THE ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF NITROGEN IN TEREDO BARTSCHI CLAPP

Abstract

The amino acid content of hydrolyzed T. bartschi of all ages was compared chromatographically with hydrolysates of pine wood and of nannoplankton. Wood appears to be deficient in the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, in the hetero-cyclic amino acid proline, and in valine, all of which are found in Teredo. Hydrolysates of nannoplankton contain all of these missing amino acids except phenylalanine. It is suggested that both wood and suspended nannoplankton are used as a dietary source of N by Teredo bartschi.