Physiology of Finfish and Shellfish (2+1)

5.1.2. Metabolism and activity

A careful distinction will be made here in the usage of the terms metabolism, and activity. Metabolism as used here is catabolism as ordinarilly understood, that is the sum of reaction which yielded the energy which the organism utilizes. Thus, activities are such processes as running or fighting or other manifestations of energy released by metabolism. (These manifestations are not all movements growth is activity and so is excretion. By this definition, metabolism is an activity).

The purpose of belonging the distinction between metabolism and activity here is not to introduce a novel thorough out. For the generalities is what use all recognizes but rather to provide a consistent treatment of whole organisms in relation to its biochemical basis. Activity is fundamentally, the result of transformation of energy from one form to another and the application of that energy to a given performance. Two generalizations arise from these circumstances.

Standard metabolism is an approximation of the minimum rate for the intact organism. It is preferably detem1ined as the value found at zero activity by relating metabolic rate to random physical activity in fish in past absorptive. The routine rate of metabolism is the mean rate observed in fish whose metabolic rate is influenced by random activity under experimental condition in which movement are presumably somewhat restricted and fish protected from outside stimuli.