. The Biological bulletin. Biology; Zoology; Biology; Marine Biology. \. NUTRIENT TRANSPORT IN STARFISH. II. UPTAKE OF NUTRIENTS BY ISOLATED ORGANS 1 JOHN CARRUTHERS FERGUSON Cornell University,2 Ithaca, Neiv York Evidence has been presented in a previous paper (Ferguson, 1964) that the coelomic fluid of starfish (Astcrias forbesi} contains small but significant concen- trations of amino acids and other materials which appear to be important in the process of nutrient translocation. These materials could be mobilized from the storage depots of the digestive glands and rapidly circulated in the
. The Biological bulletin. Biology; Zoology; Biology; Marine Biology. \. NUTRIENT TRANSPORT IN STARFISH. II. UPTAKE OF NUTRIENTS BY ISOLATED ORGANS 1 JOHN CARRUTHERS FERGUSON Cornell University,2 Ithaca, Neiv York Evidence has been presented in a previous paper (Ferguson, 1964) that the coelomic fluid of starfish (Astcrias forbesi} contains small but significant concen- trations of amino acids and other materials which appear to be important in the process of nutrient translocation. These materials could be mobilized from the storage depots of the digestive glands and rapidly circulated in the coelomic fluid to other areas by the ciliary mechanisms described by Irving (1924) and Buding- ton (1942). In order to verify this hypothesis, it is necessary to show that (1) nutrient materials may be released from the storage tissues into the coelomic fluid, (2) nutrient materials may be extracted from the coelomic fluid by the tissues re- quiring them, and (3) these operations may occur at rates sufficient to satisfy the metabolic needs of the animals. These processes, common to most animals, may be quite readily studied in star- fish. Several of the major organs of the body—the digestive glands, cardiac stomach, gonads, and rectal caeca—can be easily excised and maintained for con- siderable periods in clean sea water, which in composition is very similar to coelomic fluid (Cole, 1940). The extended survival of the organs under such conditions attests to the relatively autonomous existence they must normally lead. If the coelomic fluid is the medium of nutrient, waste, and gaseous transport, these preparations should approximate the actual conditions in the animals. In the present investigation, preparations of this type were used to confirm the occurrence of the coelomic transport mechanism of starfish, and to examine the properties and capabilities of this mechanism in nutrient translocation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The animals used in this work were freshly collected
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Keywords: ., bookauthorlilliefrankrat, booksubjectbiology, booksubjectzoology
