The purpose of this study is to compare the clearance rate (CR) and intake rate (IR) of juvenile purple clam, Saxidomus purpuratus when feeding on different unialgal diet of red tide dinoflagellates (RTDs), and to know what is the most important cell characteristic of RTDs to cause the differences in feeding parameters. Experiments were performed to measure the CR and IR of juvenile S. purpuratus as a function of algal concentration when food was either the standard food, Isochrysis galbana or one of 9 RTDs.
Patterns of CR with increasing algal concentration were similar among different RTDs. The highest Cmax was observed when S. purpuratus was feeding on A. affine, while the lowest on C. polykrikoides. The patterns of IR with increasing algal concentration were also similar among different RTDs. However, there were great differences in the maximum value of IR (Imax) among different RTDs. The highest Imax was observed when S. purpuratus was feeding on A. carterae, while the lowest on G. catenatum.
Some RTDs similar in size showed different Cmax. Other RTDs different in size showed similar Imax. Life form of each RTD affected significantly the Imax, which was higher for single-celled RTDs than chain-forming RTDs. There were no significant differences in feeding parameters between toxic and nontoxic RTDs. Moreover, a toxic dinoflagellate, A. carterae recorded the highest Imax among RTDs. The most important characteristic of RTD as a factor affecting the feeding rate of S. purpuratus was life form, not size or toxicity of RTD species.
