ANAEROBIC METABOLISM IN THE SHRIMP CRANGON-CRANGON EXPOSED TO HYPOXIA, ANOXIA AND HYDROGEN-SULFIDE

The brown shrimp Crangon crangon was collected in the Penze estuary, B retagne, in April 1994 and exposed to hypoxia, anoxia and combinations of hypoxia and sulfide. Exposure to sulfide induced total anaerobic m etabolism even at an oxygen saturation which would otherwise permit to tally aerobic metabolism. In addition to preventing aerobic metabolism there was a direct toxic effect of sulfide. Haemocyanin oxygen affini ty (p(50)) values from non-stressed C. crangon were relatively low. Th e p(50) values all exceed those where environmentally induced lactate accumulation occurs. It seems unlikely that lactate is an affinity mod ulating factor under environmental hypoxia.