attthor's abstract op this paper issued 

 bt the bibliographic service, march 14 



OXYGEN SUPPLY OF CERTAIN ANIMALS LIVING IN 

 WATER CONTAINING NO DISSOLVED OXYGEN 



ARCH E. COLE 

 Zoological Laboratories of the University of Wisconsin 



TWO FIGURES 



CONTENTS 



Introduction 293 



Review of literature relating to the physiology of animals in an oxygen-free 



environment 295 



Physiology of the larva of Chironomus tentans in oxygen-free environment 



in Lake Mendota, and theories relating to the source of its energy 298 



1. Anoxybiotic source of energy 303 



2. Haemoglobin as a storehouse for oxygen 304 



3. Production of oxygen by enzymatic action 305 



4. Liberation of oxygen by the decomposition of plants 310 



Discussion of the metabolism of other animals living in oxygen-free environ- 

 ments in Lake Mendota in view of the theories suggested 312 



Summary and conclusions 313 



Bibliography 315 



Appendix. 317 



INTRODUCTION 



Biologists have always displayed keen interest in problems 

 relating to the metabolic activities of organisms which live in 

 oxygen-free environments. It has been long known that certain 

 bacteria normally live without oxygen; in fact, some are even 

 unable to exist in its presence. Pfliiger ('75) and Bunge ('83) 

 showed that many invertebrates and even some vertebrates were 

 able to carry on metabolic activities for a very limited period of 

 time in the absence of oxygen. In 1908 Juday reported that 

 several animals, including a mollusc, annelids, and the larvae of 

 several insects, annually passed periods of three to four months 

 at the bottom of Lake Mendota in an environment in which 

 oxygen could not be demonstrated. 



293 



