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Di Santo V, Tran AH, Svendsen JC. Progressive hypoxia decouples activity and aerobic performance of skate embryos. Conserv Physiol. 2016;4(1):cov067doi: 10.1093/conphys/cov067.
Di Santo, V., Tran, A. H., & Svendsen, J. C. (2016). Progressive hypoxia decouples activity and aerobic performance of skate embryos. Conservation physiology, 4(1), cov067. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/cov067
Di Santo, Valentina, et al. "Progressive hypoxia decouples activity and aerobic performance of skate embryos." Conservation physiology vol. 4,1 (2016): cov067. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/cov067
Di Santo V, Tran AH, Svendsen JC. Progressive hypoxia decouples activity and aerobic performance of skate embryos. Conserv Physiol. 2016 Jan 22;4(1):cov067. doi: 10.1093/conphys/cov067. eCollection 2016. PMID: 27293746; PMCID: PMC4732404.
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Conserv Physiol. 2016 Jan 22;4(1):cov067. doi: 10.1093/conphys/cov067. eCollection 2016.

Progressive hypoxia decouples activity and aerobic performance of skate embryos.

Conservation physiology

Valentina Di Santo, Anna H Tran, Jon C Svendsen

Affiliations

  1. Museum of Comparative Zoology , Harvard University , Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA.
  2. Department of Biology , Boston University , Boston, MA 02215 , USA.
  3. Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research , University of Porto , Porto , Portugal.

PMID: 27293746 PMCID: PMC4732404 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cov067

Abstract

Although fish population size is strongly affected by survival during embryonic stages, our understanding of physiological responses to environmental stressors is based primarily on studies of post-hatch fishes. Embryonic responses to acute exposure to changes in abiotic conditions, including increase in hypoxia, could be particularly important in species exhibiting long developmental time, as embryos are unable to select a different environment behaviourally. Given that oxygen is key to metabolic processes in fishes and aquatic hypoxia is becoming more severe and frequent worldwide, organisms are expected to reduce their aerobic performance. Here, we examined the metabolic and behavioural responses of embryos of a benthic elasmobranch fish, the little skate (Leucoraja erinacea), to acute progressive hypoxia, by measuring oxygen consumption and movement (tail-beat) rates inside the egg case. Oxygen consumption rates were not significantly affected by ambient oxygen levels until reaching 45% air saturation (critical oxygen saturation, S crit). Below S crit, oxygen consumption rates declined rapidly, revealing an oxygen conformity response. Surprisingly, we observed a decoupling of aerobic performance and activity, as tail-beat rates increased, rather than matching the declining metabolic rates, at air saturation levels of 55% and below. These results suggest a significantly divergent response at the physiological and behavioural levels. While skate embryos depressed their metabolic rates in response to progressive hypoxia, they increased water circulation inside the egg case, presumably to restore normoxic conditions, until activity ceased abruptly around 9.8% air saturation.

Keywords: Climate change; Leucoraja erinacea; critical oxygen saturation; elasmobranch; metabolism; performance

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