Circulating haemocyanin, glucose, lactate, and ammonia concentrations and ammonia excretion rates of Nephrops norvegicus were studied in normoxia and in various hypoxia levels for periods up to 3 weeks. Increases in circulating glucose and lactate took place in oxygen tensions PwO2 = < 30 Torr only, indicating aerobic metabolism down to this oxygen tension. In moderate hypoxia, N. norvegicus synthesised haemocyanin; in more severe hypoxia some haemocyanin catabolism occurred. Mean normoxic blood ammonia concentration was 130 mu M NH4+/l with large individual variation. Blood ammonia levels decreased with time in both normoxia and hypoxia showing a lowered metabolic rate over the experimental period. Mean ammonia excretion rate was 0.16 mu M NH4+ g/wet wt/hr under normoxia.
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