The general biology of Verruca stroemia (O. F. Müller). III. Seasonal changes in body weight and biochemical composition

Abstract

The seasonal changes in body weight, DNA, total carbohydrate, total lipid, and two nitrogen fractions are described for Verruca stroemia (O. F. Müller). Events are dominated by the fact that the spring brood is virtually synchronous throughout the population. Values for all the above rise during the autumn and early winter and fall at copulation during February as the animals are fertilized. Subsequently there may be some storage of nutrients which is later utilized. In general, there are only small changes in all these constituents during the summer. Although this species has escaped from the limitation of a single annual brood the seasonal changes in weight and composition closely resemble those in Balanus balanoides and B. balanus although their phasing is different.