Energy metabolism of Chironomus anthracinus (Diptera: Chironomidae) from the profundal zone of Lake Esrom, Denmark, as a function of body size, temperature and oxygen concentration

Abstract

The profundal zone of Lake Esrom, Denmark has a dense population of Chironomus anthracinus, which survives 2–4 months of oxygen depletion each summer during stratification. The metabolism of 3rd and 4th instar larvae was examined in regard to variation in biomass and temperature. Respiration at air saturation was described by a curvilinear multiple regression relating oxygen consumption to individual AFDW and temperature. At 10 °C and varying oxygen regimes the O₂ consumption and CO₂ production of 4th instar larvae were almost unaltered from saturation to about 3 mg O₂ l⁻¹, but decreased steeply below this level. The respiratory quotient increased from 0.82 at saturation to about 3.4 at oxygen concentrations near 0.5 mg O₂ l⁻¹. This implied a shift from aerobic to partially anaerobic metabolism. At 0.5 mg O₂ l⁻¹ the total energy production equalled 20% of the rate at saturation of which more than one third was accounted for by anaerobic degradation of glycogen. This corresponded to a daily loss of 12 µg mg AFDW⁻¹ or approximately 5% of the body reserves. At unchanged metabolic rate the glycogen store would last three weeks, but long term oxygen deficiency causes a further suppression of the energy metabolism in C. anthracinus.