Collaborative Research: The effect of temperature and low oxygen on muscle performance, oxygen uptake and delivery in fish exposed to disparate thermal environments

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Temperature plays an important role in the biology of animals, particularly for those that sustain high levels of locomotor activity, as both muscle performance and blood-oxygen binding properties are directly affected. For most vertebrates, in which body temperature is similar to that of the surrounding environment, a change in ambient temperature will have profound effects on physiology. Marine pelagic fishes live in a thermally-stable environment marked by significant variation in temperature only with depth and latitude. While many fish remain within a narrow temperature range some are known to migrate across wide latitudinal ranges or dive into deeper, colder water. Of those species that routinely dive, few are capable of sustaining long periods of time within the cold, deep ocean. The swordfish is one of relatively few active fish species capable of diving for extended periods of time in the deep, cold, and oxygen depleted waters and then rapidly returning to the warm surface waters. The ability to withstand and routinely transition between disparate environmental regimes makes the swordfish an ideal candidate for studies of the effects of temperature and hypoxia on vertebrate muscle function and oxygen transport. This study will assess the effects of temperature and hypoxia tolerance on muscle performance, cardiorespiratory function, and gene expression in fishes with different levels of tolerance for these extreme ambient conditions. This study builds upon previous NSF-funded research on muscle function and will increase our understanding of how selective pressures have lead to adaptations for life on the edge. This project will involve numerous students (high school, undergraduate, and graduate level) in hands-on field and laboratory research. The findings from this work will be communicated to the general public (including local fishermen and K-12) via seminars, presentations and internet portals. The results from this work will also be communicated in accessible formats to scientific, management, and public communities with the intent to foster greater awareness of scientific inquiry, discovery and progress.