Energy metabolism ofChironomus anthracinus(Diptera: Chironomidae) from the profundal zone of Lake Esrom, Denmark, as a function of body size, temperature and oxygen concentration
✍ Scribed by Kirsten Hamburger; Peter C. Dall; Claus Lindegaard
- Publisher
- Springer
- Year
- 1994
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 538 KB
- Volume
- 294
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1573-5141
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✦ Synopsis
The profundal zone of Lake Esrom, Denmark has a dense population of Chironomus anthracinus, which survives 2-4 months of oxygen depletion each summer during stratification . The metabolism of 3rd and 4th instar larvae was examined in regard to variation in biomass and temperature . Respiration at air saturation was described by a curvilinear multiple regression relating oxygen consumption to individual AFDW and temperature . At 10 °C and varying oxygen regimes the 02 consumption and CO2 production of 4th instar larvae were almost unaltered from saturation to about 3 mg 02 1 -l , but decreased steeply below this level . The respiratory quotient increased from 0 .82 at saturation to about 3 .4 at oxygen concentrations near 0 .5 mg 02 1 -1 . This implied a shift from aerobic to partially anaerobic metabolism . At 0 .5 mg 021 -1 the total energy production equalled 20% of the rate at saturation of which more than one third was accounted for by anaerobic degradation of glycogen . This corresponded to a daily loss of 12 pg mg AFDW -1 or approximately 5% of the body reserves . At unchanged metabolic rate the glycogen store would last three weeks, but long term oxygen deficiency causes a further suppression of the energy metabolism in C. anthracinus .