Abstract
Feces of the commercial shrimp Penaeus duorarum were experimentally decomposed by bacteria extracted from estuarine sediment for periods up to 90 days. Feces were decomposed both aerobically and anaerobically, both at 25??C and 15?? C. Subsequently, both remaining feces and decomposing media were analyzed for major organic and inorganic constituents. Decomposition occurred in several phases: an initial soluble phase and a bacterial decomposition phase of rapid rate, followed by one or more less rapid bacterial phases separated by periods where bacterial incorporation exceeded decomposition. The bacterial decomposition phases are characterized by first-order kinetics. Lower temperatures retarded decomposition. Anaerobic conditions had a greater retarding effect and applied this effect more discriminately to specific fractions -especially the lipid, and to a lesser extent, the protein fractions. Aerobic conditions not only induced a greater loss of material but also an increase in the oxidative state of the remaining material. Under all conditions studied, organic carbon content decreased more rapidly than dry weight, and it is likely that trophic potential decreased more rapidly than either.
McCarthy, Francis Davey (1973). Microbial decomposition of the feces of the pink shrimp Penaeus duorarum and the effects of temperature and oxygen limitation. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -157002.