SEASONAL-CHANGES OF LIPIDS AND FATTY-ACIDS IN OYSTER TISSUES (CRASSOSTREA-VIRGINICA) AND ESTUARINE PARTICULATE MATTER

1. 1. Lipid concentration in adductor muscle ranged from 2-68, in visceral mass from 5-28, in mantle and gill from 5-20 and in heart from 27.8-79 mg/g wet tissue. Particulate matter lipids varied from 1.0-2.6 mg/1 of estuarine water. 2. 2. Neutral and polar lipids ranged from 25-38% of the total lipids in the oyster tissue and from 62-75% of the estuarine particulate organic matter. 3. 3. Seasonal maxima of lipid concentrations varied among oyster tissues. Peak particulate lipids occurred in November. 4. 4. It is proposed that seasonal variation in oyster lipids was more related to reproductive cycles than to food lipid supply. © 1990.