FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 87, NO. 3, 1989 



Table 7. — Weight-specific oxygen consumptions (Qoj) of marine fish larvae. Values given are for feeding-stage larvae. Some 

 Qoj values were calculated from oxygen uptake on larval weight regressions if these were given by the authors. 



'Tiiese values were calculated from the respiration on 

 were not used in denving the Eq. 7 relationship between 



larval weight regressions in Laurence (1978). The values seem inordinately high and 

 Q02 and temperature. 



Table 8. — Average energy budgets of first-feeding marine fish larvae derived from the growth, metabolism and growth efficiency 

 data in the published literature. Absolute and relative (i.e. percent) budgets are presented for 10°, 20", and 30°C. I = ingestion 

 and G = growth (both assumed to have equivalencies of 5,000 cal g '). M = metabolism (converted from Qo^ to energy units 

 by the oxycalorific equivalent of 0.00463 cal ^.L ' O2). F = feces (calculated by difference). Budget \s I = G + M + F. K, = 

 G/l K2 = G/{G + M)A = {G+ M)/l. 



induce large changes in stage duration when 

 temperature is low, a result that may signifi- 

 cantly affect the recruitment process. 



Within a species gross growth efficiency 

 varies inversely in relation to ingestion 

 (Checkley 1984; Kiorboe et al. 1987), and it prob- 

 ably varies in relation to other environmental 

 factors as well. But, on average, the calculated 

 gross growth efficiency for marine fish larvae 

 equaled 0.29 ± 0.06 and there is no apparent 

 relationship to temperature. It is noteworthy 



that the mean gross growth efficiency calculated 

 for marine fish larvae is identical to that re- 

 ported for juvenile carnivorous fishes (Brett and 

 Groves 1979). Because growth efficiency does 

 not increase, larvae at high temperatures must 

 attain fast gi'owth through increased food con- 

 sumption. The derived relationship between 

 ingestion and temperature indicates that inges- 

 tion must increase nearly threefold to support 

 average growth at 30°C compared to 10°C. 

 Values of gross growth efficiency exceeding 



486 



