Abstract
Crassostrea virginica were collected in winter from the Nissequogue estuary, Long Island, New York, USA and starved for 42 d at 20°C in 28‰ salinity. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and ammonia excretion (VNH4), measured at about 20-d intervals, and changes in dry weight and carbohydrate content were tested for relationship with heterozygosity at six enzyme loci. Rate of decline in tissue dry weight during starvation was size-dependent, small oysters losing weight faster than large individuals. There was a significant effect of heterozygosity, the rate of weight loss decreasing with increasing heterozygosity. No significant correlation was found between heterozygosity and carbohydrate depletion rate, VO2 or VNH4. Carbohydrate content was positively correlated with size before and after starvation. Carbohydrate depletion contributed less to weight loss in small than in large oysters. This suggests that more lipid and protein was catabolised in small oysters. VO2 and VNH4 declined during the course of the experiment. There was good agreement between energy loss estimated from decline in dry weight and energy loss estimated from physiological measurements. We conclude that heterozygotes conserve weight more efficiently under temperature and nutritive stress and that this may be expected to enhance viability and growth.
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Communicated by S.K. Pierce, College Park
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Rodhouse, P.G., Gaffney, P.M. Effect of heterozygosity on metabolism during starvation in the American oysterCrassostrea virginica . Mar. Biol. 80, 179–187 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02180185
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02180185