MARINE vertebrates: AMPHIBIANS: OCEAN BED 



(c) anaerobic carotene synthesis and/or reduction of xanthophylls 

 by chromogenic micro-organisms. 



Some approximate but very suggestive calculations have been made 

 by Fox et al.^* Taking mussel faeces as typical of marine detritus, 

 they contain 12 per cent, of lipids, 68 mg./lOO g. of xanthophylls, and 

 12 mg./lOO g. of carotenes ;*° corresponding mean values for bottom 

 sediments are 2 per cent, of lipids, 2 mg./lOO g. of xanthophylls, and 

 8 mg./lOO g. of carotenes. The process of early fossilization thus 

 represents a loss of 83 per cent, of lipids, 97 per cent, of xanthophylls, 

 but only 33-3 per cent, of carotenes. Basing the figures on the pigment 

 content of the lipids, the comparatively great stability of the carotenes 

 is even more evident ; the concentration of xanthophylls in lipids 

 decreases by 83 per cent, whilst that of the carotenes is increased by 

 400 per cent. 



No phytofluene occurs in extracts of bottom sediments, but some 

 unidentified material exhibiting a blue fluorescence in ultra-violet 

 light and an absorption spectrum around 260 my., have been noted. * ^ 

 Recently, Petracek, Fox and Zechmeister * ^ have shown that carotenes 

 also predominate over xanthophylls in inter-tidal ocean mud (from 

 Mission Bay, CaUfomia) and that blue fluorescent materials are present 

 but that phytofluene is absent. 



REFERENCES 



1. See Lederer, E. (1935), Les Carotenoides des Animaux. Paris. Hermann. 



2. LoJWBERG, E. (1930), Ark. ZooL, 21A, No. 11. 



3. Lederer, E. (1934), C. r. Soc. Biol, Paris, 117, 1086. 



4. Lederer, E. (1937), Recherches sur les Carotenoides des Animaux inferieurs et des Cryptogams. 



Paris. Lons-Le-Saunier. 



5. Karrer, p., and Solmssen, U. (1935), Helv. Chim. Acta, 18, 915. 



6. Heilbron, I, M., Parry, E. G., Phipers, R. F. (1935), Biochem. jf., 29, 1369. 



7. LOnnberg, E. (1931), Ark. ZooL, 22A, No. 14. 



8. LOnnberg, E, (1940), Ark. ZooL, 33B, No. 1. 



8a. Goodwin, T. W. (1951), Biochem. Soc. Symp., 6, 63. 



9. Bailey, B. E. (1937), J. BioL Board Canada, 3, 1469. 



10. Schmidt-Nielsen, S., SOrensen, N. A., and Trumpey, B. (1932), KgL Norsk. Viden- 



skab. Selskab. Skrifter, 4, 114. 



11. Lederer, E. (1935), C. r. Soc. BioL, 118, 542. 



12. Sumner, F. B., and Fox, D. L. (1933), J. exp. ZooL, 66, 263. 



13. SuMTJER, F. B., and Fox, D. L. (1935), Jf. exp. ZooL, 71, 101. 



14. Fox, D. L. (1935), Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. Washington, 21, 330. 



15. Fox, D. L. (1936), Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., Washington, 22, 50. 



15a. Kritzler, H., Fox, D. L., Hubbs, C. L., and Crane, S. C. (1951), Copeia, p. 125, 



16. Goodwin, T. W. (1949), Unpublished work. 



17. Fontaine, M., and Busnel, R. G. (1937), C. r. Acad. Set., Paris, 204, 1591. 



18. L5NNBERG, E. (1930), Ark. ZooL, 28A, Nos. 4, 15. 



19. LOnnberg, E. (1938), Ark. ZooL, 31 A, No. U 



20. Wald, G. (1936), y. gen. PhysioL, 20, 45. 



21. Emmerie, a., Eekelen, M. van., Josephy, B., and Woolf, L. (1934), Acta Brev. Neerland, 



4, 139. 



22. Euler, H. von., HellstrOm, H., and Malmberg, M. (1933), Svensk. Kern. Tid., 45, 151. 

 22a. Euler, H. v., PiELLSTROM, H., and Klussman, E. (1934), Hoppe-SeyL Z., 223, 89. 



23. BURKHARDT, G. N., Heilbron, I. M., JACKSON, H., Parry, E. G., and LOVERN, J. A. (1934), 



Biochem. Jf., 28, 1698. 



24. SOrensen, N. A. (1934), KgL Norsk. Videnskab. Selskab. Skrifter, 6, 1. 



25. Festenstein, G. N. (1951). Unpublished observations. 



26. Young, R. T., and Fox, D. L. (1936), BioL BuU. Woods Hole, 71, 217. 



199 



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