Free Amino Acid Content — Schafer 
55 
TABLE 2 
Free Amino Acids Present in Specimens of the Crab, 
Pachygrapsus crassipes, FROM FOUR NONPOLLUTED and Three POLLUTED AREAS 
ALANINE 
ARGININE 
ASPARTIC ACID 
ASPARAGINE 
| CYSTINE 
GLUTAMIC ACID 
GLYCINE 
HISTIDINE 
LEUCINES 
LYSINE 
| METHIONINE 
[ PHENYLALANINE 
W 
z 
0 
PS 
SERINE 
THREONINE 
TYROSINE 
VALINE 
UNKNOWN #1 
Santa Catalina Is 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X_ 
X 
X 
X 
2< 
X 
X 
22 
X 
X 
2< 
Anacapa Is 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
x_ 
2< 
X 
X 
X 
X 1 
2< 
San Clemente Is 
X 
X 
X 
xl 
X 
X 
X 
X 
21 
2< 
21 
X 
X 
xl 
Morro Bay 
X 
xl 
x i 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
Xl 
2< 
White’s Point 
X 
x xl 
xj 
X 
X 
X 
X 
2! 
2< 
X 
X 
X 
xl 
L. A. Harbor 
X 
x 1 X 1 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
n 
X 
X 
X 
X 
xl 
Alamitos Bay 
X 
X| 
X| 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X | 
from sewage. Since the role of the free amino 
acids in the animal body is as yet not completely 
understood, it is not possible to state what 
physiological mechanisms have been altered by 
these environmental changes or whether one or 
both of the factors have operated to bring about 
the altered free amino acid metabolism. That 
a biochemical change as well as a morphological 
change has occurred is evident. 
SUMMARY 
1. Specimens of the abalone, Haliotis cra- 
cherodii, and the crab, Pachygrapsus crassipes, 
were collected from clean and polluted waters. 
2. Chromatographic analysis of the free amino 
acids of these forms were made by two-dimen- 
sional paper chromatography. 
3. Specimens from polluted areas were found 
to be lacking in asparagine. This amino acid 
was present in specimens from clean waters. 
4. Phenylalanine and three unidentified amino 
acids, not found in Haliotis cracherodii from 
clean water, were present in this species taken 
from polluted water. 
5. Polluted waters differed from nonpolluted 
waters in that they showed a depletion of avail- 
able oxygen and an increase in nutrients. 
REFERENCES 
Kinne, Otto. 1958. Uber die Reaktion erbglei- 
chen Coelenteraten-gewebes auf verschiedene 
Salzgehalts und Temperaturbedigen, II. Mit- 
teilung fiber den Einfluss des Salzgehaltes auf 
Wachstum und Entwicklung mariner, brack - 
ischer und limnischer Organismen. Zool. 
Jahrb. Abt. Zool. Physiol. Tiere 67(4): 407- 
488. 
Lane, C. E., and R. D. Schafer. 1959. Work 
in progress. 
Reish, D. J. 1956. An ecological study of lower 
San Gabriel River, California, with special 
reference to pollution. Calif. Fish and Game 
42(1): 51-61. 
— — — 1959- Unpublished data. Personal com- 
munication. 
Stephenson, R. E., and John R. Grady. 1956. 
Plankton and associated nutrients in the wa- 
ter surrounding three sewer outfalls in south- 
ern California. Report to Hyperion Engineers, 
Inc. Univ. of Southern Calif. Press. 48 pp. 
Wilson, D. P., and F. A. J. Armstrong. 1958. 
Biological differences between sea waters: 
Experiments in 1954 and 1955. Jour. Marine 
Biol. Assoc. United Kingdom 37(2): 331- 
348. 
