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Adjei HO, Laar RY, Ofori-Darkwah P, Xatse EX, Bediako JO, Skov PV, Obirikorang KA. Air-breathing behavior in Heterotis niloticus fingerlings: Response to changes in oxygen, temperature, and exercise regimes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 103:1044-1053. [PMID: 37421412 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Air-breathing in fish is believed to have arisen as an adaptation to aquatic hypoxia. Although air-breathing has been widely studied in numerous fish species, little is known about the obligate air-breathing African bonytongue, Heterotis niloticus. We evaluated if abiotic factors and physical activity affect air-breathing patterns in fingerlings. The air-breathing frequency (fAB ) and behavioral responses of H. niloticus fingerlings were assessed in response to environmental oxygen, temperature, and exhaustion and activity in a series of experiments. The air-breathing behavior of H. niloticus fingerlings under optimum water conditions was characterized by swift excursions lasting less than 1 s to the air-water interface to gulp air. The intervals between air-breaths were highly variable, ranging from 3 to 259 s. Body size only slightly affected fAB , while hypoxia, hyperthermia, and exercise stress significantly increased fAB . Progressive hypoxia from 17.69 to 2.17 kPa caused a ~2.5-fold increase in fAB . Increasing temperatures to 27 and 32°C, from a baseline temperature of 22°C, significantly increased fAB from 0.4 ± 0.2 to 1.3 ± 0.5 and 1.6 ± 0.4 breaths min-1 , respectively. Lastly, following exhaustive exercise, fAB increased up to 3-fold. These observations suggest that H. niloticus fingerlings are very reliant on aerial oxygen, and their air-breathing behavior is sensitive to environmental changes and activity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Owusu Adjei
- Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Robert Yadama Laar
- Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Prince Ofori-Darkwah
- Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Emmanuel Xorla Xatse
- Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Jedida Osei Bediako
- Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Peter Vilhelm Skov
- Technical University of Denmark, DTU Aqua, Section for Aquaculture, The North Sea Research Centre, Hirtshals, Denmark
| | - Kwasi Adu Obirikorang
- Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Aaskov ML, Nelson D, Lauridsen H, Huong DTT, Ishimatsu A, Crossley DA, Malte H, Bayley M. Do air-breathing fish suffer branchial oxygen loss in hypoxic water? Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231353. [PMID: 37700647 PMCID: PMC10498054 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In hypoxia, air-breathing fish obtain O2 from the air but continue to excrete CO2 into the water. Consequently, it is believed that some O2 obtained by air-breathing is lost at the gills in hypoxic water. Pangasionodon hypophthalmus is an air-breathing catfish with very large gills from the Mekong River basin where it is cultured in hypoxic ponds. To understand how P. hypophthalmus can maintain high growth in hypoxia with the presumed O2 loss, we quantified respiratory gas exchange in air and water. In severe hypoxia (PO2: ≈ 1.5 mmHg), it lost a mere 4.9% of its aerial O2 uptake, while maintaining aquatic CO2 excretion at 91% of the total. Further, even small elevations in water PO2 rapidly reduced this minor loss. Charting the cardiovascular bauplan across the branchial basket showed four ventral aortas leaving the bulbus arteriosus, with the first and second gill arches draining into the dorsal aorta while the third and fourth gill arches drain into the coeliacomesenteric artery supplying the gut and the highly trabeculated respiratory swim-bladder. Substantial flow changes across these two arterial systems from normoxic to hypoxic water were not found. We conclude that the proposed branchial oxygen loss in air-breathing fish is likely only a minor inefficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus L. Aaskov
- Division of Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000C Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Derek Nelson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | - Henrik Lauridsen
- Comparative Medicine Lab, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Do Thi Thanh Huong
- College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, Can Tho, Vietnam
| | - Atsushi Ishimatsu
- Institute for East China Sea Research, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Dane A. Crossley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | - Hans Malte
- Division of Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000C Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mark Bayley
- Division of Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000C Aarhus, Denmark
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Zaccone G, Capillo G, Aragona M, Alesci A, Cupello C, Lauriano ER, Guerrera MC, Kuciel M, Zuwala K, Germana A, Icardo JM. Gill structure and neurochemical markers in the African bonytongue (Heterotis niloticus): A preliminary study. Acta Histochem 2022; 124:151954. [PMID: 36174310 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2022.151954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
We have conducted a morphological and immunohistochemical study of the gills of juvenile specimens of the obligate air-breathing fish Heterotis niloticus. The study has been performed under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The gills showed a reduced respiratory surface area by development of an interlamellar cellular mass (ILCM). The ILCM persisted without changes under both normoxia and hypoxia. Neuroepithelial cells (NECs), the major oxygen and hypoxia sensing cell type, were located in the distal end of the gill filaments and along the ILCM edges. These cells expressed 5HT, the neuronal isoform of the nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT). Furthermore, NECs appeared associated with nitrergic nerve fibres. The O2 levels did not modify the location, number or the immunohistochemical characteristics of NECs. Pavement cells covering the ILCM were also positive to nNOS and VAChT. The mechanisms of O2 sensing in the gills of Heterotis appears to involve several cell populations, the release of multiple neurotransmitters and a diversity of excitatory, inhibitory and modulatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Zaccone
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Viale dell'Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy.
| | - Gioele Capillo
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Viale dell'Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy; Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM), National Research Council (CNR), 98122 Messina, Italy.
| | - Marialuisa Aragona
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Viale dell'Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy.
| | - Alessio Alesci
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d'Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Camila Cupello
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Eugenia Rita Lauriano
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d'Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, Italy.
| | - Maria Cristina Guerrera
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Viale dell'Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy.
| | - Michal Kuciel
- Poison Information Centre, Department of Toxicology and Environmental Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Jagellonian University, Kopernika 15, 30-501 Krakòw, Poland.
| | - Kristina Zuwala
- Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Researches, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Antonino Germana
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Viale dell'Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy.
| | - Josè Manuel Icardo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Poligono de Cazoña, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.
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Jahn M, Seebacher F. Variations in cost of transport and their ecological consequences: a review. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:276242. [PMID: 35942859 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Movement is essential in the ecology of most animals, and it typically consumes a large proportion of individual energy budgets. Environmental conditions modulate the energetic cost of movement (cost of transport, COT), and there are pronounced differences in COT between individuals within species and across species. Differences in morphology affect COT, but the physiological mechanisms underlying variation in COT remain unresolved. Candidates include mitochondrial efficiency and the efficiency of muscle contraction-relaxation dynamics. Animals can offset increased COT behaviourally by adjusting movement rate and habitat selection. Here, we review the theory underlying COT and the impact of environmental changes on COT. Increasing temperatures, in particular, increase COT and its variability between individuals. Thermal acclimation and exercise can affect COT, but this is not consistent across taxa. Anthropogenic pollutants can increase COT, although few chemical pollutants have been investigated. Ecologically, COT may modify the allocation of energy to different fitness-related functions, and thereby influence fitness of individuals, and the dynamics of animal groups and communities. Future research should consider the effects of multiple stressors on COT, including a broader range of pollutants, the underlying mechanisms of COT and experimental quantifications of potential COT-induced allocation trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miki Jahn
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Frank Seebacher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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Aaskov ML, Jensen RJ, Skov PV, Wood CM, Wang T, Malte H, Bayley M. Arapaima gigas maintains gas exchange separation in severe aquatic hypoxia but does not suffer branchial oxygen loss. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274291. [PMID: 35132994 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
One of the most air-reliant obligate air-breathing fish is the South American Arapaima gigas, with substantially reduced gills impeding gas diffusion, thought to be a result of recurring aquatic hypoxia in its habitat. In normoxic water, A. gigas is reported to satisfy 70-80% of its O2 requirement from the air while excreting 60-90% of its CO2 to the water. If this pattern of gas exchange were to continue in severely hypoxic water, O2 loss at the gills would be expected. We hypothesized therefore that partitioning of CO2 would shift to the air phase in severe aquatic hypoxia eliminating the risk of branchial O2 loss. By adapting a respirometer designed to measure aquatic MO2/MCO2 we were able to run intermittent closed respirometry on both water and air phase for both of these gasses as well as sample water for N-waste measurements (ammonia-N, urea-N) so as to calculate metabolic fuel utilization. In contrast to our prediction, we found that partitioning of CO2 excretion changed little between normoxia and severe hypoxia (83% vs 77% aquatic excretion respectively) and at the same time there was no evidence of branchial O2 loss in hypoxia. This indicates that A. gigas can utilize distinct transfer pathways for O2 and CO2. Routine and standard MO2, N-waste excretion, and metabolic fuel utilization did not change with water oxygenation. Metabolism was fueled mostly by protein oxidation (53%) while carbohydrates and lipids accounted for 27% and 20% respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus L Aaskov
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rasmus J Jensen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Peter Vilhelm Skov
- Technical University of Denmark, DTU Aqua, Section for Aquaculture, Hirtshals, Denmark
| | - Chris M Wood
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Tobias Wang
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Hans Malte
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mark Bayley
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Gam LTH, Thanh Huong DT, Tuong DD, Phuong NT, Jensen FB, Wang T, Bayley M. Effects of temperature on acid-base regulation, gill ventilation and air breathing in the clown knifefish, Chitala ornata. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb216481. [PMID: 32001546 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.216481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Chitala ornata is a facultative air-breathing fish, which at low temperatures shows an arterial PCO2 (PaCO2 ) level only slightly elevated above that of water breathers. By holding fish with in-dwelling catheters at temperatures from 25 to 36°C and measuring blood gasses, we show that this animal follows the ubiquitous poikilotherm pattern of reducing arterial pH with increasing temperature. Surprisingly, the temperature increase caused an elevation of PaCO2 from 5 to 12 mmHg while the plasma bicarbonate concentration remained constant at around 8 mmol l-1 The temperature increase also gave rise to a larger fractional increase in air breathing than in gill ventilation frequency. These findings suggest that air breathing, and hence the partitioning of gas exchange, is to some extent regulated by acid-base status in air-breathing fish and that these bimodal breathers will be increasingly likely to adopt respiratory pH control as temperature rises, providing an interesting avenue for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Thi Hong Gam
- College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, Can Tho City, Vietnam
| | - Do Thi Thanh Huong
- College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, Can Tho City, Vietnam
| | - Dang Diem Tuong
- College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, Can Tho City, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Thanh Phuong
- College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, Can Tho City, Vietnam
| | - Frank Bo Jensen
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Tobias Wang
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Mark Bayley
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
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7
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Cardiovascular and ventilatory interactions in the facultative air-breathing teleost Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. J Comp Physiol B 2019; 189:425-440. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-019-01225-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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8
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Bayley M, Damsgaard C, Thomsen M, Malte H, Wang T. Learning to Air-Breathe: The First Steps. Physiology (Bethesda) 2019; 34:14-29. [DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00028.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Air-breathing in vertebrates has evolved many times among the bony fish while in water. Its appearance has had a fundamental impact on the regulation of ventilation and acid-base status. We review the physico-chemical constraints imposed by water and air, place the extant air-breathing fish into this framework, and show how that the advantages of combining control of ventilation and acid-base status are only available to the most obligate of air-breathing fish, thus highlighting promising avenues for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Bayley
- Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Christian Damsgaard
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mikkel Thomsen
- Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Hans Malte
- Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Tobias Wang
- Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Florindo LH, Armelin VA, McKenzie DJ, Rantin FT. Control of air-breathing in fishes: Central and peripheral receptors. Acta Histochem 2018; 120:642-653. [PMID: 30219242 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2018.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
This review considers the environmental and systemic factors that can stimulate air-breathing responses in fishes with bimodal respiration, and how these may be controlled by peripheral and central chemoreceptors. The systemic factors that stimulate air-breathing in fishes are usually related to conditions that increase the O2 demand of these animals (e.g. physical exercise, digestion and increased temperature), while the environmental factors are usually related to conditions that impair their capacity to meet this demand (e.g. aquatic/aerial hypoxia, aquatic/aerial hypercarbia, reduced aquatic hidrogenionic potential and environmental pollution). It is now well-established that peripheral chemoreceptors, innervated by cranial nerves, drive increased air-breathing in response to environmental hypoxia and/or hypercarbia. These receptors are, in general, sensitive to O2 and/or CO2/H+ levels in the blood and/or the environment. Increased air-breathing in response to elevated O2 demand may also be driven by the peripheral chemoreceptors that monitor O2 levels in the blood. Very little is known about central chemoreception in air-breathing fishes, the data suggest that central chemosensitivity to CO2/H+ is more prominent in sarcopterygians than in actinopterygians. A great deal remains to be understood about control of air-breathing in fishes, in particular to what extent control systems may show commonalities (or not) among species or groups that have evolved air-breathing independently, and how information from the multiple peripheral (and possibly central) chemoreceptors is integrated to control the balance of aerial and aquatic respiration in these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Henrique Florindo
- Department of Zoology and Botany, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, São José do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil; Aquaculture Center (CAUNESP), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rodovia Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, n/n, Jaboticabal, SP, 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Araújo Armelin
- Department of Zoology and Botany, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, São José do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil
| | - David John McKenzie
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation, UMR9190 (IRD, Ifremer, UM, CNRS), Université Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon cc 093, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Rodovia Washington Luiz, km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil
| | - Francisco Tadeu Rantin
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Rodovia Washington Luiz, km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil.
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Abstract
The diversity of sites and surfaces that are utilized for gas transfer from air to blood in fish is remarkable. While a few species do utilize their gills for gas exchange in air, this is a rare occurrence and most air-breathing fish utilize other surfaces including air-breathing organs and lungs. At present almost nothing is known about the central sites that initiate and regulate air breathing although hypotheses can be put forward based on our rudimentary understanding of the sites involved in water breathing in lampreys and teleost fishes, and those involved in air breathing in pre-metamorphic anuran ampibians. The pumps involved in producing both water and air breathing in fishes are highly conserved, a buccal pump, assisted by pharyngeal and/or parabranchial/opercular pumps, produce both forms of ventilation. What varies between species are the manner in which air breaths are produced (in two versus four phases), and the 'valving' involved in producing water flow over the gills versus air flow in and out of air-breathing organs. The latter suggests that a major step in the evolution of air breathing was the evolution of the mechanisms that control the flow of the respiratory medium. The neural matrix that underlies the co-ordination of the pump and the valving events remains enigmatic and in much need of further research.
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Functional morphology of the respiratory organs of the air-breathing fish with particular emphasis on the African catfishes, Clarias mossambicus and C. gariepinus. Acta Histochem 2018; 120:613-622. [PMID: 30195501 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2018.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of air-breathing and transition from water to land were pivotal events that greatly determined the ecological diversification, the advances and the successes of animal life. During their relocation onto land, the so-called bimodal breathers were literally caught at the water-air interface. Among such animals are the diverse air-breathing bony fish. Such taxa, however, strictly do not constitute the so-called 'bridging animals', i.e., the inaugural animals that crossed from water to land, nor are they their direct progenitors. The pioneer transitional animals were the Devonian rhipidistian amphibians that possessed a primitive lung which acquired O2 directly from air and discharged CO2 back into the same. By having particular morphological and physiological adaptations for terrestrialness, the modern amphibious- and aquatic air-breathers are heuristic analogues of how and why animals relocated from water to land. It has generally been espoused that lack or dearth of O2 in water, especially in the warm tropical one, was an elemental driver for adoption of air-breathing. There is, however, no direct causal relationship between the evolution of air-breathing and the shift onto land: the move onto land was a direct solution to the existing inimical respiratory conditions in water. This is evinced in the facts that: a) even after attaining capacity of air-breathing, an important preadaptation for life on land, some animals continued living in water while periodically accessing air, b) in the fish species that live in the well-oxygenated waters, e.g., torrential rivers, only few air-breathe and c) air-breathing has still evolved in freshwaters and seawaters, where levels of dissolved O2 are sufficiently high. Here, the structure and function of the respiratory organs of the air-breathing fish are succinctly outlined. Two African catfishes, Clarias mossambicus and C. gariepinus are highlighted.
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Clown knifefish ( Chitala ornata ) oxygen uptake and its partitioning in present and future temperature environments. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2018; 216:52-59. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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13
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Phuong LM, Huong DTT, Malte H, Nyengaard JR, Bayley M. Ontogeny and morphometrics of the gills and swim bladder of air-breathing striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.168658. [PMID: 29191864 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.168658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The air-breathing fish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus has been shown to have highly plastic branchial surfaces whose area (SA) increases with temperature and aquatic hypoxia. This modulation occurs through development of inter-lamellar cell mass (ILCM). Paradoxically, in conditions where this fish has been shown capable of covering its entire aerobic scope from the water phase, it has been shown to have a very small branchial SA. To address this paradox, we measured the SA, harmonic mean diffusion distance (τh) and calculated the anatomic diffusion factor (ADF) of the branchial and swim bladder surfaces in fish ranging from 3 to 1900 g at 27°C in normoxia. Since the lamellae were distinguishable from the ILCM, we measured the actual SA as well as the potential SA if ILCM were lost. As a result of low τh, P. hypophthalmus has a high capacity for branchial oxygen uptake with or without ILCM. Actual and potential gill ADF were 361 and 1002 cm2 µm-1 kg-1, respectively, for a 100 g fish and the ADF of the swim bladder was found to be 308 cm2 µm-1 kg-1 By swimming fish to exhaustion at different temperatures, we show that modulation of this SA is rapid, indicating that the apparent paradox between previous studies is eliminated. Regression analysis of log-log plots of respiratory SA in relation to body mass shows that the gill scales with mass similarly to the SA in active water-breathing fish, whereas the swim bladder scales with mass more like the mammalian lung does. This fish presents a combination of respiratory surfaces not previously seen in air-breathing fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le My Phuong
- Zoophysiology Section, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Denmark.,Department of Aquatic Nutrition and Products Processing, College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, 900000 Can Tho City, Vietnam
| | - Do Thi Thanh Huong
- Department of Aquatic Nutrition and Products Processing, College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, 900000 Can Tho City, Vietnam
| | - Hans Malte
- Zoophysiology Section, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Jens Randel Nyengaard
- Core Center for Molecular Morphology, Section for Stereology and Microscopy, Department of Clinical Medicine, Centre for Stochastic Geometry and Advanced Bioimaging, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Mark Bayley
- Zoophysiology Section, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Denmark
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14
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Killen SS, Esbaugh AJ, F. Martins N, Tadeu Rantin F, McKenzie DJ, Farine D. Aggression supersedes individual oxygen demand to drive group air-breathing in a social catfish. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:223-234. [PMID: 28940526 PMCID: PMC5765462 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Group-living is widespread among animals and comes with numerous costs and benefits. To date, research examining group-living has focused on trade-offs surrounding foraging, while other forms of resource acquisition have been largely overlooked. Air-breathing has evolved in many fish lineages, allowing animals to obtain oxygen in hypoxic aquatic environments. Breathing air increases the threat of predation, so some species perform group air-breathing, to reduce individual risk. Within species, individual air-breathing can be influenced by metabolic rate as well as personality, but the mechanisms of group air-breathing remain unexplored. It is conceivable that keystone individuals with high metabolic demand or intrinsic tendency to breathe air may drive social breathing, especially in hypoxia. We examined social air-breathing in African sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus, to determine whether individual physiological traits and spontaneous tendency to breathe air influence the behaviour of entire groups, and whether such influences vary in relation to aquatic oxygen availability. We studied 11 groups of four catfish in a laboratory arena and recorded air-breathing behaviour, activity and agonistic interactions at varying levels of hypoxia. Bimodal respirometry was used to estimate individual standard metabolic rate (SMR) and the tendency to utilize aerial oxygen when alone. Fish took more air breaths in groups as compared to when they were alone, regardless of water oxygen content, and displayed temporally clustered air-breathing behaviour, consistent with existing definitions of synchronous air-breathing. However, groups displayed tremendous variability in surfacing behaviour. Aggression by dominant individuals within groups was the main factor influencing air-breathing of the entire group. There was no association between individual SMR, or the tendency to obtain oxygen from air when in isolation, and group air-breathing. For C. gariepinus, synchronous air-breathing is strongly influenced by agonistic interactions, which may expose subordinate individuals to risk of predation. Influential individuals exerted an overriding effect on risk-taking by the entire group, for reasons independent of their physiological oxygen requirements. Overall, this illustrates that social context can obscure interactions between an individual's physiological and behavioural traits and their tendency to take risks to obtain resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun S. Killen
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineCollege of Medical, Veterinary and Life SciencesUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Andrew J. Esbaugh
- Department of Marine ScienceMarine Science InstituteUniversity of Texas at AustinPort AransasTXUSA
| | - Nicolas F. Martins
- Department of Physiological SciencesFederal University of São CarlosSão CarlosBrazil
| | - F. Tadeu Rantin
- Department of Physiological SciencesFederal University of São CarlosSão CarlosBrazil
| | - David J. McKenzie
- Department of Physiological SciencesFederal University of São CarlosSão CarlosBrazil
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and ConservationUMR9190 (IRD, Ifremer, UM, CNRS)Université MontpellierMontpellier Cedex 5France
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Thomsen MT, Wang T, Milsom WK, Bayley M. Lactate provides a strong pH-independent ventilatory signal in the facultative air-breathing teleost Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6378. [PMID: 28743938 PMCID: PMC5527003 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06745-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Fish regulate ventilation primarily by sensing O2-levels in the water and arterial blood. It is well established that this sensory process involves several steps, but the underlying mechanisms remain frustratingly elusive. Here we examine the effect of increasing lactate ions at constant pH on ventilation in a teleost; specifically the facultative air-breathing catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. At lactate levels within the physiological range obtained by Na-Lactate injections (3.5 ± 0.8 to 10.9 ± 0.7 mmol L−1), gill ventilation increased in a dose-dependent manner to levels comparable to those elicited by NaCN injections (2.0 µmol kg−1), which induces a hypoxic response and higher than those observed in any level of ambient hypoxia (lowest PO2 = 20 mmHg). High lactate concentrations also stimulated air-breathing. Denervation of the first gill arch reduced the ventilatory response to lactate suggesting that part of the sensory mechanism for lactate is located at the first gill arch. However, since a residual response remained after this denervation, the other gill arches or extrabranchial locations must also be important for lactate sensing. We propose that lactate plays a role as a signalling molecule in the hypoxic ventilatory response in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikkel T Thomsen
- Department of Bioscience, Zoophysiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Tobias Wang
- Department of Bioscience, Zoophysiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - William K Milsom
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mark Bayley
- Department of Bioscience, Zoophysiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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16
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The role of the autonomic nervous system in control of cardiac and air-breathing responses to sustained aerobic exercise in the African sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2017; 203:273-280. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Norin T, Clark TD. Measurement and relevance of maximum metabolic rate in fishes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2016; 88:122-51. [PMID: 26586591 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Maximum (aerobic) metabolic rate (MMR) is defined here as the maximum rate of oxygen consumption (M˙O2max ) that a fish can achieve at a given temperature under any ecologically relevant circumstance. Different techniques exist for eliciting MMR of fishes, of which swim-flume respirometry (critical swimming speed tests and burst-swimming protocols) and exhaustive chases are the most common. Available data suggest that the most suitable method for eliciting MMR varies with species and ecotype, and depends on the propensity of the fish to sustain swimming for extended durations as well as its capacity to simultaneously exercise and digest food. MMR varies substantially (>10 fold) between species with different lifestyles (i.e. interspecific variation), and to a lesser extent (<three-fold) between individuals of the same species (i.e. intraspecific variation). MMR often changes allometrically with body size and is modulated by several environmental factors, including temperature and oxygen availability. Due to the significance of MMR in determining aerobic scope, interest in measuring this trait has spread across disciplines in attempts to predict effects of climate change on fish populations. Here, various techniques used to elicit and measure MMR in different fish species with contrasting lifestyles are outlined and the relevance of MMR to the ecology, fitness and climate change resilience of fishes is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Norin
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Marine Lab Road, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - T D Clark
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Qld, 4810, Australia
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Lefevre S, Bayley M, McKenzie DJ. Measuring oxygen uptake in fishes with bimodal respiration. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2016; 88:206-231. [PMID: 26358224 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Respirometry is a robust method for measurement of oxygen uptake as a proxy for metabolic rate in fishes, and how species with bimodal respiration might meet their demands from water v. air has interested researchers for over a century. The challenges of measuring oxygen uptake from both water and air, preferably simultaneously, have been addressed in a variety of ways, which are briefly reviewed. These methods are not well-suited for the long-term measurements necessary to be certain of obtaining undisturbed patterns of respiratory partitioning, for example, to estimate traits such as standard metabolic rate. Such measurements require automated intermittent-closed respirometry that, for bimodal fishes, has only recently been developed. This paper describes two approaches in enough detail to be replicated by the interested researcher. These methods are for static respirometry. Measuring oxygen uptake by bimodal fishes during exercise poses specific challenges, which are described to aid the reader in designing experiments. The respiratory physiology and behaviour of air-breathing fishes is very complex and can easily be influenced by experimental conditions, and some general considerations are listed to facilitate the design of experiments. Air breathing is believed to have evolved in response to aquatic hypoxia and, probably, associated hypercapnia. The review ends by considering what realistic hypercapnia is, how hypercapnic tropical waters can become and how this might influence bimodal animals' gas exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Lefevre
- Department of Biosciences, The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, P. O. Box 1066, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - M Bayley
- Zoophysiology, Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - D J McKenzie
- UMR 9190 Centre for Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation, Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, SP, Brazil
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Lefevre S, Damsgaard C, Pascale DR, Nilsson GE, Stecyk JAW. Air breathing in the Arctic: influence of temperature, hypoxia, activity and restricted air access on respiratory physiology of the Alaska blackfish Dallia pectoralis. J Exp Biol 2014; 217:4387-98. [PMID: 25394628 PMCID: PMC4375840 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.105023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis) is an air-breathing fish native to Alaska and the Bering Sea islands, where it inhabits lakes that are ice-covered in the winter, but enters warm and hypoxic waters in the summer to forage and reproduce. To understand the respiratory physiology of this species under these conditions and the selective pressures that maintain the ability to breathe air, we acclimated fish to 5°C and 15°C and used respirometry to measure: standard oxygen uptake (Ṁ(O₂)) in normoxia (19.8 kPa P(O₂)) and hypoxia (2.5 kPa), with and without access to air; partitioning of standard Ṁ(O₂) in normoxia and hypoxia; maximum Ṁ(O₂) and partitioning after exercise; and critical oxygen tension (P(crit)). Additionally, the effects of temperature acclimation on haematocrit, haemoglobin oxygen affinity and gill morphology were assessed. Standard Ṁ(O₂) was higher, but air breathing was not increased, at 15°C or after exercise at both temperatures. Fish acclimated to 5°C or 15°C increased air breathing to compensate and fully maintain standard Ṁ(O₂) in hypoxia. Fish were able to maintain Ṁ(O₂) through aquatic respiration when air was denied in normoxia, but when air was denied in hypoxia, standard Ṁ(O₂) was reduced by ∼30-50%. P(crit) was relatively high (5 kPa) and there were no differences in P(crit), gill morphology, haematocrit or haemoglobin oxygen affinity at the two temperatures. Therefore, Alaska blackfish depends on air breathing in hypoxia and additional mechanisms must thus be utilised to survive hypoxic submergence during the winter, such as hypoxia-induced enhancement in the capacities for carrying and binding blood oxygen, behavioural avoidance of hypoxia and suppression of metabolic rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sjannie Lefevre
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo 0316, Norway.
| | | | - Desirae R Pascale
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
| | - Göran E Nilsson
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo 0316, Norway
| | - Jonathan A W Stecyk
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
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Lefevre S, Wang T, Jensen A, Cong NV, Huong DTT, Phuong NT, Bayley M. Air-breathing fishes in aquaculture. What can we learn from physiology? JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2014; 84:705-731. [PMID: 24498927 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
During the past decade, the culture of air-breathing fish species has increased dramatically and is now a significant global source of protein for human consumption. This development has generated a need for specific information on how to maximize growth and minimize the environmental effect of culture systems. Here, the existing data on metabolism in air-breathing fishes are reviewed, with the aim of shedding new light on the oxygen requirements of air-breathing fishes in aquaculture, reaching the conclusion that aquatic oxygenation is much more important than previously assumed. In addition, the possible effects on growth of the recurrent exposure to deep hypoxia and associated elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide, ammonia and nitrite, that occurs in the culture ponds used for air-breathing fishes, are discussed. Where data on air-breathing fishes are simply lacking, data for a few water-breathing species will be reviewed, to put the physiological effects into a growth perspective. It is argued that an understanding of air-breathing fishes' respiratory physiology, including metabolic rate, partitioning of oxygen uptake from air and water in facultative air breathers, the critical oxygen tension, can provide important input for the optimization of culture practices. Given the growing importance of air breathers in aquaculture production, there is an urgent need for further data on these issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Lefevre
- Zoophysiology section, Department of Bioscience, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Lefevre S, Domenici P, McKenzie DJ. Swimming in air-breathing fishes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2014; 84:661-681. [PMID: 24502687 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/15/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Fishes with bimodal respiration differ in the extent of their reliance on air breathing to support aerobic metabolism, which is reflected in their lifestyles and ecologies. Many freshwater species undertake seasonal and reproductive migrations that presumably involve sustained aerobic exercise. In the six species studied to date, aerobic exercise in swim flumes stimulated air-breathing behaviour, and there is evidence that surfacing frequency and oxygen uptake from air show an exponential increase with increasing swimming speed. In some species, this was associated with an increase in the proportion of aerobic metabolism met by aerial respiration, while in others the proportion remained relatively constant. The ecological significance of anaerobic swimming activities, such as sprinting and fast-start manoeuvres during predator-prey interactions, has been little studied in air-breathing fishes. Some species practise air breathing during recovery itself, while others prefer to increase aquatic respiration, possibly to promote branchial ion exchange to restore acid-base balance, and to remain quiescent and avoid being visible to predators. Overall, the diversity of air-breathing fishes is reflected in their swimming physiology as well, and further research is needed to increase the understanding of the differences and the mechanisms through which air breathing is controlled and used during exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Lefevre
- Department of Biosciences, The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, P. O. Box 1066, 0316 Oslo, Norway
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