Assimilation of Detritus and Its Associated Bacteria by Three Species of Estuarine Animals

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Abstract
The assimilation of detritus and its associated bacteria by three species of macrofauna which are abundant in eel grass beds during the summer was investigated in a laboratory study. The amount of14CO2 respired per milligram of dry body weight by animals that fed on different types of labeled food was compared to determine the relative amount of assimilation of a particular food. Animals were fed sterilized and unsterillized detritus labeled with14C to determine if they assimilated either the detritusper se or its associated bacteria as food. All three species ingested and assimilated detritus. After 3 days of feeding, a small gastropod,Bittium varium, had ingested and assimilated more detritus per mg of body weight than either the grass shrimp,Palaemonetes pugio, or the polychaete,Glycera dibranchiata. BothPalaemonetes andBittium assimilated14C from labeled bacteria associated with the detritus as well as from the labeled detritus. All three species assimilated some14C from soluble sources.

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