Abstract
Heat dissipation of sperm, eggs and various stages of the planktonic larvae of the mussel Mytilus edulis L. was recorded directly at 15°C. The absolute heat dissipation increased steadily over all stages examined. The massspecific heat dissipation also increased during early embryogenesis from the fertilized egg to the D-larval stage. Starting from the early veliconcha stage, however, the mass-specific rate of heat dissipation declined from about 90 m W g-1 with increasing body size with a weight exponent of-0.35. A comparison with literature data revealed a consistently higher metabolic activity than previously estimated by indirect calorimetry for gametes and larvae.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Ballentine, R.: Analysis of the changes in respiratory activity accompanying the fertilization of marine eggs. J. cell. comp. Physiol. 15, 217–232 (1940)
Bayne, B. L.: The biology of mussel larvae. In: Marine mussels: their ecology and physiology. pp 81–120. Ed. by B. L. Bayne. Cambridge: University Press 1976
Bayne, B. L., C. J. Bayne, T. C. Carefoot and R. J. Thompson: The physiological ecology of Mytilus californianus Conrad. I. Metabolism and energy balance. Oecologia (Berl.) 22, 211–228 (1976)
Berg, W. E. and P. B. Kutsky: Physiological studies of differentiation in Mytilus edulis. I. The oxygen uptake of isolated blastomeres and polar lobes. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 101, 47–61 (1951)
Black, R. E.: Respiration, electron transport enzymes and Krebs cycle enzymes in early developmental stages of the oyster Crassostrea virginica. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 123, 58–70 (1962)
Cleland, K. W.: Respiration and cell division in developing oyster eggs. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 75, 282–295 (1950)
Crisp, D. J.: The role of the pelagic larvae. In: Perspectives in experimental biology, Vol. 1, pp 145–155. Ed. by P. Spencer Davies. Oxford: Pergamon Press 1975
Davenport, J.: A technique for the measurement of oxygen consumption in small aquatic organisms. Lab. Pract. 25, 693–695 (1976)
Finlay, B. J. and G. Uhlig: Calorific and carbon values of marine and freshwater protozoa. Helgoländer Meeresunters. 34, 401–412 (1981)
Fry, F. E. J.: Effects of the environments on animal acivity. Univ. Toronto Stud. Biol. Ser. 55, 1–62 (1947)
Gnaiger, E.: Calculation of energetic and biochemical equivalents of respiratory oxygen consumption. In: Polarographic oxygen sensors — aquatic and physiological applications, pp 337–345. Ed. by E. Gnaiger and H. Forstner. Berlin: Springer 1983
Hamburger, K., F. Møhlenberg, A. Randløv and H. U. Riisgård: Size, oxygen consumption and growth in the mussel Mytilus edulis. Mar. Biol. 75, 303–306 (1983)
Kleiber, M.: Der Energiehaushalt von Mensch und Haustier, 358 pp. Hamburg: Parey 1967
Riisgård, H. U., A. Randløv and K. Hamburger: Oxygen consumption and clearance in Mytilus edulis L. veliger larvae of different size. Ophelia 20, 179–185 (1981)
Sprung, M.: Reproduction and fecundity of the mussel Mytilus edulis at Helgoland (North Sea). Helgoländer Meeresunters. 36, 243–255 (1983)
Sprung, M.: Physiological energetics of mussel larvae (Mytilus edulis). I. Shell growth and biomass. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 17, 283–293 (1984a)
Sprung, M.: Physiological energetics of mussel larvae (Mytilus edulis). III. Respiration. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 18, 171–178 (1984b)
Sprung, M.: Experiments on nutritional stress on the larvae of the mussel Mytilus edulis. In: Marine biology of polar regions and effects of stress on marine organisms, pp 567–575. Ed. by J. S. Gray and M. E. Christiansen. Chichester: Wiley 1985
Sprung, M. and B. L. Bayne: Some practical aspects of fertilizing the eggs of the mussel Mytilus edulis L. J. Cons. int. Explor. Mer 41, 125–128 (1984)
Widdows, J.: The effect of temperature on the metabolism and activity of Mytilus edulis L. Neth. J. Sea Res. 7, 387–398 (1973)
Widdows, J.: Application of calorimetric methods in ecological studies. In: Thermal studies of cellular biological systems. Ed. by A. M. James. Bristol: Adam Hilger (In press)
Widdows, J. and J. M. Shick: Physiological responses of Mytilus edulis and Cardium edule to aerial exposure. Mar. Biol. 85, 217–232 (1985)
Zeuthen, E.: Body size and metabolic rate in the animal kingdom with special regard to the marine microfauna. C. r. Trav. Lab. Carlsberg, Sér. chim. 26, 17–161 (1947)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sprung, M., Widdows, J. Rate of heat dissipation by gametes and larval stages of Mytilus edulis . Mar. Biol. 91, 41–45 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397569
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397569