1
|
Blewett TA, Binning SA, Weinrauch AM, Ivy CM, Rossi GS, Borowiec BG, Lau GY, Overduin SL, Aragao I, Norin T. Physiological and behavioural strategies of aquatic animals living in fluctuating environments. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275292. [PMID: 35511083 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Shallow or near-shore environments, such as ponds, estuaries and intertidal zones, are among the most physiologically challenging of all aquatic settings. Animals inhabiting these environments experience conditions that fluctuate markedly over relatively short temporal and spatial scales. Living in these habitats requires the ability to tolerate the physiological disturbances incurred by these environmental fluctuations. This tolerance is achieved through a suite of physiological and behavioural responses that allow animals to maintain homeostasis, including the ability to dynamically modulate their physiology through reversible phenotypic plasticity. However, maintaining the plasticity to adjust to some stresses in a dynamic environment may trade off with the capacity to deal with other stressors. This paper will explore studies on select fishes and invertebrates exposed to fluctuations in dissolved oxygen, salinity and pH. We assess the physiological mechanisms these species employ to achieve homeostasis, with a focus on the plasticity of their responses, and consider the resulting physiological trade-offs in function. Finally, we discuss additional factors that may influence organismal responses to fluctuating environments, such as the presence of multiple stressors, including parasites. We echo recent calls from experimental biologists to consider physiological responses to life in naturally fluctuating environments, not only because they are interesting in their own right but also because they can reveal mechanisms that may be crucial for living with increasing environmental instability as a consequence of climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tamzin A Blewett
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E9
| | - Sandra A Binning
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, H2V 0B3
| | - Alyssa M Weinrauch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2N2
| | - Catherine M Ivy
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada, N6A 5B7
| | - Giulia S Rossi
- Department of Biological Science, University of Toronto, Scarborough, ON, Canada, M1C 1A4
| | - Brittney G Borowiec
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3C5
| | - Gigi Y Lau
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Sienna L Overduin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E9
| | - Isabel Aragao
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E9
| | - Tommy Norin
- DTU Aqua: National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Temperature effects on metabolic rate and cardiorespiratory physiology of the spiny rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) during rest, emersion and recovery. J Comp Physiol B 2014; 184:437-47. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-014-0820-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 02/03/2014] [Accepted: 02/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
4
|
Burnovicz A, Oliva D, Hermitte G. The cardiac response of the crab Chasmagnathus granulatus as an index of sensory perception. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 212:313-24. [PMID: 19112151 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.022459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
When an animal's observable behavior remains unaltered, one can be misled in determining whether it is able to sense an environmental cue. By measuring an index of the internal state, additional information about perception may be obtained. We studied the cardiac response of the crab Chasmagnathus to different stimulus modalities: a light pulse, an air puff, virtual looming stimuli and a real visual danger stimulus. The first two did not trigger observable behavior, but the last two elicited a clear escape response. We examined the changes in heart rate upon sensory stimulation. Cardiac response and escape response latencies were also measured and compared during looming stimuli presentation. The cardiac parameters analyzed revealed significant changes (cardio-inhibitory responses) to all the stimuli investigated. We found a clear correlation between escape and cardiac response latencies to different looming stimuli. This study proved useful to examine the perceptual capacity independently of behavior. In addition, the correlation found between escape and cardiac responses support previous results which showed that in the face of impending danger the crab triggers several coordinated defensive reactions. The ability to escape predation or to be alerted to subtle changes in the environment in relation to autonomic control is associated with the complex ability to integrate sensory information as well as motor output to target tissues. This ;fear, fight or flight' response gives support to the idea of an autonomic-like reflexive control in crustaceans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Burnovicz
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Memoria, Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
| | | | | |
Collapse
|