NITROGEN EXCRETION IN THE BIVALVE MOLLUSCS

The effects of temperature and salinity on tile rates of ammonia and amino nitrogen excretion, and oxygen consumption were measured for Crassostrea gigas. There was variability with temperature and salinity changes in both the rates of nitrogen excretion and the proportionality between ,ammonia and amino acids in the excreta, and also in the rates of oxygen consumption. Rates of nitrogen excretion and oxygen consumption were markedly decreased with increase in salinity, especially at high salinity-high temperature, whereas at low salinity-high temperature condition they were significantly increased. These changes are considered as the responses of physiological tolerances to the high temperature stress and the results of the metabolic temperature compensation at the low salinity-high temperature condition. Most of nitrogenous excretory products was ammonia, and large amounts of amino-nitrogen was excreted, and especially the rate of amino-nitrogen excretion was dominant at . The amounts of amino-nitrogen excreted by animals were decreased in the medium of high salinity and increased in the medium of low salinity through the experimental temperature. The atomic ratios of oxygen consumed to ammonia-nitrogen excreted (O: N ratio) was low at the low temperature , and was high at and in the medium of 32.5 and but low in the low salinity .