Effect of tremata closures on the oxygen consumption rhythm of ezo abalone Haliotis discus hannai

Cultured adults of ezo abalone, Haliotis discus hannai (shell length, 89.3 ± 6.4 mm and flesh dry weight, 13.0 ± 1.6 g; n = 12) were exposed to different temperatures (10 and 25 °C) to determine whether respiration effects were induced by artificial closure of the second and third tremata (respiratory pores). A respirometer was used to determine the oxygen consumption rates (OCRs) as measures of metabolic activity. The closed tremata were the second and third of the four open tremata anterior to the head of the abalone. The OCRs of starved abalone were measured under constant conditions (CC: constant dark and constant temperature) during a 240-h period, consisting of 120 h before and 120 h after the closure of tremata. The endogenous rhythm of the OCRs in cultured ezo abalone exhibited a dominant circadian rhythm (unimodal rhythm) in the latter half of the experimental period and occasionally showed a weaker but similar circatidal rhythm (bimodal rhythm) in the first half of the experimental period regardless of temperature. The results from the present study indicate that the rhythmicity of the OCRs in starved abalone is not affected by closure of the second and third tremata. This study offers essential physiological information for utilizing tremata in developing a tagging technique in abalone.