Oxygen Consumption in Crustaceans — VAN Weel et al. 
217 
supply of oxygen, so that only during the 
night an appreciable drop of the oxygen ten- 
sion of the water may be expected. Again, 
currents and tides will counteract this drop 
in part, so that the local oxygen deficiency is 
probably not very great. 
With Podophthalmus the picture is a differ- 
ent one. The crab, which swims surprisingly 
little and remains buried in the mud during 
the day, lives in a habitat decidedly poor in 
oxygen. A physiological adaptation could be 
expected and is apparent: utilization shows 
a gradual but definite increase until a level 
of 3 cc. O2/I. is reached, after which it in- 
creases more slowly and evenly until the water 
contains 1.4 cc. O2/I., at which point the 
safety measure is thrown into gear. 
SUMMARY 
1. The oxygen consumption of Metopograp- 
sus messor Forskal, Pseudozius caystrus Adam 
and White, Phymodius ungulatus Milne Ed- 
wards, Platypodia granulosa Riippell, Calappa 
hepatica Linn., Pseudosquilla ciliata Miers, and 
Podophthalmus vigil Fabricius in running sea 
water of varying oxygen tensions was studied. 
All these animals belong to the so-called ad- 
justable type of respirers, in that oxygen con- 
sumption decreases more or less proportion- 
ately with the oxygen tension of the water. 
2 . Analysis of the utili zation of oxygen (per- 
centage of oxygen consumed from the avail- 
able oxygen) shows that at low oxygen 
tensions the metabolism of the animals 
changes, a change which counteracts partly 
the lack of oxygen of the surroundings. 
3. The ecological importance of the dif- 
ferent types of oxygen utilization is discussed. 
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