Abstract: From December 2007 to April 2008, a laboratory experiment was conducted to study the effects of various starvation periods followed by the same refeeding period on the growth, survival, and biochemical composition of different  size Ruditapes philippinarum at water temperature 3.0 ℃-4.2 ℃, salinity 25-27, and pH 7.90-8.16. No significant differences in the growth characteristics of R. philippinarum at low temperatures were observed among different  size groups. The tolerance to starvation increased with increasing  size, while the survival rate decreased with increasing starvation period.  the point-of-no return (PNR₅₀) was not observed during the study period. For the larger size group (7 mm), the body moisture and lipid concentrations generally decreased with increasing starvation period. During starvation, the body protein content increased initially as a result of lipid being utilized for energy, but decreased thereafter when the lipid was depleting. Ash content remained unchanged during the study period, and was not affected by starvation or refeeding.

Key words: Ruditapes philippinarum, winter, starvation, growth, survival, body biochemical composition, Haitan Island, land use, ecological risk, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA).