Aquatic low O2 (hypoxia) is not uncommon but mobile organisms do not have to suffer low O2 stress if they engage in a safe avoidance strategy by moving away early and quickly. Within a behavioural choice chamber system at 20°C, the Cape silverside (Atherina breviceps), a common species from South Africa, was found to seek out and select high O2 saturated water when water O2 saturations declined to 23% saturation. Atherina breviceps also avoided low O2 with a modest increase in swimming speed but no correlation between hypoxic swimming speed and avoidance could be found implying that heightened swimming speed does not necessarily lead to faster avoidance on an individual basis. The overall low O2 response of A. breviceps was seen to reflect an effective avoidance strategy that is compatible with the survival of this species facing low O2 challenge in the wild.
Herbert N.A., Goodman M. and Kunzmann A. (2012) The low O2 avoidance strategy of the Cape silverside Atherina breviceps (Teleostei). Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology 45(3): 199-208. 10.1080/10236244.2012.716586
@article{Herbert2012,
Title = {The low O2 avoidance strategy of the Cape silverside Atherina breviceps (Teleostei)},
Author = {Herbert, Neill A. and Goodman, Mark and Kunzmann, Andreas},
Editor = {},
Journal = {Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology},
Year = {2012},
Pages = {199-208},
Volume = {45},
Doi = {10.1080/10236244.2012.716586},
Abstract = {Aquatic low O2 (hypoxia) is not uncommon but mobile organisms do not have to suffer low O2 stress if they engage in a safe avoidance strategy by moving away early and quickly. Within a behavioural choice chamber system at 20°C, the Cape silverside (Atherina breviceps), a common species from South Africa, was found to seek out and select high O2 saturated water when water O2 saturations declined to 23% saturation. Atherina breviceps also avoided low O2 with a modest increase in swimming speed but no correlation between hypoxic swimming speed and avoidance could be found implying that heightened swimming speed does not necessarily lead to faster avoidance on an individual basis. The overall low O2 response of A. breviceps was seen to reflect an effective avoidance strategy that is compatible with the survival of this species facing low O2 challenge in the wild.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Herbert, Neill A.
AU - Goodman, Mark
AU - Kunzmann, Andreas
TI - The low O2 avoidance strategy of the Cape silverside Atherina breviceps (Teleostei)
T2 - Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology
PY - 2012
SP - 199-208
VL - 45
DO - 10.1080/10236244.2012.716586
AB - Aquatic low O2 (hypoxia) is not uncommon but mobile organisms do not have to suffer low O2 stress if they engage in a safe avoidance strategy by moving away early and quickly. Within a behavioural choice chamber system at 20°C, the Cape silverside (Atherina breviceps), a common species from South Africa, was found to seek out and select high O2 saturated water when water O2 saturations declined to 23% saturation. Atherina breviceps also avoided low O2 with a modest increase in swimming speed but no correlation between hypoxic swimming speed and avoidance could be found implying that heightened swimming speed does not necessarily lead to faster avoidance on an individual basis. The overall low O2 response of A. breviceps was seen to reflect an effective avoidance strategy that is compatible with the survival of this species facing low O2 challenge in the wild.
ER -
