production rate measurements for local primary producers. The potential 

 [uantitative significance of fecal pellets as a food source is discussed. 

 A. A.) 



? 



Keywords: trophic relationships, fecal pellets, nutritional values, 

 food source 



III-F-4 



Haven, D.S., and R. Morales-Alamo, 



oysters and other invertebrate 



11:487-498. 



1966. Aspects of biodeposition by 

 filter feeders. Limnology and Oceanography 



Quantities of suspended matter removed by oysters ( Crassostrea 

 virqinica ) and deposited as feces or pseudofeces varied seasonally, 

 reaching maxima in September. Below 2.8°C, measurable quantities 

 were not produced. At certain seasons, levels of suspended solids 

 influenced quantities of biodeposits. Laboratory studies indicated 

 that the oysters on 0.405 hectare of an estuarine bottom may produce 

 up to 981 kg of feces and pseudofeces weekly. Of the particles, 

 95 percent were under 3 microns in diameter. All types of algal cells 

 present in the surrounding water were represented. The deposits 

 contained 77-91 percent inorganic matter, mostly illite, chlorite, 

 and mixed-layer clays, 4-12 percent organic carbon, and 1.0 g/kg 

 phosphorus. Biodeposits of filter feeders such as barnacles, tunicates, 

 and other lamellibranchs were similar to those of oysters. Filter 

 feeders may influence deposition, transport, and the composition of 

 suspended sediments in estuaries. A possible relationship between 

 the removal from suspension and the subsequent deposition of radio- 

 nuclides associated with particles of clay, silt, or planktonic algae 

 and feces or pseudofeces is suggested. (A. A.) 



Keywords: oysters, invertebrate filter feeders, biodeposition, 

 fecal pellets 



III-F-5 



Johannes, R.E., and M. Satomi . 1966. Composition and nutritive value 



of fecal pellets of a marine crustacean. Limnology and Oceanography 



11:191-197. 



The role of feces in energy flow and nutrient cycles in the marine 

 ecosystem was examined using fecal pellets of the shrimp Palaemonetes 

 pugio , fed on the diatom Nitzschia closterium . The pellets were rich 

 in organic matter, particularly protein. The feces were readily eaten 

 by P. pugio when diatoms were not available and assimilation efficiency 

 was"Trigh, indicating that the pellets contained considerable assimilable 

 organic matter. Solution and bacterial respiration reduced the organic 



142 



