Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Brantley Bellamy, I am a Sophomore majoring in Biology. I am a pre-med student and want to attend FSU's College of Medicine. My research is at the FSU Marine Biology lab and involves fish and other marine wildlife. When I am not doing school work, I enjoy fishing, working out, and spending time with my friends, family, and girlfriend.

Oxygen Supply Capacity of Atlantic Stingray (Hypanus sabinus) and Hardhead Catfish (Ariopsis felis) Across Temperature

Abstract

Temperature strongly influences physiological processes in ectotherms, and environmental shifts can alter an organism’s ability to derive energy and perform basic life functions, threatening loss of habitat and population success as conditions become physiologically unsustainable. This is particularly relevant for coastal species that dwell in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico, among the fastest warming locations in the world.

Temperature is also known to alter the ability of organisms to supply oxygen to tissues in support of energy needs. Because oxygen is required for almost all life functions, from digestion to movement to reproduction, oxygen delivery is a key component of performance and survival of fishes in an ara of climate change. While oxygen supply is known to increase with temperature in ectotherms to support increased oxygen and energy demands at higher temperatures, failure to meet oxygen demands at a critical temperature has also been indicated as a primary limiting factor of thermal tolerance in several fish species. In addition, rising water temperatures worsen deoxygenation of ocean waters, threatening wildlife even further.

We studied the effects of temperature on oxygen supply in two species native to the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Stingray (Hypanus sabinus) and Hardhead Catfish (Ariopsis felis), both coastal, benthic-associated ectotherms in a region of high warming. Using energetic measurements and blood physiology we investigated temperature sensitivity of oxygen supply and one potential mechanism for the potential to increase oxygen delivery as temperatures rise, over a range of temperatures for each species.

Keywords: Marine Biology, Oceans, Fish.