Metabolic End Products in Three Species of Marine Gastropods

Abstract

One commonly held opinion about the metabolism of intertidal gastropods has recently been expressed by Newell (1970) who stated that in moist air these - as well as other intertidal - animals will respire air ‘whereas under conditions of desiccation closure of… the operculum… may result in anaerobic respiration occurring with the production of lactic acid’ (pp. 266–267). However, although anaerobiosis certainly does occur in intertidal gastropods (Patané, 1957; McMahon & Russell-Hunter, 1978) the conditions controlling this type of metabolism are far from clear. Moreover, recent studies (summarized by de Zwaan, 1977) have revealed a complex pattern of anaerobic metabolism in invertebrates in which the production of lactate is only one - and certainly not the most important - element.