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.