Seasonal cycles in the carotenoid content in Mytilus edulis

The carotenoid content of Mytilus edulis was studied over a period of 3 years from 1965 to 1967; a seasonal cycle was observed which appeared to be controlled by the spring bloom of phytoplankton, and the sexual cycle of the mussel. Infestation by the copepod Mytilicola intestinalis and hours of exposure in the tidal cycle were found to contribute to variations in carotenoid content. Maturation of the gonads and spawning occurred in the late spring and early summer of the period studied. In addition, a second sexual phase was recorded in October 1967. The possible effect of exposure on the time of spawning is discussed. Lack of food affects both carotenoid content and the maturation of the gonads. M. edulis kept at 10 °C with little food showed no seasonal variation in the carotenoid content when compared with animals fresh from the shore. Lack of food resulted in regression in gonadal tissue after a period of time, and an absence of mature and spawning individuals.     

Seasonal biochemical composition and energy sources of Sagitta hispida

There are few available data on the biochemical composition of warm-water zooplankton in general, and chaetognaths in particular. Unlike populations from higher latitudes, many species probably breed to some extent throughout the year, with life cycles measured in weeks rather than months or years. Analysis of protein, fat, carbohydrate and ash in the chaetognath Sagitta hispida Conant over 1 year showed that, although protein is always the largest component, averaging 53% of the dry weight, it fluctuates widely. The non-protein fraction of the total nitrogen also fluctuates and averages over a third of the total. Experimentally fed and starved animals showed no such protein variability, which was ascribed, there-fore, to changes in environmental parameters other than food availability (e.g. salinity). Starved animals used up body protein, and the O:N ratio in freshly-caught animals also indicated a protein-based metabolism. Periods of starvation of at least 1/4 the length of its life cycle could be tolerated. S. hispida may be added to the list of a variety of planktonic groups over a range of latitudes and feeding habits, which appear to utilize protein as a normal energy source and reserve material.     

Proximate composition and energy content of mesopelagic fishes from the eastern Gulf of Mexico

The proximate composition of 33 species of mesopelagic fishes collected from the eastern Gulf of Mexico during May–June 1984, July–November 1985 and January 1986 was determined. Water level increased and ash-free dry weight (% dry weight) and protein level (% wet weight) decreased with increasing species' minimum depth of occurrence (that depth below which 90% of a species' population lives). Lipid level (% wet weight or % ash-free dry weight), did not change with species' minimum depth of occurrence. Skeletal ash level (% wet weight) generally decreased with minimum depth of occurrence, whereas carbohydrate level did not change with depth. The variable water level, low lipid level, and high protein level in eastern Gulf of Mexico fishes resulted in a low energy content. These results are generally characteristic of fishes from warm, stable regions of low productivity, such as the eastern North Pacific Gyre. The constant food supply provided by a stable environment may obviate the need for large lipid reserves, in contrast to colder waters at higher latitudes where food availability is seasonal. In addition, the large energy requirements for diel excursions into high-temperature surface waters by the many vertically migrating fishes of this region may influence lipid deposition. The relatively high protein level found in migrators compared to that in non-migrators or weak migrators indicates that locomotory demands influence the percentage of protein found in Gulf fishes. The lack of a positive correlation between protein level and the food availability of a zoogeographic region, suggested in previous studies, is supported here.     

Distribution and abundance of marine fish larvae in relation to effluent plumes from sewage outfalls and depth of water

Fish larvae were sampled in and below three separate sewage plumes associated with the cliff-face (shoreline) outfalls at North Head, Bondi and Malabar, and at three control (non-plume) sites located>8 km away from the sewage outfalls, at Long Reef, Port Hacking and Marley Beach, in nearshore waters off Sydney, south-eastern Australia. Samples were collected at the surface and at 20 m depth during three periods: December 1989, April/May 1990 and August/September 1990. In December 1989, a greater number of taxa were caught at both depths at the plume sites compared to the control sites, but this did not occur during the other two sampling periods. Similarly, in April/May 1990, greater numbers of the clupeid Hyperlophus vittatus but fewer anthiines were caught at both depths near the outfalls (plume sites). Myctophids were more numerous in surface samples, but not at 20 m, at the plume sites in both April/May and August/September 1990, whereas in April/May 1990, labrids and anguilliformes were less abundant at 20 m at the plume sites compared to the control sites. These differences in the numbers of fish larvae caught may have been an effect of the effluent plumes, but these results were only correlative. The results most probably reflect spatial heterogeneity in the distribution and relative abundance of fish larvae nearshore to Sydney. There were striking differences, however, in the number of fish larvae caught at the surface and at 20 m, and among sampling periods, but these differences were similar across all sites. Of the 46 taxa considered common, 33 occurred in greater numbers at 20 m than at the surface, whereas only 8 taxa were caught in greater numbers at the surface. The composition of the fish larvae also differed markedly among sampling periods; few taxa were common to all three sampling periods. Greater numbers of fish larvae were caught in April/May and August/September 1990 than in December 1989, particularly at 20 m depth. The data highlight the large spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the distribution and relative abundance of fish larvae nearshore to Sydney and the difficulty of identifying effects that are solely due to sewage plumes.     

Proximate and elemental composition and energy content of mesopelagic crustaceans from the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

The proximate and elemental chemical compositions of 25 species of pelagic decapod and mysid crustaceans collected from the eastern Gulf of Mexico (27°N; 86°W, 1984 to 1989) was examined. Water level ranged from 63 to 95% and increased slightly with species' increased depth of occurrence. Protein levels were generally high (1.5 to 18.3% wet wt, WW; 27.6 to 62.4% ash-free dry wt, AFDW) and comprised the primary organic component in the majority of species. Protein, both as % WW and % AFDW, decreased with increased depth of occurrence. In contrast to protein, lipid levels were low (0.5 to 8.9% WW; 5.7 to 60.9% AFDW), and increased with increased depth of occurrence. Carbon and nitrogen best mirrored measured lipid and protein levels when considered as non-protein carbon and non-chitin nitrogen, respectively. C:N ratios increased with increased depth, consistent with changes in protein and lipid with depth. Because of their compositional attributes, resident Gulf of Mexico species have a low total wet weight energy content relative to species from more productive regions. Energy content showed no significant trend with depth. Vertical migration patterns were distinctly different between shallow-and deep-living gulf species and these differences were largely responsible for the relationships observed between composition and depth. In migrating species, the protein and nitrogen content were higher, the lipid and carbon contents and C:N ratio lower, than in non-migrating species. Three deep-living species of the genus Acanthephyra were found to be compositionally atypical, resembling shallow, migrating types rather than other deep-living, non-migratory species.     

Impact of industrial effluents on the biochemical composition of fresh water fish Labeo rohita

In acute toxicity (96 hr) experiment the fingerlings of freshwater fish Labeo rohita was exposed to tannery, electroplating and textile mill effluents. The LC0 and LC50 concentrations were 15% and 20% for tannery effluents, 3% and 6% for electroplating effluents and 18% and 22% for textile mill effluents respectively. It was found that, electroplating effluent was more toxic than tannery and textile mill wastes. After acute toxicity experiments for different industrial effluents, various tissues viz. gill, liver, muscle and kidney were obtained separately from control, LC0 and LC50 groups. These tissues were used for biochemical estimations. The glycogen content in all the tissues decreased considerably upon acute toxicity of three industrial effluents except muscle in LC50 group of tannery effluent and kidney in LC50 group of textile mill effluent, when compared to control group. The total protein content decreased in all tissues in three effluents except gills in LC50 group of tannery effluent, kidney in LC50 group of electroplating effluent and kidney in LC0 group of textile mill effluent. In general total lipid content decreased in all tissues after acute exposure when compared to control group. The results obtained in the present study showed that, the industrial effluents from tannery, electroplating and textile mills caused marked depletion in biochemical composition in various tissues of the fish Labeo rohita after acute exposure.     

Seasonal composition of meroplankton and holoplankton in the Bristol Channel

A decreasing gradation in the plankton standing stock of the Bristol Channel was observed from the seaward section to the inner, less saline, reaches. Two sub-regions of our survey, the North Outer Channel (NOC) and the Inner Channel (IC), represented the extremes of this gradient and were selected for detailed comparison. The integrated zooplankton biomass, over the 307 d sampling period (4 November 1973 to 6 September 1974), was 2 475 mg C m^-3 (266 mg C m^-2 d^-1) in the NOC and 335 mg C m^-3 (20 mg C m^-2 d^-1) in the IC. The omnivorous plankton accounted for 76% of the standing stock in the NOC and 89% in the IC, of which 58 and 23% were meroplankton and 39 and 71% were holoplankton, respectively; the remainder was unassigned. The majority of the meroplankton in both subregions was decapod larvae and adults, whereas the holoplankton biomass was dominated in the NOC by copepods (89%) and in the IC by mysids (57%), mainly Schistomyzis spiritus. Centropages hamatus was the most abundant copepod species in the NOC and accounted for 32% of the total holoplankton omnivore standing stock. In the NOC and IC, the carnivorous plankton accounted for 24 and 11% of the total plankton biomass, respectively. In the two sub-regions, 20 and 21% of the carnivores were meroplanktonic (primarily larvae of sprats and pilchards), while the holoplankton carnivores contributed 75 and 74% to the NOC and IC, respectively (Sagitta elegans, Pleurobrachia pileus). S. elegans dominated the holoplankton carnivore biomass for the majority of the year and accounted for 96% in the NOC and 60% in the IC. The integrated total particulate carbon over the 307 d period was 200 g C m^-3 (6 600 g C m^-2) in the NOC and 838 g C m^-3 (15 084 g C m^-2) in the IC. The annual primary production ranged from 164.9 g C m^-2 yr^-1 in the Outer Channel (North and South) to 6.8 g C m^-2 yr^-1 in the IC. The zooplankton biomass reached a maximum in July. The total particulate carbon (TPC) in July was 400 mg C m^-3 in the NOC of which ca. 78 mg C m^-3 were phytoplankton and ca. 21 mg C m^-3 were zooplankton; these values compare favourably with those found in the adjoining Celtic Sea. In the IC, the TPC was 2 800 mg C m^-3, of which ca. 107 mg C m^-3 were phytoplankton and 2.8 mg C m^-3 were zooplankton. From the low primary production estimates for the IC it can be concluded that the majority of the chlorophyll, like the TPC, was allochthonous in origin. Furthermore it is suggested that zooplankton plays a minor role in this estuarine ecosystem and is not the main consumer of the suspended particulate carbon; the benthic filter-feeding communities are presumed to fulfill this role in the Bristol Channel.     

Molecular structure and composition of fish otoliths

Recent and fossil otoliths from 25 different fishes have been studied for their amino acid content and for their C¹³/C¹² and O¹⁸/O¹⁶ distribution in the carbonate fraction. The selection includes specimens from a wide phylogenetic range as well as from various freshwater and marine habitats. All otoliths are composed of aragonite, and their total organic matter ranges from 0.2 to 10%. The organic matter is a protein (MW>150,000), which is characterized by a high abundance of acidic amino acids. In comparison to molluscs that exhibit a wide variety of different mineralized tissues which are species specific, the proteinaceous matter of all otoliths is chemically rather uniform. The high abundance of oxygen-rich amino acids accounts for the ease of mineralization of the organic template. Namely, oxygen supplied by carboxyl grops is used for the coordination of Ca⁺⁺ ions, resulting in the formation of metal ion coordination polyhedra. Carbonate groups linked via hydrogen bridges to the template will exchange their oxygen with that of the metal polyhedra to stabilize the structure; Ca⁺⁺O₉ polyhedra are the consequence. Subsequent nucleation and crystal growth will lead to aragonite. Oxygen and carbon isotope data indicate that the aragonite is formed close to isotopic equilibrium with the sea. This is surprising, because seawater has no direct access to the inner ear where the otolith orginates. Isotope data may serve a threefold purpose: (1) to determine the mean water temperature where the fish lived, (2) to distinguish between fresh water and marine fish in ancient deposits, and (3) to reveal information on migrtory tendencies of fish.Contribution No. 2214 from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.     

Seasonal changes in the chemical composition of Sargassum muticum

The alga Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt, a member of the Phaeophyceae, exhibits a growth cycle at Bembridge, Isle of Wight (UK), in which large annual fronds develop from much smaller perennating structures. Seasonal changes between April 1977 and June 1978 in the chemical composition of the alga were recorded. The content of inorganic ions, alginate and the dry weight: fresh weight ratio were relatively constant. Mannitol, laminaran and polyphenolic compounds were at their maxima in early summer (June/July), when the plant was undergoing rapid extension growth. In contrast, the protein content was highest in winter and early spring. It was concluded that the elongation phase which occurred in the spring was not supported by the use of stored polysaccharide reserves, since the amounts present were insufficient for this purpose and increased during the period of most rapid growth.     

Seasonal variations in abundance of nitrifying bacteria in fish pond ecosystem

Seasonal changes in abundance of nitrifiers (ammonia-oxidizing and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria) in surface and bottom water of freshwater ponds were examined with respect to temperature, DO, pH as well as concentration of ammonia and nitrite. The most probable number (MPN) of ammonia-oxidizers in different ponds varied from 1297 +/- 3.6 to 1673.23 +/- 0.36 ml(-1) in bottom and 720.5 +/- 8.1 to 955.3 +/- 10.8 ml(-1) in surface water during the rainy season while the MPN ranged from 1074 +/- 1.07 to 1372.17 +/- 4.6 ml(-1) in bottom and 515 +/- 10.1 to 678 +/- 11.8 ml(-1) in surface water in winter. However, the MPN were greatly reduced in summer and ranged from 435.05 +/- 15.7 to 547.54 +/- 2.12 ml(-1) in bottom and 218.7 +/- 7.3 to 368.4 +/- 9.32 ml(-1) in surface water. Similar seasonal trends were also observed in MPN of nitrite-oxidizers. Among all the physico-chemical parameters, abundance of nitrifiers was more positively correlated with ammonia and nitrite concentration in all the seasons. The abundance of nitrifiers in surface and bottom water was highest in rainy season followed by winter and modest in summer. The potential nitrification activities and oxidation rates were shown to be linear and activity of ammonia-oxidizing and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria was highest during rainy season.     

Effects of experimental feeding and starvation on the proximate composition of the European bass Dicentrarchus labrax

Juvenile bass, Dicentrarchus labrax (L.), fed ad libitum on trout pellets, the shore crab Carcinus maenas and filleted saithe, Gadus virens, did not differ significantly in proximate composition although the diets were absorbed with high efficiencies of 94 to 99% and differed greatly in composition. Compared with wild fish, the white muscle, dark muscle, liver and mesenteric fat bodies of laboratory-reared bass were lower in moisture and higher in lipid. Starvation caused a rapid initial decrease in carbohydrate and a progressive decline in lipid in all tissues, coupled with an increase in moisture and ash contents. The liver and fat body somatic indices also declined, indicating that these organs are the major lipid storage depots in bass, in contrast with the skeletal muscle which has this role in other active fishes such as salmonids and clupeids. Lipid and protein are inversely related to moisture content in whole specimens.     

Oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of fish otoliths

Oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of the aragonite of fish otoliths was measured on 175 specimens comprising 24 different species in 1989 and 1990. All specimens but two came from the northern Adriatic Sea or the northern Tyrrhenian Sea (two freshwater specimens were studied for comparison with the marine fish). The data obtained confirm the results of previous research suggesting the existence of equilibrium conditions between the otolith aragonite and ambient water with respect to ·¹⁸O(CO₃ ^2-) values. Examination of one of the species indicated that the CaCO₃ of otoliths probably accumulates continuously over time, seasonal isotopic changes being clearly visible (from a set of radial spot samples) for both oxygen and carbon isotopes. The apparent isotopic equilibrium with ambient water suggests that the ¹⁸O(H₂O) of the endolymph is equal to that of seawater and considerably different from that of fish body water. In the case of ¹³C(CO₃ ^2-), isotopic equilibrium with dissolved carbon species in seawater is never reached, even though the contribution of metabolic CO₂ is variable among different species and even among different individuals of the same species. This rules out the possibility of using ¹³C(CO₃ ^2-) values obtained from fossil otoliths for paleoenvironmental and paleobiological conclusions.     

Lipid content of some Caribbean corals in relation to depth and light

Three procedures for the extraction of coral lipids were compared and a rapid and effective method for future use is suggested. This method was used to measure the lipid content of the branching coral Porites porites (Pallas) and the massive corals Montastrea annularis (Ellis and Solander) and Siderastrea siderea (Ellis and Solander) during July and August 1991. P. porites and M. annularis were sampled on two fringing reefs, each characterised by different water quality affecting light transmission, and at depths of down to 30 m on a barrier reef on the west coast of the island. m. annularis contained, on average, 29% of dry weight as lipid, and there were no significant differences in lipid levels between corals sampled on either fringing reef at 3 and 6 m, or between fringing reefs and the barrier reef at 13, 20 or 30 m depth. Five samples were also taken from a single massive colony of S. siderea at 3 m on a fringing reef and at 13, 20 and 30 m depth on the barrier reef. Values for lipid ranged from 26 to 35% of dry tissue weight. P. porites from 3 and 6 m depth on both fringing reefs contained the same amount of lipid (11% of dry tissue weight). However, at 13 m depth on the barrier reef this coral contained significantly less lipid (8.5% of dry tissue weight). This difference may be attributable to a higher nutritional intake by P. porites on the fringing reefs.     

Seasonal changes in antibacterial activity of North Sea water

During 1969 and 1970, the antibacterial activity of North Sea water was investigated at Helgoland (southern North Sea). Tests were performed with resting cells of Escherichia coli, Staphylococous aureus and Serratia marinorubra, inoculated in freshly sampled sea water used raw or after filter sterilization. Simultaneously, growth of indigenous bacterial populations which occurred in the presence, as well as in the absence (only 1970), of test bacteria was controlled. Seasonal changes in inactivation of test cells and multiplication of marine bacteria were correlated with the life cycles of several diatom species. Breakdown of phytoplankton flowerings produced the most pronounced influence on antibacterial activity of sea water. Sometimes, enhancement of kill rate could be established during growth periods of various algal species, too. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the inactivation capacity of sea water depends, to a considerable degree, on the availability of nutritive organic matter, the concentration of which changes according to phytoplankton development. Strain-specific differences in resistance to inimical action of sea water are, in part, correlated with the ability of test cells to use, and to compete with, marine bacteria for nutrients from the sea. A somewhat modified interpretation of antibacterial activity of sea water is presented.     

Seasonal and treatment-process variations in invertebrates in drinking water treatment plants

• Seasonal and treatment-process variations in invertebrates in a DWTP were analyzed. • The propagation and leakage of invertebrates in BAC filter were the most serious. • Invertebrates can survive and reproduce in chlorine disinfected clear water tanks. • Proportions of endogenous invertebrates increased along the treatment process. Problems associated with excessive propagation and leakage of invertebrates in drinking water have received increasing attention in recent years. We performed a monthly survey of invertebrate abundance and taxa in the effluent of each treatment stage in a drinking water treatment plant between May 2015 and April 2016 and analyzed seasonal and treatment-process variations in invertebrates. The results showed that invertebrate abundances in raw water, effluent of the biological activated carbon (BAC) filter, and finished water significantly correlated with water temperature, whereas no correlation was observed between water temperature and invertebrate abundance in the effluents of the sedimentation tank and sand filter. The dominant taxa in the effluent of each treatment stage were rotifers, nematodes, and crustaceans. The sedimentation tank could efficiently remove invertebrates with an annual average removal rate of 92%. The propagation and leakage of invertebrates occurred in the sand and BAC filters but more seriously in the latter. The average reproduction rate in the BAC filter was 268.8% with rotifers as the taxon that leaked the most. Invertebrate survival and reproduction were also observed in the chlorine-disinfected clean water reservoir with an average reproduction rate of 41.9%. Owing to differences in chlorine resistance, the reproduction ability of the dominant taxa was in the order nematodes>crustaceans>rotifers. The proportion of endogenous invertebrates gradually increased along the treatment process. The average proportion of endogenous invertebrates in the finished water was higher than 79.0%. Our findings suggested that waterworks should pay more attention to endogenous invertebrate growth.     

Spermatophore characteristics in bushcrickets vary with parasitism and remating interval

Male bushcrickets provide females with a nuptial gift, a spermatophore, which is transferred to females at mating. The spermatophore consists of a gelatinous mass, the spermatophylax, and the sperm-containing ampulla. Male spermatophore size is positively correlated with insemination rate and female refractory period and therefore with male reproductive success. In this study, we examined spermatophylax weight, ampulla weight and sperm number in males of Poecilimon mariannae parasitized by the acoustically orienting fly Therobia leonidei. We show that in parasitized males, spermatophylax weight decreases with the level of parasitism. In line with the hypothesis that parasitism is a cost to reproduction, we found that spermatophylax weight was reduced at remating. In contrast, the replenishment of the spermatophylax in unparasitized males was complete after 2 days and was increased no further after 3 days. Both sperm number and ampulla weight showed an increase over time since last mating and sperm production was estimated at a constant rate of 500,000 per day in all individuals, regardless of parasitism. The allocation of investment in components of the spermatophore varies greatly with parasitism and remating. Both factors had rather independent effects on spermatophore constitution, revealing functional constraints acting on spermatophore characteristics in bushcrickets, which are important for understanding the selection pressures working on its components. Received: 13 September 1999 / Received in revised form: 4 February 2000 / Accepted: 13 March 2000     

Seasonal and spatial differences in the fish assemblage of the non-estuarine Sulaibikhat Bay,Kuwait

In the period September 1986 to August 1987 fish were captured once a month, using an otter trawl, from the intertidal and subtidal regions of Sulaibikhat Bay, Kuwait. Correlation analysis revealed that numbers were not directly related to temperature at the time of sampling. The recruitment of large numbers of young of the year Liza carinata (Valenciennes) during March was related to low temperatures in November, the probable time of spawning of this species. Salinity at the time of sampling was inversely correlated with numbers. This result indicates that large numbers of 0+fish recruit to the Bay during the period of maximum fresh water outflow through the Shatt-al-Arab. Numbers of fish were significantly greater in the intertidal region, where they were present almost entirely as 0 group fish, than in the subtidal. The three dominant species of the assemblage are shown to use the two depth intervals in differnt ways. L. carinata was capture a almost exclusively in the intertidal region as 0+ fish. Pomadasys stridens (Forsskål) was captured as 0+ fish in both the intertidal and subtidal regions but in greater numbers in the intertidal region. Leiognathus brevirostris (Valenciennes) was captured as small, mostly 0+ individuals in the intertidal region and as larger fish in the subtidal region. The use made by the smaller fish of the intertidal region is related to the avoidance of sublittoral predators and reduction of intraspecific competition, whilst larger fish in the sublittoral region may be avoiding predation by piscivorous birds.     

Lipid composition of the copepod Calanus hyperboreas from the Arctic Ocean. Changes with depth and season

A build-up of reserve lipid, predominantly wax esters, occurred during the summer in the copepod Calanus hyperboreas, collected off an Arctic ice-island. This lipid storage was correlated with a phytoplankton bloom and was followed by a progressive decrease of lipid from 2.1 mg per individual in September to 0.4 mg in June. There was a rapid decrease in lipid utilization between October and December, followed by much slower decreases until June. Lowered respiration rates or the availability of different types or quantities of food in the winter and spring are possible explantions for the slower rate of lipid use. Laboratory starvation experiments for up to 90 days correlated with results from the field. Gas-liquid chromatographic studies of the lipids showed that both the alcohols and fatty acids of the wax esters were highly variable with season and depth, whereas the phospholipid fatty acids were not affected by changes in these parameters. Only summer samples bad wax esters with a phytoplankton-like fatty acid composition, and upper water winter copepods had wax esters with little polyunsaturation. The deep-water winter copepods had a very different wax-ester composition from the upper water samples, with a predominance of hexadecanol (all other copepod samples had 20:1 and 22:1¹ as the principal alcohols) and a high content of polyunsaturated acids. Deep-water C. hyperboreas may differ in food habits and life history from those in the upper water community.     

Lipid composition of twenty-two species of Antarctic midwater zooplankton and fish

Total lipids, hydrocarbons, wax esters, triacylglycerols, and phospholipids were determined for 22 major biomass species of zooplankton and fish in an Antarctic mesopelagic community that were collected in 1982 and 1983. Lipid levels were similar to levels in more temperate mesopelagic species. Total lipid concentration was depth related, with all lipid-rich species being collected at depths greater than 230 m. Wax ester content in copepods (60 to 70% of the total lipid) was generally higher than in subtropical species. Lipids indicated three predator-prey relationships (Parandania boecki-Atolla wyvillei, Thysanoessa macrura-Calanoides acutus andEurythenes gryllus-Atolla wyvillei). These were confirmed by gut content analyses. The mesopelagic fishBathylagus antarcticus, Pleuragramma antarcticum, andProtomyctophum bolini stored most lipid intramuscularly, whereasElectrona antarctica andGymnoscopelus nicholsi contained extensive stores in subcutaneous lipid sacs. The intramuscular lipids inP. antarcticum and the subcutaneous lipid sacs ofE. antarctica were primarily wax esters, possibly used for increased buoyancy or long-term energy storage. Unlike the odd-carbon preference of aliphatic hydrocarbons which typifies terrestrial plants and temperate marine organisms, even-carbon chain-length paraffins predominate in 80% of the Antarctic species analyzed. Although the source of these even-carbon n-alkanes cannot be determined from our data, their dominance in the species analyzed suggests that an unusual biochemical pathway may be responsible for their synthesis in this ecosystem.