Growth, feeding frequency, protein turnover, and amino acid metabolism in European lobster Homarus gammarus L.

Abstract The effect of feeding frequency on growth and protein metabolism in the European lobster, Homarus gammarus , was investigated. Fourth (IV) stage lobsters H. gammarus were fed individually a marine animal meal (herring/mussels meal) for 56 days. Feeding a daily ration equivalent to 10% of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Experimental Zoology
Main Authors: Mente, Eleni, Houlihan, Dominic F., Smith, Kerry
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2001
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jez.1023
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjez.1023
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jez.1023
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Summary:Abstract The effect of feeding frequency on growth and protein metabolism in the European lobster, Homarus gammarus , was investigated. Fourth (IV) stage lobsters H. gammarus were fed individually a marine animal meal (herring/mussels meal) for 56 days. Feeding a daily ration equivalent to 10% of their body weight gave better growth than feeding daily rations of 5% and 20%. Protein synthesis rates were similar for the three food rations but protein growth rates were significantly lower and protein degradation rates highest in the 5% body weight per day ration group. The efficiency with which synthesised protein was retained as growth was found to be 38% in the in the 10% ratio group. Protein synthesis rates of lobsters were found to be lower than those for shrimps ( Penaeus vannamei ). The amino acid flux also suggests a lower protein conversion efficiency than shrimps P. vannamei . The results suggests that lobsters are slow, periodic feeders and that growth can be readily increased by manipulation of particular environmental factors such as feeding frequency. J. Exp. Zool. 289:419–432, 2001 . © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.