Author(s): Asaad H Mohamed, Yasmin H Primavera-Tirol and Leonila V Papalid

Abstract: Haliotis asinina, the seawater abalone with different sizes i.e. small (1-2 cm in shell-length) medium (3-4 cm in shell-length) and large (5-6 cm in shell-length) were selected and further tested for determination of changes in the rate of oxygen consumption for 24 hours period. Three Feeding treatments included the seaweeds species Gracilariopsis heteroclada, Caulerpa lentillifera and unfed treatments were tested. The abalones for the unfed treatment were originally fed G. heteroclada, and not fed 24 h prior the experiment. The highest oxygen consumption levels were recorded for the starved juveniles (small size, 1-2 cm SL) H. asinina and lowest in juveniles fed Caulerpa lentillifera, followed by juveniles fed Gracilariopsis heteroclada. Starved sub-adult (medium size, 3-4 cm SL) abalone registered oxygen consumption levels between Caulerpa lentillifera and Gracilariopsis heteroclada fed abalone. Further, caloric requirements ranged from 28.32 cal•gm^-1 (i.e. 5-6 cm SL) to 59.15 cal•gm^-1 (i.e.1-2 cm SL) for the C. lentillifera treatment and from 26.39 cal•gm-1 (i.e.5-6 cm SL) to 124.79 cal•gm^-1 (i.e.1-2 cm SL) for the G. heteroclada treatment. The starvation treatment has corresponding higher (for 1-2 cm SL) and lower (for 5-6 cm SL) caloric requirements, respectively. The results are discussed in the light of metabolic processes in sea-water mollusks. The relationship between the rate of oxygen consumption and dry body weight were established in the experimental animals. Regression analysis was made and {R²} was calculated; the values of [R²] were obtained to be 0.90 and 0.72 and 0.40 for the starved, Gracilariopsis heteroclada and Caulerpa lentillifera fed, respectively. [R²] values were highly significant in logarithmic relationship.

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