Oxygen-dependence of upper thermal limits in crustaceans from different thermal habitats

• Published in: Journal of Thermal Biology
• Main Authors: Ern, Rasmus, Chung, Dillon, Frieder, Christina A., Madsen, Niels, Speers-Roesch, Ben
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Aquatic hypoxia; Cardiorespiratory thermal tolerance; Critical thermal maximum (CT); Oxygen limit for thermal tolerance (PCT); Polar stenothermal; Temperate eurythermal; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Krill; Euphausia superba
• Online Access: https://vbn.aau.dk/da/publications/01bf8e08-9d0a-4abc-ab51-3d5d288b72eb; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102732; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092191920&partnerID=8YFLogxK

The critical thermal maximum (CT MAX ) is the temperature at which animals exhibit loss of motor response because of a temperature-induced collapse of vital physiological systems. A central mechanism hypothesised to underlie the CT MAX of water-breathing ectotherms is insufficient tissue oxygen supply for vital maintenance functions because of a temperature-induced collapse of the cardiorespiratory system. The CT MAX of species conforming to this hypothesis should decrease with declining water oxygen tension (PO 2 ) because they have oxygen-dependent upper thermal limits. However, recent studies have identified a number of fishes and crustaceans with oxygen-independent upper thermal limits, their CT MAX unchanged in progressive aquatic hypoxia. The previous studies, which were performed separately on cold-water, temperate and tropical species, suggest the oxygen-dependence of upper thermal limits and the acute thermal sensitivity of the cardiorespiratory system increases with decreasing habitat temperature. Here we directly test this hypothesis by assessing the oxygen-dependence of CT MAX in the polar Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), as well as the temperate Baltic prawn (Palaemon adspersus) and brown shrimp (Crangon crangon). We found that P. adspersus and C. crangon maintain CT MAX in progressive hypoxia down to 40 mmHg, and that only E. superba have oxygen-dependent upper thermal limits at normoxia. In E. superba, the observed decline in CT MAX with water PO 2 is further supported by heart-rate measurements showing a plateauing, and subsequent decline and collapse of heart performance at CT MAX . Our results support the hypothesis that the oxygen-dependence of upper thermal limits in water-breathing ectotherms and the acute thermal sensitivity of their cardiorespiratory system increases with decreasing habitat temperature.