ISSN:
1573-5125
Keywords:
copepod grazing
;
chlorophyll degradation
;
carotenoid enrichment
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract During grazing of the copepodTemora longicornis onThalassiosira eccentrica phaeophorbide-a and several phaeophytins-a appeared in the culture vessels. However, a variable portion of the diatom's chlorophyll-a was degraded to substances that could not be detected either spectrophotometrically or fluorometrically. Chlorophyll-c and fucoxanthin were also lost during diatom cell transit throughTemora's gut. The variability between experiments in the destruction of chl.a to colourless residues is ascribed to differences in coprophagy and in transit time through the copepod gut, processes related to filtering rate and the ambient food concentration. Because the pigment loss is variable, grazing pressure cannot be estimated by simply recording bulk phaeopigment concentrations. The net result of the appearance of a fucoxanthinol-like pigment while all other pigments disappeared is a gradual carotenoid enrichment of the samples during grazing.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02259591
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