Crustacean chemical composition

Childress, J. J., and Nygaard, M. H. (1974). Chemical composition and buoyancy of midwater crustaceans as a function of depth of occurrence off southern California. Mar. Biol. 27, 225—238. 

Ikeda, T. (1988). Metabolism and chemical composition of crustaceans from the Antarctic mesopelagic zone. Deep Sea Res. 35(12), 1991—2002. 

It is found as a component of fungal and bacterial cell-walls, in insect cuticles, and as the shell of crustaceans. Being so similar to cellulose in chemical composition, its structure is important, if for no other reason than that comparison of the two structures might aid in our understanding of each. The similar fibrillar fine-structure (see Fig. 12) of these two polysaccharides is noteworthy, as the lateral forces between molecules are different. Although chitin does not occur in Nature specifically as a fiber, it is frequently found well-oriented in bristles and as tendon material. Samples from invertebrates are usually admixed with protein and carbonate, both of which must be removed before x-ray diagrams of high quality can be obtained. 

Table 13.14. Average chemical composition of crustaceans and moUusks...

It is unknown whether crustacean senders can manipulate the composition of urineborne pheromones. They do, however, have control over the timing of urine release (Breithaupt, Chap. 13) and are therefore able to adjust the signaling to their own benefit. This may include opportunities to manipulate the receiver by either falsely reporting or by withholding information (Christy and Rittschof, Chap. 16). Only in few examples has the chemical nature of distance pheromones been characterized. These studies employed behavioral assays that used a specific behavioral response in the receiver as an indicator for pheromonal activity (Kamio and Derby, Chap. 20 Hardege and Terschak, Chap. 19). 

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