The influence of habitat on metabolic and digestive parameters in an intertidal crab from a SW Atlantic coastal lagoon

The hepatopancreas of decapod crustaceans is an organ which can act as indicator for digestive and metabolic parameters under different physiological / or environmental conditions. However, biochemical studies on the euryhaline burrowing crabs such Neohelice granulata from habitats with diet compositions are still scarce. In wild, adult males N. Mar Chiquita Coastal Lagoon (Argentina) in mudflat habitat have diets higher lipid protein content than saltmarsh, suggesting that could be important factor influencing activities. We tested this hypothesis here by exposing male to a similar experimental comparing components metabolism between these two types at times (up three months). At month 3, we noticed decrease triglyceride concentration lipase activity increase mudflat. contrast, triglycerides did not change while decreased levamisole insensitive AP increased 3. results indicate varying remain different, even if subsequently fed diet. This suggests specific intrinsic regulations operate differently each changed recent