Antarctic fish in a changing world: metabolic, osmoregulatory and endocrine stress response
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1
Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Comparative Endocrinology and Integrative Biology, Portugal
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2
Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade do Algarve, Portugal
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3
CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Portugal
Fish around Antarctic Peninsula are exposed to the fastest climate change rate in the planet, up to ten times higher than the global average. The evolution in extreme stenothermal isolation was a strong selective pressure for the development of a highly endemic fish fauna, with likely structural and functional constraints. To which extent can coastal notothenioid fish adjust to the conditions forecasted by the models of climate change?
Experiments were run in the Arctowski (PL) station at Admiralty Bay, King George Island, in 2012/13. Fish, Notothenia rossii and N. coriiceps, were collected by boat at 5-25 meter deep using fishing poles and were transferred to experimental tanks in cold rooms acclimated to natural temperatures (0-2°C). Fish were exposed to rapid/ gradual changes in water temperature or/and salinity (to 6-8°C using thermostat-controlled heaters, to 20-10‰ by addition of freshwater to recirculating tanks, over a period of up to 10 days) to evaluate the response of several physiological processes. The stress endocrine axis was tested by injecting known blockers/ agonists of cortisol release and receptors.
Exposure to altered conditions had no effect in immediate mortality. Increased temperature reduced overall activity and behavioral response to stimuli, although it had no clear effect on mobilization of energetic substrate. Both cortisol and gene expression of metabolic-related proteins and glucocorticoid- and mineralocorticoid receptors were modified after heat shock, but that the cortisol response to handling was reduced. The rise in temperature induced a dependent decrease in plasma osmolality while increasing branchial Na+/K+-ATPase activity, thus decreasing osmoregulatory efficiency. In conclusion, Antarctic fish are reactive to environmental change, but that their ability to accommodate rapid or adaptive responses may be compromised.
Acknowledgements
Funded by FCT-FP(PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2011), FCT-FAAC-Noto project, FCT-Programa Polar Português and Caixa Geral de Depósitos New Polar Scientists. Support from Polish Academy of Sciences and British Antarctic Survey.
Keywords:
Antarctic fish,
Climate Change,
Endocrine stress response,
Temperature acclimation,
osmoregulation
Conference:
XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Physiology, Behavior and Toxicology
Citation:
Guerreiro
PM,
Louro
B,
Alves
A,
Couto
E,
Cruz
B,
Eufrasio
A,
Deloffre
L,
Wilson
JM and
Canario
AV
(2015). Antarctic fish in a changing world: metabolic, osmoregulatory and endocrine stress response.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XV European Congress of Ichthyology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2015.03.00013
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Received:
23 Oct 2015;
Published Online:
04 Nov 2015.
*
Correspondence:
PhD. Pedro M Guerreiro, Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Comparative Endocrinology and Integrative Biology, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal, pmgg@ualg.pt