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Notes: Abstract Resting metabolic rate $$(\dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } )$$ was measured in demersal stages of the teleostNotothenia neglecta Nybelin from the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica, from 1985 to 1987. The relationship between $$\dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } $$ and body mass (Mb) conformed to the general relationship $$\dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } = aMb^b $$ , wherea is a proportionality constant andb is the scaling exponent. $$\dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } $$ (mg O2 h−1) was found to scale toMb (0.82±0.011) in the summer (November to April, 1.6 to 1 850 g,n=56) and toMb (0.76±0.013) in the winter (May to October, 0.9 to 1 850 g,n=57) (values ofb are means ± SD). Although the scaling exponents were significantly different (P〈0.01), $$\dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } $$ was similar in the juvenile stages of summer- and winter-caught fish matched for body mass. The effects of activity on oxygen consumption was studied using a Brett respirometer. Adult stages had a factorial aerobic scope for activity $$(\dot V_{O_{2[max]} } :\dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } )$$ of 5.7, which is similar to that reported for demersal fish from temperate latitudes. The effects of temperature on resting metabolism was investigated in fish with similar sedentary lifestyles from the North Sea (Agonus cataphractus andMyoxocephalus scorpius) and the Indo-West Pacific (Paracirrhites forsteri, P. arcatus, Neocirrhites armatus andExallias brevis). Extrapolated values of $$\dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } $$ for the tropical species approached zero at 5 to 10°C. For a standard 50 g fish, $$\dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } $$ for the tropical species at 25°C was in the range 3.4 to 4.4 mg O2 h−1, compared with 1.3 mg O2 h−1 forNotothenia neglecta at its acclimation temperature. Thus, the maximum metabolic rate of sedentary tropical species at 24°C is likely to be 2 to 4 times higher than inN. neglecta at 0°C. This suggests that the energy available for sustained activity $$(\dot V_{O_{2[max]} } - \dot V_{O_{2[rest]} } )$$ is significantly lower in cold- than in warm-water fish.

Notes: Abstract The reproductive and larval biology of the common Antarctic cushion-star Odontaster validus Koehler (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) were studied in a shallow-water population at Signy Island in the maritime Antarctic. The gonad index peaked in April/May, and injection with 1-methyladenine indicated that competence to spawn peaked in May/June. Gastrulae were first detected in May, and maximal water-column larval densities were measured in July. Reproduction was therefore highly seasonal, although not all individuals appeared to spawn each year. The pyloric caeca index increased in summer (typically November to March, but variable between years) and decreased during winter (June to October), suggesting that feeding activity was seasonal. All aspects of biology investigated showed significant interannual variability. Comparison with previous studies in the high Antarctic at McMurdo Sound indicated a similar if more pronounced seasonality at Signy, but the warmer seawater temperatures in the maritime Antarctic (particularly in late winter/early spring from September onwards) resulted in faster larval development at Signy.

Notes: Abstract  The upper critical thermal limits were measured as heat-coma temperatures in Littorina species as a tool for examining physiological diversity. Thermal tolerance was found to be stable within a population, but extensive variation occurred between populations and species. All species examined displayed heat-coma values of ∼30 °C and did not show a positive correlation with shore height. Eulittoral-fringe species tended to have higher coma temperatures than eulittoral species. Coma temperatures varied both seasonally and geographically. Lethal thermal limits were also investigated; these were ∼10 C° higher than coma temperatures.

Notes: Abstract Comparison of the life-histories of two species pairs of caridean decapods, each pair containing a polar and a more temperate-water species (Chorismus antarcticus (Pfeffer, 1887)/Pandalus montagui Leach, 1814 and Notocrangon antarcticus (Pfeffer, 1887)/ crangon crangon (Linnaeus, 1758), suggested that in each case the polar species was more of a K-strategist than was the temperate species. In particular there were striking differences in brood size, egg weight and maturity of the newly hatched larvae. Measurements of individual annual reproductive effort, RE, as g fresh weight eggs per g fresh weight female indicated that in both species pairs the RE of the polar K-strategist was significantly less than that of the comparable temperate water r-strategist. Results expressing RE as g total egg lipid per g fresh weight female were equivocal. These data are discussed in relation to available autecological information for Anterctic marine invertebrates and it is concluded that many features of the polar benthos are explicable in terms of a general evolution of typical K-strategies. The role of low temperature in the widespread evolution of K-strategies may be crucial; consideration of this leads to a re-appraisal of “cold-adaptation”.

Notes: Abstract Gammarus oceanicus Segerstråle, 1947 and Echinogammarus marinus (Leach, 1815) were sampled during the breeding season from Oslofjord in 1984, and their lipid composition examined in relation to reproductive condition. In G. oceanicus, female lipid content increased as the ovary matured. Both the amount of lipid stored and the rate of accumulation were greater in spring than in winter. Spring eggs contained 12.4 μg lipid, of which 63% was triacylglycerol and 27% phospholipid. Both fractions decreased steadily during embryonic development. Winter eggs contained 19.2μg lipid, of which 52% was triacylglycerol and 43% phospholipid. During the early stages of embryonic development the amount of phospholipid decreased sharply, whereas that of triacylglycerol increased, suggesting that some of the fatty acid released from phospholipid was sequestered temporarily as triacylglycerol. When newly spawned, both winter and spring eggs were richer in monoenoic fatty acids than adult amphipods and these acids were the major fuel consumed during development. ω6 fatty acids were utilised more slowly than ω3 acids, and egg carotenoid pigment content remained constant. Female E. marinus increased in lipid content as the ovary matured. Spring eggs contained 14.7 μg lipid when newly spawned and this increased to 16.6 μg during the early stages of development. This increase was entirely triacylglycerol, which declined in later stages; the source of the extra lipid was unclear. Eggs contained very little phospholipid or sterol, and both of these components remained at a steady low level during development. E. marinus eggs were not significantly rich in thonoenoic acids compared with adults, and saturated, monoenoic and polyenoic acids were utilised about equally during development. Both adults and eggs were rich in 20.4ω6, which was utilised at a slower rate than the ω3 polyunsaturated acids during embryonic development; again, egg carotenoid pigment content remained constant. In both species there was a decrease in the size of the egg (and as a result, of the newly hatched juvenile), but an increase in total reproductive output (i.e., the total weight of the egg clutch) per female as the breeding season proceeded. The reproductive output of an individual female is probably related to food availability during the period of ovarian maturation, whereas the size of an individual egg is dictated largely by feeding conditions for the juveniles once they are independent of the female. The different patterns of lipid utilisation during development found in this study emphasize the flexibility of response in the reproductive biology of gammarid amphipods. It is not yet possible, however, to relate the differing patterns in a simple way either to egg size or total female reproductive output. Two outstanding problems are the source of extra triacylglycerol during the early stages of development of E. marinus and the metabolic cost of brooding eggs.