A laboratory study on digestive processes in the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, with special regard to chitinolytic enzymes

Abstract

Feeding experiments of 9, 14 and 20 days duration were carried out on the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba. Two groups were fed with the chitinous diatom Cyclotella cryptica and the non-chitinous green algae Dunaliella bioculata, respectively. A control group remained unfed. The time courses of the activities of endo- and exochitinase in the stomach and the midgut gland were compared with those of the digestive enzymes protease, cellulase (1,4-β-d-glucanase) and laminarinase (1,3-β-d-glucanase). Specific activities of all enzymes were higher in the stomach than in the midgut gland. Characteristic time courses of activity were evident after 4 days. In starved animals, enzyme activities decreased to a minimum after 4 days and recovered within 14 days to initial values. In the stomach, the activities of endo- and exochitinase increased when krill were fed on Cyclotella. For animals fed with Dunaliella, activities stayed constant or decreased slightly. The results confirm chitinases as digestive enzymes and, therefore, the capability of krill to utilize various food sources.