The experimental studies on the carbon and nitrogen budgets of Pseudeuphausia sinica

The carbon and nitrogen budgets were estimated on the adult females, juveniles and postfurcilia larvae of Pseudeuphausia sinica fed on newly hatching nauplii of Artemia salina in the laboratory. It was found that the ingestion rate was linearly related to the food concentration, suggesting high feeding potential. The linear correlation could be established between the respirating rate (carbon consumption rate) and carbon ingestion rate, as well as carbon assimilation rate. The regression coefficients (i.e.specific dynamic action coefficients) were in the range from 9% to 16% (ingested C) or 10% to 17% (assimilated C) respectively, with lower in the post-furcilia larvae. There also existed a linear correlation equation between estimated total nitrogen excretion rate and the rates of nitrogen ingestion and assimilation separately, except for the juveniles. The defecation rates increased with the increase of the ingestion rate; as a result, assimilation efficiency was not related to the ingestion rate, ranging from 0.84 to 0.95. The results inducated that the nitrogen content in food particles was a key factor limiting the growth of P. sinica. The critical ingestion rate was 10 μgN·mg^-1 body dry weight per day. Assimilated N was lost mostly by excretion, following allocated to somatic growth. The nitrogen loss by moult only accounted for a minor part. As for carbon budget, respiration and somatic growth also accounted for most of assimilation, but varied with ingestion rates. Moult loss was minor. Estimated reproductive growth (C&N) in the adult females accounted for somewhat higher percent of assimilation than the moult growth. The net growth efficiency (K₂) increased with the increase of the ingestion rates, but decreased slightly for juvenile and post-furcilia larvae after the rates up to a certain value.