The physical and nutritional energy values of aquatic invertebrates were studied in relation to organic carbon content.The ratio of energy content to the weight of organic carbon increased with increasing carbon. The dependence is described in regression equations which permit prediction of the cncrgy content with an accuracy of about +5% (P > 0.95 ) . Even the use of the mean conversion factor of 46 kJ g-l organic carbon yields considerably more accurate results than the use of a general conversion factor for ash-free dry weight.Accurate energy values of animals are essential for studies of animal energetics. Determination of the energy content of animals with the aid of bomb calorimeters now used requires samples relatively large in comparison with the small size of most freshwater invertebrates.Most scientists use dry weight or ash-free dry weight to estimate biomass. As the energy content of dry or ash-free dry biomass varies considerably from species to species (e.g. Cummins and Wuycheck 1971)) and within one species from season to season (e.g. Schindler et al. 1971; Wissing and Hasler 1971;Snow 1972), the use of general energy equivalents for dry or ash-free dry weight does not yield very accurate values.As noted earlier by Platt and Irwin ( 1973)) the energy equivalent for biomass expressed in terms of organic carbon should theoretically vary less than the energy equivalent for biomass expressed in terms of dry or ash-free dry weight. The use of 41.9 k J g-l C ( = 10 kcal g-l C ) as an approximate conversion factor has been recommended by Winberg (1971a). I-Iowever, new methods have made it possible to determine organic carbon rapidly and accurately even from submicrogram samples unsuitable for calorimetry.To obtain more accurate general energy equivalents for biomass expressed in terms of organic carbon, we have studied the relation between energy content and organic carbon in
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