The effect of starvation on the biochemical composition of the rotiferBrachionus plicatilis
Alterations of the biochemical composition and survival of the rotiferBrachionus plicatilishave been investigated. During starvation the proportion of total protein increased from 45·3 to 62·7% while that of total lipid, carbohydrate and glycogen decreased from 20·1 to 6·9%, from 21·2 to 14·1% and from 17·3 to 4·9% dry weight, respectively. The proportion of polar lipids and free sterols in total lipids increased, from 8·3 to 32·0% and from 29·2 to 58·3% whereas triacylglycerol decreased from 54·7 to 4·2% dry weight. The most abrupt alteration in these fractions took place in the interval from 24 to 48 h. The proportion of monoacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, free fatty acids and esters of waxes and sterols in-creased from 1·2 to 3·0% (72 h), from 0·2 to 1·8 (48 h), from 0·7 to 2·4 (72 h) and from 5·7 to 12·1% (48 h) and then decreased to the level of 1·1, 0·9, 1·2 and 1·3%, respectively.