Laboratory feeding experiments with the sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus were carried out to compare scope for growth (SFG) to measured growth and determine the effect of diet on carbon and nitrogen SFG. Diets consisting of cultured phytoplankton, kelp detritus, and resuspended sediment were provided daily for 52 days (October-December). Measurements of clearance rate, absorption efficiency, respiration, O/N ratio, and carbon and nitrogen content of diets and scallop tissue were used to construct carbon and nitrogenbudgets for each diet. Growth coefficients were calculated from change in tissue weight during the study period.

Traditionally, colonies of encrusting epiphytic bryozoans have been regarded as biotic factors reducing photosynthetic performance in benthic algae. In this study we determined under laboratory conditions the effects of Membranipora tuberculata on the photosynthetic efficiency of the rhodophyte Gelidium rex.

Encrusting bryozoans reduce to 44% the incident light reaching the algal thallus. However, concentrations of chlorophyll a and other accessory pigments are significantly higher in encrusted than in non-encrusted thalli. Consequently, photosynthetic efficiency is almost identical in both types of thalli. Although non-encrusted thalli showed a higher photosynthetic V due to higher levels of light reaching the algae, encrusted thalli exhibited a compensatory effect at low photon flux density and reached a similar P value. The detrimental effect of M. tuberculata on photosynthesis could be partially compensated by CO released from bryozoan cells, as G. rex preferred CO over HCO3 as a source of photosynthetic inorganic carbon. These results suggest that physiological interaction between bryozoans and algae, involving the interchange of metabolic substances, are likely to be important.

The distribution and movements of intertidal butterfish Pholisgunnellus were studied on the westcoast of Scotland in relation to the foraging tactics of one of its major predators, the otter. Fish were individually tagged and released at low tide in restricted areas of 5 m wide running from the top of the shore towards the sea. Population density increased from 015 fish m" at the top of the shore to 1–1 fish nv in the Laminaria zone. The median total length of all fish examined was 92 mm (N=369) with a very distinct length class of 70–80 mm. There was no relationship between length and position on the shore. Only 24 out of 156 tagged fish were recaptured inside the restricted areas. The recaptured fish had moved a mean of 21 m (SD 1–9 m) in 1–6 days (SD 1–0 days), the directions of movement being randomly distributed. Repopulation rates were studied by removing all fish from three areas of approximately 180 m each. Fish of the same size moved into the cleared areas within two tidal cycles although in much smaller numbers (only 27–52% of the initial populations). Disturbance of the habitat probably played an important role because there was a general decline in numbers in regularly visited areas throughout the experiments. It is concluded that, even allowing for this disturbance intertidal butterfish are mobile and relatively unrestricted in their movements. From the point of view of predators like the otter and the heron, more butterfish are to be caught lower down the shore and each butterfish caught will soon be replaced by another of about the same size.

This paper describes a novel sexually dimorphic pattern of behaviour in the tube-building amphiplodAmpelisca abdita (Mills). Mature males and females enter the water column at night. However, while males enter the water column every night, females enter it only when they moult. Since female amphipods only mate shortly after they moult, it is hypothesized that this sexually dimorphic pattern of free-swimming behaviour is an adaptation that permits males and receptive females to locale each other during the brief period when copulation can occur, while reducing the time that females are exposed to pelagic predators.

The brown alga Pilayella littoralis is common and widely distributed in the North Atlantic. In insular Newfoundland it is found year-round in the subtidal, but shows a distinct periodicity in the intertidal where it is a summer annual. Rapid growth begins in May and a maximum biomass is achieved in the summer with plants disappearing by October. Besides seasonal changes in abundance, seasonal changes in reproductive behaviour and calorific values of this alga also occur.

Pilayella littoralis is the most abundant consumable alga available to intertidal amphipods in Newfoundland. Newly hatched Gammarus lawrencianus grew faster and matured at a younger age on a diet of summer P. littoralis than on plants collected in the spring. Size at maturity and reproductive output (size of eggs, number of eggs) of maturing females did not vary with the time of collection of Pilayella.

Ultrastructural, histological and histochemical studies were performed on the gonad of adult Pecten maximus at various intervals during the reproductive cycle in St Brieuc Bay, France, in order to understand better the sources and transfers of energy to developing gametes in scallops. In addition to the well-known pathways of energy acquisition through feeding and transfer of somatic reserves, a number of novel pathways were demonstrated. These were grouped into two categories: atretic recycling and intestinal loop transfer. Evidence is presented for the recovery of lytic material (resulting from gamete atresia) in the gonad acini, gonoducts, and integument; and the direct transfer of metabolites from the gonad intestinal loop to the developing gametes via vesicular cell-haemocyte couples, which appear to follow fibrous pathways within the loose connective tissue extending from the base of the intestinal epithelium to the acini. A schematic diagram summarizes the sources and transfer mechanisms of the energy exchanges involving the developing gametes in Pecten maximus.

The influence of photoperiodicity on hatching of Sepia officinalis was investigated under different experimental light-dark (LD) conditions. The results are viewed in relation to some relevant properties of the perivitelline fluid (PVF) and the egg capsule during embryonic development. In embryos of S. officinalis the transition from light to dark ap-pears to act as a 'Zeitgeber' or synchronizer. The embryos consistently hatched during periods of darkness, even when the duration of the dark period was short (1–4 h) and replaced part of the natural light period. The hatching rhythm was independent of the embryonic stage at which the experimentwas started. Embryos that developed under a given LD rhythm did not hatch at that rhythm if it was changed or eliminated. In the absence of an external LD rhythm the time to hatching increased. Lack of pigmentation in the egg envelope appeared to reduce the time to hatching. If embryos were exposed to a single dark period of 1–4 h significantly more hatched during darkness while a dark-pulse of ten minutes resulted in no hatching. At the end of embryonic development the egg capsule of S. officinalis becomes thinner due to the expanding PVF. Absence ofthe envelope did not affect embryonic development but dramatically increased mortality and prema hire hatching (96%). Spectrophotometrical investigations indicated that light between 200 and 900 nm is absorbed similarly by the envelope and by female ink. The function of pigmentation in the envelopes remains obscure.

The fine structure of the flagellar root system of Isochrysis galbana Parke (Prymnesiophyta) has been investigated and a reconstruction is presented. Associated with the left basal body and arising close to the base of the haptonema there is a root composed of a ribbon of approximately five microtubules running peripherally towards the ventral side of the cell. Near the basal body it is also associated with two additional bundles of microtubules which diverge from it and from each other passing deep into the cell.

On the right-hand side of the right basal body there is a root consisting of four microtubules (2+2) which runs peripherally in a dorsal direction. Another root, consisting of a single microtubule only, originates close to the distal connecting band between the basal bodies, and passes around the ventral side of the left basal body before following a course deep into the cell. In addition, several fibrous bands connect the bases of the flagella and haptonema. The general arrangement of the root system of 1. galbana is comparable with many other members of the Prymnesiophyta, but attention is drawn to a number of important differences, particularly between Isochrysis and some other members of the order Isochrysidales. The results are discussed in the context of the evolution, phylogeny and taxonomy of the Prymnesiophyta.

On the right-hand side of the right basal body there is a root consisting of four microtubules (2+2) which runs peripherally in a dorsal direction. Another root, consisting of a single microtubule only, originates close to the distal connecting band between the basal bodies, and passes around the ventral side of the left basal body before following a curse deep into the cell.

Using laboratory experiments, this study examines the nature of the grazing relationship between the amphipod Hyale hirtipalma (Dana) and the red algae Iridaea spp., and the potential effects of grazing on the release and dispersal of algal spores. The results indicate that Hyale hirtipalma has a significant food preference for the cystocarpic stage of Iridaea laminarioides Bory when compared with consumption of Ulva rigida C. Ag. Hyale hirtipalma also shows a significantly greater food preference for cystocarpic tissues of Iridaea laminarioides and I. ciliata Kützing than for other karyological stages of these algae. By consuming the cystocarpic tissues, H. hirtipalma significantly increases the number of carpospores which are released and which settle at all measured distances from the mature cystocarpic I. laminarioides frond where measurements were taken. This evidence, together with information previously published, indicates that several Hyale species show similar food preferences towards the cystocarpic stage of Iridaea spp., and probably have the same ecological role as spore releasers and dispersal agents.

The aims of this study were to ascertain if individual turbot females show a seasonal decline in their egg-size when kept in conditions of constant temperature, and to relate turbot egg-size to the length and yolk-sac index of the emergent larva. Each female showed a significant seasonal egg-size decline and there was a positive correlation between egg-size and the length and yolk-sac index of the subsequent larva. However, larval length was not related to yolk-sac index, nor was the ratio of yolk-sac index: larval length related to egg-size. The maximum mean egg-size tended to increase with the female's weight and length. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the general ecology of turbot and its culture.

Experiments involving three species of copepods(Acartia clausi Giesbrecht 1889, Pseudocalanus elongatus Boeck 1872 and Calanusfinmarchicus Gunnerus 1765) incubated with freshly produced copepod faecal material were conducted and analyzed using automatic image analysis. For two species (A. clausi and C. finmarchicus) the bulk of faecal material was not ingested but was fragmented. This process, coprorhexy, was accompanied by a shift toward smaller particles in the particle size-spectrum. Increases in total volume of the faecal particles after incubation with these copepods led us to propose a process which we refer to as 'coprochaly', derived from the Greek xot/Vaoio,(a loosening, as of bandages). Coprochaly was promoted by manipulation of the faecal material by the copepods. For the third species (P.elongatus) coprorhexy and coprochaly were coupled with coprophagy (ingestion of faecal material). Calculations indicated that the combined effect of coprorhexy and coprochaly reduced sinking velocities of the faecal particles by up to 50%. These processes increase pelagic residency time of particles, increase substrate area for aerobic microbes and presumably enhance remineralization of particulate organic matter.

Hyperbenthos was sampled at six stations on the western slope of the Norwegian Trough. Four hauls, two day and two night replicates were taken at each station. The replicates were analyzed based on all sampled individuals of Mysidacea and Decapoda Natantia using Shannon diversity index, Spearman rank correlation, G-test, Bray-Curtis similarity index and Correspondence Analysis. The sampler provided samples of mysids and shrimps with an acceptable level of replicability based on number of individuals and diversity. In a cost-efficient context it is satisfactory to take only one sample at a station.

Analysis of the total copper and zinc content of four species of talitrid amphipods, Orchestia gammarellus, O. mediterranea, Talitrus saltator and Talorchestia deshayesii throughout a complete spring/neap tidal cycle failed to reveal any significant effects of moulting upon body copper or zinc in any species. Moulting was synchronized to the lunar cycle only in T. saltator, taking place 5–7 days prior to a new moon. The fact that no significant changes in body metal concentrations took place with the moult cycle is discussed in relation to the use of talitrid amphipods in copper and zinc biomonitoring programmes.

A total of 113 broods of Ostrea edulis L. larvae from a closely-controlled hatchery conditioning regime, from specific broodstock treatments, and from brooding oysters taken from a wild population in Poole Harbour, was analysed for fatty acid composition. Major differences in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were detected as the year proceeded, with increased levels of 20:5 (n-3) and 22:6 (n-3) from late June. Significant decreases in the PUFA content of both phospholipids and neutral lipids accompanied development from fertilized eggs to immediately pre-liberation larvae, but there was some evidence that the 20:4 (n-6) and 22:6 (n-3) content of phospholipids was protected. Fatty acid composition and content of newly liberated larvae were influenced by conditions during broodstock fattening and early gametogenesis (phospholipids) and by conditions during the later stages of oocyte development (neutral lipids).

One of the most obvious effects of eutrophication in sheltered coastal areas and estuaries is enhanced growth of opportunistic macroalgae, which may form extensive mats over intertidal mudflats during the spring and summer. In the Ythan estuary, densities of the amphipod Corophium volutator (Pallas) in the sediment underlying weed mats were significantly lower than those in weed-free sediments, and are dominated by species characteristic of organically enriched, low oxygen environments such as Capitella capitata. Long-term data sets on Corophium abundance in the Ythan suggest that this species has declined dramatically throughout those parts of the estuary affected by weed mats.

There are four important influences on the temperature tolerance displayed by infaunal bivalves, namely their position on the shore, the depth to which they burrow, their geographical distribution and the seasonal cycle.

The temperature tolerance of a species is closely related to shore position and burrowing depth, since these both modify the actual range of temperatures to which the organism is exposed and the tidal variation in temperature. As one might expect, southern populations of a species tend to be lower on the shore than equivalents in northern Europe, but at any one location it is difficult to detect a difference in tolerance between individuals from the top of the shore and those from the bottom. Southern populations do have a higher tolerance to high temperatures than northern, despite the shift in littoral distribution. A similar pattern of response and shift in tolerance is shown between summer- and winter-acclimated specimens.

However, the seasonal shift in response to temperature is not entirely as might be expected, as oxygen consumption measurements show reverse acclimation (i.e. winter respiration rates lower than summer). Reverse acclimation has been demonstrated in a number of bivalve species, and the degree of reverse acclimation is here suggested to be related to the degree of deposit- or filter-feeding habit.

There is evidence that bivalves are capable of regulating to some extent their metabolic rate, independent of temperature. Six groups of Macoma balthica were investigated, of which the four from relatively high temperature environments regulated from 20°C, while the other two did not, suggesting that this capability can be acquired.

Cholorophyll a, primary production and the patterns of 14C assimilation into the major end-products of photosynthesis were determined for phytoplankton in the coastal waters off Plymouth, in order to study their physiological ecology during spring conditions. At the end of the study period, a diatom bloom occurred after the development of a slight thermocline. Throughout the pre-bloom period, the majority of the label was found in storage products, and phytoplankton growth was not nutrient-limited. During the development of the bloom, however, an increase in protein synthesis was found, which is interpreted as a result of an active phytoplankton growth. Both synthesis ratios for protein to storage products, i.e. lipid and polysaccharide, (P/L+S) and protein to low molecular weight metabolites (P/M), summarize the variations in the physiological state of phytoplankton during this study. Comparison of the P/M synthesis ratio and different estimations of phytoplankton growth rate shows the usefulness of this index for characterising natural populations.