treatment. Regressions of oxygen consumption on ash‐free dry weight (AFDW) had slopes which were not significantly different from each other and ranged from 0.953 to 0.999. A common slope of 0.976 was calculated and intercepts based on the common slope used to compare oxygen consumption in each treatment. The rise from cold, starved conditions to warm, fed was 24.5 per cent and this was significant (P 0.05) but the cold, fed result was 12.6 per cent higher than cold, starved. Therefore feeding and temperature probably account for equivalent proportions of the rise in metabolism from winter to summer. Ammonia produ...