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EXAMINATION OF EFFECT OF DIET, PH, AND AGE ON CHITINASE ACTIVITY IN THE GUT OF THE YELLOW‐BELLIES SLIDER TURTLE TRACHEMYS SCRIPTA

The Slider Turtle, Trachemys scripta, undergoes an ontogenetic dietary shift during its life. During this shift, juvenile turtles prefer to eat aquatic invertebrates, which contain chitin in their exoskeletons. Digestive enzymes, like chitinase, are needed to help break down the exoskeleton allowing access to the underlying nutrients. A fluorescent chitinase assay for exochitinase was adapted for these studies. Enzymatic activity was detected in extracts of stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and pancreas obtained from five year old T. scripta fed a mixed diet. This work aimed to establish the existence and location of an endogenous chitinase and identify its optimal pH ranges in T. scripta hatchlings. Hatchlings typically have a more carnivorous diet which may result in an increase of chitinase within their gut. The procedure used on the five year old turtles is being repeated on hatchling turtles to determine if activity levels vary with age. This work was sponsored by the Merck AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program.