CLUTTER and THEILACKER: PELAGIC MYSID SHRIMP 



of animal being alive at age x) schedules and 

 average generation time of the field population. 

 The field and laboratory data were combined in 

 an analysis of the efliciency of energy transfer 

 through the Metamysidopsis population to the 

 organisms that feed on them. 



CUMULATIVE ENERGY CURVES 



At age zero the egg contains about 0.04 cal. 

 Ten days later, at the time it is released from 

 the brood pouch, the larva contains about 0.03 

 cal. Thereafter the average calorie content in- 

 creases in proportion to the dry weight (4.6 cal/ 

 mg). The average schedules of energy incor- 



10 30 50 70 90 



Aga Idon) 



Figure 12.— Cumulative energy used by individual Meta- 

 mysidopsis females. The curves are additive, i.e. the 

 space between the lower two curves represents the 

 cumulative energy lost in molts, the next higher space 

 represents energy used to produce eggs (both fertilized 

 and unfertilized), etc. — so that the upper curve repre- 

 sents cumulative energy used for all processes. 



poration differ between males and females after 

 about 30 days; the rate of incorporation becomes 

 lower and levels off sooner in males. The ac- 

 cumulation of body energy is shown as the low- 

 est curves in Figure 12 (females) and Figure 

 13 (males). 



The amount of energy lost in molts varies 

 with age because the size of the molt increases 

 and the molting frequency decreases. Females 

 and males have different cumulative losses of 

 energy from molting because their growth rates 

 are different after age 30 days, and their molting 

 frequencies are different (Table 1.) Although 

 the actual loss of energy in molting occurs at 

 discrete intervals, we have plotted the cumula- 

 tive energy loss as smooth curves, because the 

 accumulation of energy for integument forma- 

 tion probably is continuous. Cumulative energy 

 loss in molting is shown as the second curve in 

 Figure 12 (females) and Figure 13 (males). 

 The cumulative energy curves are additive, i.e. 

 the area between the first curve (body energy) 

 and second curve (molting energy) represents 

 the cumulative energy loss in molts. 



Figure 13. — Cumulative energy used by individual Meta- 

 mysidopsis males. The curves are additive (see Fig. 12) . 



109 



