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How does chronic temperature exposure affect hypoxia tolerance in sheepshead minnows’ (Cyprinodon variegatus variegatus) ability to tolerate oxidative stress?

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Abstract

Estuarine environments are characterized by cyclical fluctuations in tides, with tidal shifts drastically, frequently, and acutely altering temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity. Despite these ecological challenges, the sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus, seems to dominate estuarine landscapes. Here, we held sheepshead minnows to four temperature treatment groups for 1 month. We then tested whether temperature exposure had an effect on acute hypoxia tolerance via oxidative stress. We measured superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, as well as total antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation (LPO) damage in white muscle. We found that exposure to increasing temperatures (15, 20, 25, and 30 °C) for 1 month led to significantly higher CTmax in sheepshead minnows. We also found that CAT activity significantly increased in the 20 and 25 °C temperature treatment groups, whereas it did not change between control and hypoxia trials. SOD activity was significantly higher in control groups of the 15 and 30 °C temperature treatment groups compared with hypoxia groups of these same temperature treatments. GPx activity was significantly lower in the 30 °C temperature treatment group regardless of control or hypoxia trials. Hydroxyl scavenging capacity varied across temperature treatment and control/hypoxia groups. Peroxyl scavenging capacity and LPO damage showed no significant differences across temperature treatment groups or between control and hypoxia trials.

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Abbreviations

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

CAT:

Catalase

GPx:

Glutathione peroxidase

LPO:

Lipid peroxidation

CTmax :

Critical thermal maxima

ASR:

Aquatic surface respiration

LOE:

Loss of equilibrium

MDA:

Malondialdehyde bis (dimethylacetal)

GST:

Glutathione-s-transferase

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Ms. MaryKathryn McCann for her assistance in integrating and analyzing ORAC data.

Funding

Funding for this project was provided by Colgate University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Dr., Hamilton, NY, 13346, USA

    Ana Gabriela Jimenez, Evan Braun & Kailey Tobin

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  1. Ana Gabriela Jimenez
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  2. Evan Braun
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  3. Kailey Tobin
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Correspondence to Ana Gabriela Jimenez.

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Jimenez, A.G., Braun, E. & Tobin, K. How does chronic temperature exposure affect hypoxia tolerance in sheepshead minnows’ (Cyprinodon variegatus variegatus) ability to tolerate oxidative stress?. Fish Physiol Biochem 45, 499–510 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-018-0583-0

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