RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESPIRATION AND NUTRITION OF THE SILKWORM, BOMBYX-MORI

The influence of the major kinds of energy sources, included in the ar tificial diet on respiratory quotient of the silkworm Bombyx mori was investigated. The respiratory rate of control (intact) silkworm larvae fed on a diet that contains three major energy sources (proteins, car bohydrates and fats), was compared with those of larvae grown on diffe rent artificial diets containing only one of the three major energy so urces during the 5th instar. The rate of oxygen consumption of larvae fed on control or protein diets was higher than those fed on carbohydr ate and fat diets. Larvae fed on a protein diet showed a higher rate o f carbon dioxide output than that of larvae fed on carbohydrate or fat diets. The mean respiratory quotients (RQ) during the first 4 days of the 5th instar were 0.74, 0.87, 1.18, 0.92, for the control, protein, carbohydrate and fat diets, respectively. From this study, it was con firmed med that the RQ value could be altered by composition of the di ets.