Studies of the Release of Dissolved Free Amino Acids by Marine Zooplankton1

Rates of release of dissolved free amino acids by marine net zooplankton are a positive function of water temperature and can be estimated by the equation R = T − 6.0, where R = release rate in mg α ‐amino N g −1 day −1 , = temperature (°C), and 6.0 is a constant. Most of the common protein amino acids are present in release products. Glycine, taurine, and alanine usually predominate. It is estimated that in an “average” water column net zooplankton release an amount of total dissolved amino acids equal to the amount in solution in about one month.