Effect of body size, photophase, feeding and emersion on the oxygen consumption of the east coast rock lobster Panulirus homarus rubellus

An understanding of the effect of key intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the oxygen consumption of Panulirus homarus rubellus is imperative for the development of optimized transport, holding and growout protocols. This study investigated the effect of body weight, photophase, feeding and emersion on the oxygen consumption rate of P. h. rubellus . Body weight was positively correlated to both standard and active oxygen consumption (mg O₂ h⁻¹) while body weight was negatively correlated to mass-specific standard oxygen uptake (mg O₂ g⁻¹ h⁻¹). Diurnal rhythm exhibited a strong effect on the lobsters' oxygen consumption, with average nighttime values 67% greater than those recorded during the day. This was related to activity driven by intrinsic nocturnal foraging behaviour. Feeding resulted in a classic specific dynamic action response, with postprandial oxygen consumption increasing to a peak before decreasing gradually to preprandial levels. Emersion caused a significant increase in oxygen consumption following re-immersion. Lobsters rapidly recovered to pre-emersion levels after 4 h following a 1-h emersion and after 13.3 h following an emersion period of 6 h. The implications of these results with regard to the holding/culture system and protocol design are discussed.