Biochemical composition and calorific value of zooplankton from the coastal waters of South Andaman
2013
M. Arun Kumar, G. Padmavati, I. Anandavelu
Estimation of biochemical composition of zooplankton is important in understanding their metabolism, nutritive value and energy transfer which are relevant to the marine ecosystem. Zooplankton biomass and their biochemical composition were estimated from the coastal waters of South Andaman during October 2011 to September 2012. The dry weight biomass and chlorophyll a discerned a positive correlation (p is less than 0.05; one-way ANOVA) in two stations. Protein formed the major fraction of the organic constituents. Seasonal variation in the protein content of zooplankton was observed. Carbohydrate was the minor component and ranged from 1.1-12.2% ( Mean= 3.4+-1.1) in terms of dry weight. Neither lipid nor carbohydrate appeared to be significant source of energy for these organisms. Caloric value obtained in this study ranged from 1.35 to 2.72 kcal/g dry weight ( Mean=1.8+-0.2). Relatively higher values were attributed to the dominance of calanoid copepods in the zooplankton population almost throughout the year. Zooplankton did not show an extensive lipid storage suggesting that protein may serve as metabolic reserve. It is therefore evident that zooplankton can be utilized as nutritional live feed for the cultivable species of fish and prawn in aquaculture farms. The variations in biochemical composition of zooplankton are influenced by species composition and feeding activities of zooplankton, which is in accordance with the previous studies. This study is the first report on Biochemical Composition and Calorific Value of Zooplankton from the coastal waters of Port Blair, South Andaman.
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