Intake, digestion, absorption and conversion of food in the fishes Megalops cyprinoides and Ophiocephalus striatus

Abstract

Different criteria for the assessment of conversion efficiencies of fishes are briefly reviewed, and some important terms defined. In the eurysaline fishes Megalops cyprinoides and Ophiocephalus striatus, transformation of food has been studied as a function of body weight, using both protein and energy transfer criteria. The duration of the 28 experiments conducted varied from 15 to 30 days. Rates of food intake, digestion, absorption and conversion decrease with increasing body weight. Absorption efficiencies are about 97% for the protein fraction, and 91% for the total food consumed; they do not vary appreciably among the individuals of different body weights. Conversion efficiencies of the protein fraction and the total food consumed decrease from about 40% in 2 g individuals to about 15% in 150 g ones. In general, the relations show curvilinear trends, but in weight groups between 10 and 150 g, straight lines are obtained. The slopes of these lines differ in the two species tested. Such differences are related to the physiological state of the fishes and their growth potential. The inverse relation between body weight on the one hand, and food intake, absorption and conversion on the other, are attributed to aging. It is suggested that age affects these intermediate steps via the enzyme-complex of the digestive system. The b values obtained for the relation between body weight on the one hand, and metabolism, food intake and absorption on the other, do not correspond to the surface or weight proportion rule, but to an intermediary type of neither surface nor weight proportionality. As the values obtained are similar, it is concluded that there exists a direct and proportionate relation between metabolism, food intake and absorption. The respective values for the relation between body weight and conversion rate are low indicating that there is a direct, but nonproportionate relation between growth and metabolism.