The Effects of Elevated pCO2, Hypoxia and Temperature on Larval Sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus: How much stress is too much?
Citation:
Enzor, L., E. Moso, C. Hankins, AND M. Barron. The Effects of Elevated pCO2, Hypoxia and Temperature on Larval Sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus: How much stress is too much? Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, January 04 - 08, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
This project was created in order to better understand the interactive effects of projected pCO2 levels and hypoxia in estuarine organisms. This work is currently focused on the sensitivity of various life stages of estuarine fish and invertebrates. The work is significant as it will highlight areas previously under-represented in the world of acidification, as well as provide insight on how estuarine ecosystems may be impacted by factors of global climate change.
Description:
Estuarine fish are acclimated to living in an environment with rapid and frequent changes in temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels; the physiology of these organisms is well suited to cope with extreme thermal, hypercapnic, and hypoxic stress. While the adverse effects of low dissolved oxygen levels on estuarine fish has been well-documented, the interaction between low DO and elevated pCO2 is not well understood. There is some evidence that low DO and elevated pCO2 interact antagonistically, however little information exists on how projected changes of pCO2 levels in near-shore waters may affect estuarine species, and how these changes may specifically interact with dissolved oxygen and temperature. We explored the survivability of 7-day post fertilization sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus, using short term exposure to the combined effects of elevated pCO2 (~1300 µatm; IPCC RCP 8.5) and low dissolved oxygen levels (~2 mg/L). Additionally, we determined if the susceptibility of these fish to elevated pCO2 and low DO was influenced by increases in temperature from 27.5°C to 35°C. Results from this study and future studies will be used to identify estuarine species and lifestages sensitive to the combined effects of elevated pCO2 and low dissolved oxygen.