Acclimation and tolerance of Artemia salina and Ophryotrocha labronica to cooper sulphate

The brine shrimp Artemia salina L. and the polychaete worm Ophryotrocha labronica La Greca and Bacci were acclimated in sea water with copper sulphate at concentrations of 0.1, 0.05, and 0.025 ppm Cu⁺⁺, for 3 and 2 generations, respectively. Both adults and larvae of A. salina showed a greater tolerance to 1 ppm Cu⁺⁺ after acclimation compared to controls of the same age, although this tolerance diminished in successive generations. The acclimation effect was less marked in O. labronica. In both species, tolerance to 10 ppm Cu⁺⁺ upwards was not enhanced. Growth-rate inhibition and an adverse effect on reproduction was observed, in some instances in direct relationship to the acclimation concentration. It is suggested that, in A. salina, a certain tolerance to copper may be acquired through exposure to low concentrations.     

Biosynthesis of wax esters in oceanic crustaceans

Slices from the hepatopancreas of various oceanic curstaceans incorporated radioactivity into wax esters from ¹⁴C glucose and ¹⁴C aspartic acid to a lesser extent and from ¹⁴C palmitic acid to a much greater extent. Radioactivity was incorporated from ¹⁴C palmitic acid into both fatty acid and fatty alcohol moieties of wax esters, the percentage of total radioactivity present in alcohol moieties being greater in deep-living than in shallow-living species. Cell-free preparations from the hepatopancreas but not from muscle, supplemented with ATP and reduced pyridine nucleotides, incorporated radioactivity from 1-¹⁴C palmitoyl Coenzyme A into both fatty alcohol and fatty acid moieties of wax esters. Incorporation into fatty alcohol was NADPH- rather than NADH-specific. Preparations from deep-living species had a greater percentage of total radioactivity in the fatty alcohol moieties of wax esters than preparations from shallow-living species. We conclude that the level of wax esters in a given species is correlated with the rate at which the species biosynthesises these lipids de novo; deep-living species have higher rates of wax ester biosynthesis and higher levels of wax esters than shallow-living species. The results support the thesis that wax esters in oceanic crustaceans are derived largely from the animals' internal biosynthetic activities, presumably in response to particular biochemical and/or physiological requirements, rather than from their diets.     

Reproduction of the estuarine mysid Taphromysis bowmani (Crustacea: Malacostraca) in fresh water

We have monitored the incorporation of ³H-glycine into, and the excretion of, soluble tissue and extrapallial fluid proteins in the hardshell clam Mercenaria mercenaria in an attempt to follow some of the metabolic events that occur antecedent to shell deposition. After incubating at 20°C for 48 h, clams were killed and the distribution of incorporated and unincorporated tritium in seawater, mantle fluid, hemocoelic-tissue fluid, extrapallial fluid and tissue was determined. Most of the incorporated tritium was in the insoluble tissue proteins. Much more incorporated tritium was found in the hemocoelic-tissue fluid fraction than in the extrapallial fluid. We assume that most of the radioactivity we followed was due to free or incorporated radioactive glycine. The ratio of ³H-protein to ³H-glycine was greater in the extrapallial fluid than in the hemocoelic-tissue fluid, suggesting either protein secretion into or glycine removal from the extrapallium. We also observed that both ³H-protein and ³H-glycine concentrations were higher in the mantle fluid than in the external sea water, although the ratios of ³H-glycine to ³H-protein in these two fluids were not different.     

237Pu experiments with the plaice Pleuronectes platessa

Some experiments have been made on the metabolism of ²³⁷Pu — a high specific activity, gamma-emitting isotope of plutonium — by the plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. Very little of the isotope was incorporated into fish after 2 months exposure to labelled water. The oral retention from a variety of labelled foods was also very poor, and apart from the gut itself no incorporation of the isotope could, in fact, be demonstrated. Injected ²³⁷Pu was eliminated very slowly, and some evidence was obtained for an inverse relationship between the rate of ²³⁷Pu loss and the rate of growth of the fish. Growing fish incorporated a relatively larger fraction of the ²³⁷Pu body burden into skeletal material, and this was attained at the expense of the isotopic content of the liver. Very little ²³⁷Pu was incorporated into muscle.     

Compartmentation and turnover of organic carbon in the Staghorn coral Acropora formosa

Four colonies of Acropora formosa were incubate with Na₂ ¹⁴CO₃ for separate 2 h periods within a 24 h period, and then returned to the reef from which they were collected. Terminal branches were collected at intervals over the following 5 d and analysed for radioactivity associated with the skeleton and certain organic pools. Colonies incubated at night showed little or no loss of fixed radioactivity during the 5 d on the reef. However, 50–60% of photosynthetically-fixed ¹⁴C was lost from the terminal branches during the first 40 h on the reef. This loss of radioactivity probably resulted from release of mucus and dissolved organic carbon from the coral tissues. Most of the loss of photosynthetically-fixed ¹⁴C was due to decrease in the radioactivity of lipids (80% of the total ¹⁴C loss) and methanol-water soluble compounds. Determination of any sequencing in metabolic compartments was made difficult by the rapidity with which ¹⁴C dissappeared from most of the metabolic pools measured. ¹⁴C was incorporated into the skeleton throughout the 5 d on the reef, although the rate of incorporation was very low in colonies which had been incubated with Na₂ ¹⁴CO₃ at night.     

Biochemical adaptations of the mudskipper Boleophthalmus boddaerti to a lack of oxygen

Specimens of the mudskipper Boleophthalmus boddaerti, collected along the estuarine canal at Pasir Ris, Singapore between April 1987 and December 1989, were examined in the laboratory. After being exposed to environmental hypoxia for 6 h, no accumulation of lactate, alanine or succinate was observed in the muscle tissue of B. boddaerti. In addition, the blood lactate content and muscle creatine phosphate (CrP), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and glycogen contents were not significantly different from those of the control. During normoxic recovery, oxygen debt repayment was only a small fraction of the oxygen deficit incurred during the 6 h of hypoxic exposure. Therefore, it would appear that B. boddaerti coped with environmental hypoxia by undergoing metabolic rate reduction. After anoxic exposure, the CrP, ATP and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) contents in the muscle tissue of B. boddaerti were significantly lower than the corresponding control values. Lactate accumulated in the blood and muscle tissue of the anoxic fish though the muscle energy charge and glycogen content remained constant. Hence, B. boddaerti was able to cope with such a period of anoxia without increasing its glycolytic rate. Succinate, which was not detected in the muscle tissue of the control and hypoxia-exposed fish, accumulated in significant quantities in the muscle tissue of B. boddaerti exposed to environmental anoxia and functional hypoxia. In the case of functional hypoxia, there was a significant decrease in the muscle glycogen content, and the muscle lactate content increased 17.3-fold, indicating that glycolysis was activated to provide the source of energy during muscular exercise.     

Effects of prey escape ability,flow speed,and predator feeding mode on zooplankton capture by barnacles

Experimental studies of feeding on zooplankton often involve the use of non-evasive Artemia spp. to represent zooplanktonic prey. Some zooplankton, however, such as copepods, are potentially evasive due to possession of effective predator-avoidance mechanisms such as high-speed escape swimming. In the present study, we compared the efficiencies with which non-evasive (A. salina) and evasive (copepods) zooplankton were captured by a sessile, suspension feeder, the coral-inhabiting barnacle Nobia grandis (Crustacea, Cirripedia). N. grandis specimens and zooplankton used in the present study were collected near Eilat, Israel in 1993. The effect of different flow speeds (from 0 to 14 cm s^-1) on captures of the two preys was also investigated. Additionally, we examined the effect of a flow-induced barnacle behavioral switch from active to passive suspension feeding, on zooplankton capture. Two video cameras were used to make close-up, three dimensional recordings of predator-prey encounters in a computer-controlled flow tank. Frame-by-frame video analysis revealed a highly significant difference (P< 0.001) in the efficiency with which A. salina and copepods were caught (A. salina being much more readily captured than copepods). After an encounter with cirri of feeding barnacles, copepods were usually able to swim out of the barnacles capture zone within one video frame (40 ms), by accelerating from a slow swimming speed (approximately 1.85 cm s^-1) to a mean escape swimming speed of 18.11 cm s^-1 (ca. 360 body lengths s^-1). This was not the case for A. salina nauplii, which usually remained in contact with cirri before being transferred to the mouth and ingested. Thus, experimental studies addressing the methodology of organisms feeding on zooplankton should consider that slow-swimming prey like Artemia sp. nauplii may only represent the non-evasive fraction of natural mesozooplankton assemblages.     

Metabolic disposition of lactate in the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus and the stone crab Menippe mercenaria

The metabolism of ¹⁴C-labelled lactate was investigated in the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus and the stone crab Menippe mercenaria. When a bolus of (¹⁴C-U)-D-lactate was injected into L. polyphemus, there was substantial release pf ¹⁴CO₂ into the medium. In the case of M. mercenaria, ¹⁴CO₂ release was also observed after injection of (¹⁴C-U)-L-lactate into experimental individuals. Analysis of the distribution of radioactivity in whole body extracts of both species revealed easily detectable amounts of radioactivity in the glycogen fraction, although the bulk of the radioactivity was in the cation, anion/neutral and CO₂ fractions. To investigate the metabolism of lactate further, ¹⁴C-labelled lactate was injected into large individuals of L. polyphemus and M. mercenaria, and the distribution of radioactivity was determined in the hemolymph, muscle and hepatopancreas. Utilization of (¹⁴C-U)-D-lactate by L. polyphemus resulted in the accumulation of significant amounts of labelled glucose in all three body compartments as well as the production of labelled glycogen in the telson levator muscle and hepatopancreas. Utilization of (¹⁴C-U)-L-lactate resulted in a similar pattern of glucose and glycogen labelling in the hemolymph, cheliped muscle and hepatopancreas of M. mercenaria. These studies demonstrate that both L. polyphemus and M. mercenaria have the capacity for glyco- and gluconeogenesis using lactate as the substrate.     

Acclimation and tolerance of Artemia salina to copper salts

The brine shrimp Artemia salina L. was acclimated in sea water with cupric chloride, acetate, carbonate, and sulphate, each at concentrations of 0.1, 0.05 and 0.025 ppm Cu⁺⁺, together with sea water controls. Growth inhibition was observed in all four compounds, generally in direct relationship to the concentration. It was least in sulphate, and increased progressively in chloride, acetate and carbonate in that order. No inhibition however was observed in carbonate at 0.025 ppm Cu⁺⁺. In toxicity tests, 2-week old larvae from each solution were exposed to concentrations of 10, 7.5, 5, 2.5 and 1 ppm Cu⁺⁺ of the same compounds, together with unacclimated larvae of the same age. Similar tests were held with 6-week old adults acclimated (a) in 0.1 ppm Cu⁺⁺ (chloride, acetate and sulphate) using the same concentrations and (b) in 0.5 ppm Cu⁺⁺ (carbonate), using 150, 125, 100, 75, and 50 ppm Cu⁺⁺. Toxicity to unacclimated larvae and adults differed with the compounds, carbonate being the least toxic, followed by sulphate, chloride and acetate in increasing order. Larvae acclimated in chloride (0.025 ppm Cu⁺⁺) and sulphate (0.1 and 0.5 ppm Cu⁺⁺) showed an increased tolerance to 1 and 2.5 ppm Cu⁺⁺ compared to untreated controls. Tolerance was not enhanced from 5 ppm Cu⁺⁺ upwards. In both compounds, adults acclimated in 0.1 ppm Cu⁺⁺ showed an increased tolerance to concentrations between 1 and 7.5 ppm Cu⁺⁺ compared to controls. Larval mortality in carbonate was below 50% in all test solutions. Adults acclimated at 0.5 ppm Cu⁺⁺ showed an increased tolerance to 50 ppm Cu⁺⁺ compared to controls. Considerable precipitation occurred with the high levels of this compound, thus effecting the final concentrations. No acclimation effect was observed in acetate for either larvae or adults. It is suggested that in A. salina, copper toxicity depends on the particular form of the metal, and that this difference is also evident in growth inhibition and in the potential acquisition of increased tolerance through exposure to low concentrations.     

The essential amino-acid requirements of the prawnPalaemon serratus. The growth of prawns on diets containing proteins of different amino-acid compositions

Two specimens ofPalaemon serratus Pennant (of about 4 g wet weight) were each given intrahaemocoelic injections of [U-¹⁴C] acetate. They were maintained under controlled conditions, and the release of¹⁴CO₂ and other labelled metabolites was followed for 6 days. The prawns were then sacrificed and fractionated into trichloroacetic acid soluble compounds, lipids, nucleic acids and a protein/chitin residue. Little or no¹⁴C had been incorporated into arginine, methionine, valine, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, histidine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. It was inferred thatP. serratus cannot synthesize these amino acids from ordinarily available materials, and that the prawns have an absolute dietary requirement for them. The glucosamine isolated from the protein/chitin residue contained more radioactivity than any of the other compounds examined. This implies a rapid turnover of glucosamine and chitin inP. serratus. The gain in weight of prawns fed on compound diets containing freeze-dried cod muscle was about 70% that of prawns fed on fresh mussel mantle. Predigestion of freeze-dried cod muscle with proteolytic enzymes did not significantly enhance its nutritional valve as assessed by increases in weight. Prawns fed two other compounded diets containing proteins of low nutritional value (gelatin and zein, respectively) grew at about 1/5 the rate of prawns fed fresh mussel mantle. Supplementation of the gelatin and zein in these diets with tryptophan, and with lysine plus tryptophan, respectively, failed to augment their nutritional value significantly.     

Effects of UV radiation of different wavebands on pigmentation, 15N-ammonium uptake, amino acid pools and adenylate contents of marine diatoms

Three marine diatoms Lauderia annulata Cleve, Odontella sinensis (Greville) Grunow and Thalassiosira rotula Meunier were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation of different wavebands under controlled laboratory conditions (0.035 vol% CO₂, 18 °C). Several changes in the patterns of pigments in these organisms were seen depending on the waveband of UV radiation and species examined. UV-B and UV-B plus UV-A radiation led to a reduction in the overall pigment content of all three diatoms. The uptake of ¹⁵N-ammonium was less affected by 5-h UV-A (WG 320) but significantly reduced after UV-B and UV-B plus UV-A exposure. The pattern of free amino acid pools varied depending on the applied UV wavebands and the tested diatom. The main protein-bound amino acids of T. rotula decreased after 5-h UV irradiance except leucine. Contents of adenosine 5′-mono-, di-, and triphosphate (AMP, ADP and ATP) were affected differently by UV radiation; ATP values increased at the end of UV-B and UV-B plus UV-A exposure. These results have been discussed with reference to the impact of the different UV sources and the influence on the nitrogen metabolism in connection to pigments and supply with energy. Received: 13 May 1997 / Accepted: 11 October 1997     

Carbon fixation and analysis of assimilates in a coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis

Freshly collected pieces of the hermatypic coral Acropora cf. scandens containing dinoflagellate endosymbionts (presumably Gymnodinium microadriaticum) were allowed to assimilated ¹⁴C from H¹⁴CO ₃ ^- in the light and in the dark. Time-dependent carbon uptake resulted in intense ¹⁴C-labelling of ethanol-soluble as well as of insoluble assimilates. About forty ¹⁴C-labelled assimilates have been identified. Polymeric (ethanol-insoluble) compounds achieve about 30% of total radiocarbon incorporation after 60 min incubation. Kinetics of ¹⁴C-labelling of single assimilates are analyzed. Percentages of typical photosynthates in the soluble fraction undergo characteristic time-dependent changes. Lipids proved to be the main accumulation products of carbon assimilation by incorporating more than 50% of ¹⁴C after 60 min photosynthesis. The data indicate that low-molecular weight photosynthates such as ¹⁴C-glycerol and ¹⁴C-glucose are rapidly converted to constituents of the polymeric fraction(s) of the coral. Besides peptides, polysaccharides, and lipophilic substances, considerable amounts of ¹⁴C are confined to skeletal CaCO₃ of the coral. The results are discussed with respect to trophic and metabolic interrelationships between the autotrophic dinoflagellates and the A. cf. scandens tissues.     

Phosphate uptake behavior of natural phytoplankton during exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation in a shallow coastal lagoon

The effect of solar UV radiation (UVR: 290–400 nm) on the ³²P-phosphate uptake rates of natural phytoplankton from a southern Atlantic Ocean coastal lagoon was studied during two consecutive summers at one station located in the marine-influenced area. Due to the shallowness of this lagoon and also to the generally high UV water transparency in this area, phytoplankton are exposed to high UV irradiances. The ³²P-phosphate uptake rates measured at several phosphate concentrations were inhibited up to 59.2% by UVR, although uptake stimulation was also observed in four of nine experiments (up to 28%). The effect of UVR on the apparent maximum velocity of ³²P-phosphate uptake (V _uptake) ranged from an inhibition of 49% to a stimulation of 31%. Although the highest inhibition values were associated with the maximum registered incident UV irradiance, a significant correlation between these two parameters was not observed. Changes in microalgal community structure were not related to the observed UV effect; however, a significant relationship was found between the inhibition of ³²P-phosphate uptake rates and V _uptake used as a proxy for phosphate deficiency. This relationship suggests that the phytoplankton phosphorus nutritional status modulates their sensitivity to UV exposure. Overall, our results suggest that solar UVR has the potential to affect phosphorus cycling.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe     

Effects of inorganic and organic phosphates on feeding, feeding absorption, nutrient allocation, growth and righting responses of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus

The sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus is capable of surviving chronic exposure to sodium phosphate (inorganic phosphate) concentrations as high as 3.2 mg l⁻¹, and triethyl phosphate (organic phosphate) concentrations of 1,000 mg l⁻¹. However, chronic exposure to low (0.8 mg l⁻¹ inorganic and 10 mg l⁻¹ organic phosphate), medium (1.6 mg l⁻¹ inorganic and 100 mg l⁻¹ organic phosphate) or high (3.2 mg l⁻¹ inorganic and 1,000 mg l⁻¹ organic phosphate) sublethal concentrations of these phosphates inhibits feeding, fecal production, nutrient absorption and allocation, growth and righting behavior. Food consumption and fecal production declined significantly in individuals exposed to medium and high concentrations of inorganic phosphates and all levels of organic phosphates. Feeding absorption efficiencies for total organics and carbohydrates decreased significantly in individuals held in the highest concentration of organic phosphate. Feeding absorption efficiencies for lipids were significantly reduced in the highest inorganic phosphate concentration only, while they decreased significantly for protein with increasing phosphate exposure. Carbohydrate and lipid levels in gonad and gut tissues decreased significantly with exposure to increasing phosphate concentrations, potentially impairing both gametogenesis and nutrient storage in the gut. Moreover, gonad indices significantly decreased in individuals exposed to the highest concentrations of either phosphate. Growth rates decreased significantly under the influence of all phosphate concentrations, while increasing in seawater alone. Individuals exposed to increasing phosphate concentrations showed reduced righting responses (a measure of stress) and no acclimation in righting times during chronic exposure to phosphates over a 4 week period. These findings indicate that shallow-water populations of L. variegatus subjected to inorganic and organic phosphate pollutants will exhibit stress and be inhibited in their growth and performance due to reductions in feeding, nutrient absorption and allocation of nutrients to key somatic and reproductive tissues. Received: 10 April 2000 / Accepted: 2 October 2000     

Light quality in relation to growth,photosynthetic rates and carbon metabolism in two species of marine plankton algae

The effect of light quality on growth, photosynthesis and carbon metabolism in two species of marine algae,Cyclotella nana (Hustedt) andDunaliella tertiolecta (Butcher), was examined. Relative growth constants forC. nana were 0.37, 0.29 and 0.25 in blue, white and green light, respectively. Corresponding constants were 0.41, 0.31 and 0.29 forD. tertiolecta. Photosynthetic rates in both species were higher in blue light and lower in green light compared with white light of the same intensity. More than 60% of¹⁴C assimilated byC. nana orD. tertiolecta grown in blue or green light was incorporated into the ethanol-insoluble fraction, compared with 10 to 30% in this fraction in white light. The relative importance of the various components within this fraction was independent of light quality. Although less¹⁴C was assimilated into the ethanol-soluble fraction in blue or green light, there was a relative increase in some amino acids and organic acids in this fraction and a decrease in sugars and sugar phosphates relative to white light of the same intensity. These differences were independent of light intensity, photosynthetic rate and cell density in the cultures.     

Feeding,conversion efficiencies,and growth of larval mummichogs,Fundulus heteroclitus

Feeding rates, conversion efficiencies and growth of larvae of the mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus, an extremely abundant estuarine fish, were measured at temperatures ranging from 18° to 30°C. The food used was Artemia salina nauplii. At the time of total yolk sac absorption (5 to 7 days after hatching), the feeding rate decreased for a short time, an indication of a shift in metabolism. Higher feeding rates and growth occurred at higher rearing temperatures. The highest conversion efficiency (gross growth efficiency) was 1.1%, at 22°C. Mummichog larvae may be energetically inefficient compared with other fish species, but efficiency might not be critical for this fish, which is an opportunistic omnivore in an energy-rich environment.Contribution No. 291 of the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine Biology and Coastal Research, supported by DOE contract No. EY-76-5-09-0869.     

White blood cell sister chromatid exchange among a sample of Thai subjects exposed to lead: Lead-induced genotoxicity

Epidemiological and experimental studies indicated that inorganic lead compounds are associated with increased risks of tumorigenesis. This study was aimed at determination for sister chromatid exchange (SCE), a marker for genotoxicity with correlation to lead blood levels in Thai exposed subjects. A total of 32 police (all males) were included into this study. The average (mean ± SD) blood lead in these police was 2.1 ± 1 µmol L^?1. The average SCE among the police with high blood lead was significant higher than those with low metal exposure. Data suggest that cytogenetic response to Pb is significantly different between the subjects with high versus low lead exposure. High exposure to lead seems related to high chromosome aberrations.     

The composition and biosynthesis of lipids in Thysanoessa raschi from the Clyde Estuary,Scotland

The lipid composition and biosynthesising activity of Thysanoessa raschi collected from the Clyde Estuary, Scotland, in May 1981 were examined. Triacylglycerols were the major lipid class present, although 16.7% of the total lipid were wax esters in which phytol was the dominant fatty alcohol. The thoracic contents (hepatopancreas) of the krill were capable of biosynthesising lipids in vitro from various labelled substrates. Radioactivity from [1-¹⁴C] palmitic acid was incorporated into lipids in the order phospholipids>triacylglycerols>wax esters; the bulk of the radioactivity was present in all cases in the fatty acyl moieties of the lipids. [U-¹⁴C] glucose labelled lipids in the order phospholipids>triacylglycerols>free fatty acids> was esters; in the first two lipids the radioactivity was mainly in the glycerol moieties, whereas in was esters it was solely in the fatty acyl moieties. The extent of labelling of these lipids from [U-¹⁴C] alanine was less than that from [U-¹⁴C] glucose, but the pattern of labelling was generally similar. More than 90% of the radioactivity incorporated into total lipid from ³H₂O was present in free fatty acids from which it was calculated that the hepatopancreas of T. raschi can synthesise 2.5 g of fatty acid per hour at 15°C. This value is approximately three times lower than that previously determined for T. inermis from Balsfjorden, northern Norway. The results are discussed in terms of the sources of the dietary lipids of krill and the role of endogenous biosynthesis in contributing to its lipid reserves.     

Uptake of organic material by aquatic invertebrates

Neanthes arenaceodentata (Moore) accumulates glycine –C¹⁴ from a dilute solution of seawater. After a 30 min exposure, 5 to 102 times as much radioactivity per unit volume is found in the animals (depending on the size and feeding stage of the worm) as is present in the medium. The relation between the log of cpm and log of weight is linear over 4 orders of magnitude variation in size. The rates of uptake were more variable in non-feeding stages of the life cycle. Non-feeding larvae showed rates of glycine accumulation which were significantly higher than those predicted from data on feeding stages.This work was supported in part by PHS Grant GM 12889 to the University of California, Irvine.     

Studies on the uptake of cadmium by the crab Carcinus maenas in the laboratory. I. Accumulation from seawater and a food source

The crab Carcinus maenas (L.) was exposed to radioactively labelled cadmium dissolved in seawater at concentrations of 0.1, 1 and 10 ppm, the latter concentration being toxic to the crabs (50% mortality after 12.3 days). Net accumulation of cadmium from solution was proportional to the level and time period of cadmium exposure. Total absorbed cadmium levels reached 0.0043 and 0.0412 mg Cd g^-1 dry weight after 40 days exposure to 0.1 and 1 ppm Cd, respectively, and 0.1115 mg Cd g^-1 dry weight after 12.3 days average exposure to 10 ppm Cd. The highest tissue concentration was found in the midgut gland, reaching 0.786 mg Cd g^-1 dry weight after 12.3 days average exposure to 10 ppm Cd. The midgut gland only contained about 10% of the total cadmium absorbed from solution, while the exoskeleton contained the bulk of obsorbed cadmium (59 to 80%) probably passively adsorbed onto the surface. When cadmium was absorbed by the crabs from a food source, the midgut gland contained 16.9% of the total absorbed cadmium whereas the exoskeleton now contained only 22.2%. Ten percent of the cadmium available in the food source (Artemia salina) was accumulated by the crabs. When placed in cadmium-free seawater, crabs that had accumulated cadmium from solution lost 69% of the absorbed cadmium in 10 days, mostly from the exoskeleton which lost 78% of its original absorbed cadmium concentration.