Stability of free amino acid levels in stressed Abarenicola pacifica

A change in the composition of the free amino acid pool of pelecypod molluscs under stress has been identified. It involves a singificant decrease in glycine level, with a constant taurine level. The authors tested the hypothesis that this response may be a useful indicator of physiological stress, by exposing a burrowing polychaete, Abarenicola pacifica, to sediment artificially contaminated with oil . The results indicate that it is unlikely that the free amino acid content is negatively correlated with stress in this particular species, or that reduction in amino acid content could be used as an indication of sub-lethal stress .