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Effects of temperature and pH on the oxygen consumption Rate of sudanonautes (Convexonautes aubryi) floweri (de man) (crustacea: decapoda)


N M Inyang
E L Nwankwo

Abstract



The oxygen consumption rate of a freshwatersub-terrestrial crab, Sudanonautes floweri in relation to different temperatures and pHwas investigated. The average temperatureand pH of the crab\'s peaty stream habitat were 29.50C and 7.5 respectively. The lethal temperatures at pH 7.0 recorded for the species were 14.50C and 34.50C respectively. The oxygen consumption rate (Q) within the temperature range of 210C – 310C increased with temperature but decreased in the zones of temperature stress (≤ 160C and ≥ 310C). There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between weight specific oxygen consumption (QW-1) of the male and female crabs. The oxygen consumption rate was positively correlated with the body weight of the crabs (r = 1.0); but was inversely related to the unit weight of the crab per hour (r = -0.95). The average oxygen consumption of the animal at 30 0C and pH 7.0 was 53.1 μg O2 g-1 h-1.

Keywords: Temperature, pH, Oxygen consumption, Sudanonautes floweri

Animal Research International Vol. 1 (1) 2004: pp. 16-22

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eISSN: 1597-3115