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Sub-lethal levels of waterborne petroleum may depress routine metabolism in polar cod Boreogadus saida (Lepechin, 1774)

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Abstract

Petroleum-related activities in Arctic waters are rapidly increasing parallel to the ongoing thinning of the Arctic sea ice. As part of a series of studies on petroleum-induced stress in polar cod Boreogadus saida, we tested the effects of acute (~60 min) and chronic (4 weeks) exposure to the water soluble fraction (WSF) of petroleum on whole body metabolism inferred from measurements of oxygen consumption rates. The exposure of polar cod to WSF leads to a statistically significant depression in routine metabolism in the order Control (0.260 mg O2 g fish−1 h−1; N = 6) > Chronic (0.191 mg O2 g fish−1 h−1; N = 6) > Acute (0.110 mg O2 g fish−1 h−1; N = 2), decoupling of routine metabolism and body mass but possibly also to a partial metabolic compensation after 4 weeks of exposure. The results are reviewed in context with similar studies on Antarctic and non-polar fishes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Elin Austerheim, Kings Bay Marine Laboratory for technical assistance and Mark G. Carls for guidance on the petroleum columns and analyses of PAHs. Two referees provided useful comments. The study was approved by the National Animal Research Authority and supported by ConocoPhillips AS, Norway, and Akvaplan-niva AS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Jørgen S. Christiansen & Jasmine Nahrgang

  2. Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, 183010, Murmansk, Russia

    Larisa I. Karamushko

  3. Akvaplan-niva AS, Polar Environmental Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    Jasmine Nahrgang

Authors
  1. Jørgen S. Christiansen
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  2. Larisa I. Karamushko
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  3. Jasmine Nahrgang
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Correspondence to Jørgen S. Christiansen.

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Christiansen, J.S., Karamushko, L.I. & Nahrgang, J. Sub-lethal levels of waterborne petroleum may depress routine metabolism in polar cod Boreogadus saida (Lepechin, 1774). Polar Biol 33, 1049–1055 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0783-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0783-2

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