Utilization of Organic Carbon by a Marine Crustacean: Analysis with Carbon-14

Abstract

An isotope-dilution technique using carbon-14 was employed to determine quantitatively the carbon budget of a filter-feeding crustacean. The amount of carbon ingested ranged between 0.044 and 0.139 mg. Incorporation of carbon varied between 11.3 and 73.6 percent per day per organism, with an average of 32.5 percent for the animals tested. Values for oxygen consumption are given as they relate to carbon intake and utilization.