The organic constitution of several benthonic invertebrates from McMurdo sound, Antarctica

Abstract

1. 1. The total nitrogen, protein, carbohydrate and lipid levels of 7 benthonic Antarctic marine invertebrate species were studied at different seasons and from different localities for comparison with studies on similar temperature invertebrates. 2. 2. The protein level of most of the species studied is close to 50 per cent of the dry weight of the tissue. The most unusual observation was the high level of protein in the asteroid Perknaster fuscus antarcticus body wall, which is rather devoid of the usually abundant calcareous plates and is made up largely of connective tissue. The carbohydrate levels of the various Antarctic invertebrates studied compare favorably with the carbohydrate levels of comparable temperature marine forms. 3. 3. Only the isopod Glyptonotus antarcticus showed a high tissue lipid level, like other Antarctic crustaceans previously studied. The other Antarctic invertebrates had moderate or low lipid levels in their tissues, except in special cases such as the high levels in the ovaries of Perknaster.