Housed in the lab in the cold water pumped in from McMurdo Sound, the female sea urchins were induced to spawn and the eggs were fertilized. The scientists then began measuring the changes in total metabolic rates as the embryos developed into larvae, along with corresponding changes in the rate of protein turnover, or metabolism. More than 10 million embryos were tested during the three-year project.
So what does identifying the most energy-efficient animal mean to the rest of us, besides making us feel metabolically inadequate?
We know the Antarctic sea urchin can process proteins using less energy than anyone else, Marsh says, but we dont know yet what mechanism allows the animal to do so much with so little. Finding the answer could yield some important benefits, he notes. For example, if you could incorporate this energy-efficiency into a fish, oyster, or clam, you could feed it less food and get the same growth rate. That kind of capability would be a great boon to aquaculture.
'"/>
Contact: Tracey Bryant
tbryant@udel.edu
302-831-8185
University of Delaware
7-Mar-2001