Energy Production during Swimming in the Adductor Muscle of the Bivalve Lima hians: Comparison with the Data from Other Bivalve Mollusks

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Abstract
The file shell, Lima hians, responded to stimulation with extracts of starfish or whelks by a series of 60-68 valve snaps during 5-7 min. The time of "active" swimming was assumed to be 3 min. Swimming was powered by the single adductor muscle, which showed high activities of octopine dehydrogenase but very low activities of lactate dehydrogenase. It is concluded that active swimming depends on anaerobic breakdown of glycogen to octopine. Concentrations of the adenine nucleotides (ATP, ADP, AMP), arginine phosphate, arginine, octopine, and various other metabolites related to anaerobic metabolism were determined in the adductor muscle at rest and after swimming to exhaustion. Swimming resulted in a small decrease in the energy charge. There was almost complete depletion of the arginine phosphate pool and the formation of a high concentration of octopine, but no production of lactate. About 60% of the total energy required for swimming activity was contributed by the breakdown of arginine phosphate as observed previously for other active bivalve mollusks. The results obtained with L. hians were compared with another member of the file shells, Limaria fragilis, which displays a slower, more sustained style of swimming based on aerobic mechanisms for ATP production.

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