Condition indicators for Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba ...
Antarctic krill use a variety of strategies to cope with, and thrive in the highly variable Southern Ocean environment. Despite much detailed information on its basic biology produced so far, the linkages between krill populations and the environment are yet to be systematically investigated. There...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | unknown |
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University Of Tasmania
2023
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23213657.v1 https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Condition_indicators_for_Antarctic_krill_Euphausia_superba/23213657/1 |
| Summary: | Antarctic krill use a variety of strategies to cope with, and thrive in the highly variable Southern Ocean environment. Despite much detailed information on its basic biology produced so far, the linkages between krill populations and the environment are yet to be systematically investigated. There is a practical need to have standardised indicators to assess the 'condition' of krill in relation to seasonal cycles and shifts in physical regimes and this study has aimed to develop such indicators. The level of nucleic acids in abdominal tissue was determined as an estimator of growth rates of individual krill that could otherwise only be obtained by on-board experiments. The dynamics of the major digestive organ, the digestive gland, in its size, protein and lipid content and enzyme activities, were examined in relation to changing food regimes. The potential of using eye diameter as a long-term starvation indicator was also examined. The amount of RNA and RNA:DNA ratio in krill muscle exhibited a significant ... |
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