The Herpetological Journal

pp.26-30

Authors: John Davenport And Colin R. Scott

Abstract: Mean appetite and oxygen uptake were highly variable amongst the 12 young green (Chelonia mydas L.) turtles studied. Neither appetite nor oxygen uptake had a statistically significant influence on specific growth rate. Amongst the efficiencies of assimilation of nutrients, there were quite wide individual variations in the rates of assimilation of energy, lipid and dry mass, but protein was assimilated with a uniformly high efficiency. Assimilation efficiencies of lipid and dry mass were significantly and positively correlated with specific growth rate. There were also strong positive correlations between the efficiencies of assimilation of different nutrients. There were weak negative correlations between appetite and the assimilation rates for energy and dry mass. These suggest that turtles compensate for a low efficiency of assimilation of these nutrients by an increased rate of food intake. Lipid assimilation in the turtles was lower than for the other nutrients. It was found that fatty acids are not all absorbed to the same extent. Saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids were relatively poorly absorbed by comparison with polyunsaturated fatty acids.