Some aspects of physiology of pearl oyster

Pearl oysters of the genus Pinctada occur in different environments, from the intertidal zone to shallow coastal waters as well as at depths of 12-23 m as on the pearl banks of Gulf of Ma:nnar. A knowledge of the physiological characteristics of pearl oyster is necessary for successful rearing in the farm as well as for production of quality pearls. Realising this, several studies have bsen carried out on the physiology of Pinctada fucata of the Japanese seas. Itoh (1976) has studied the relation of oxygen consumption and ammonia nitrogen excreted in the adult oyster to body size and water temperature