metabolism

The successful dispersal of coral reef fish populations relies on the high swimming abilities of pelagic larvae and - once settled to a reef habitat - the ability to endure hypoxia at night. This study used swimming respirometry and transcriptomics to examine the physiological mechanisms underlying the transition of cinnamon anemonefish larvae from pelagic to benthic life stages. The results suggest that changes in gene expression of oxygen-binding proteins may play a crucial role in successful larval recruitment, which has implications for understanding the connectivity of coral reef fish populations.

Salinity adds energetic costs for ion regulation in fishes. We tested whether shiner perch are affected by changes in salinity, and found that most metrics related to swimming performance and oxygen consumption of shiner perch were unaffected. This suggests that shiner perch are well-adapted to the fluctuating salinity in their coastal habitat.

We parameterized an individual-based model for Atlantic herring larvae with data on swimming activity, nutritional and somatic condition, and standard metabolic rate under contrasting feeding environments. Larvae survived longer in the model, when they downregulated their standard metabolic rate.

This study shows how the standard metabolic rate of temperate fish larvae varies with differences in body size, growth rate, and feeding environment over a wide range of temperatures. Metabolic flexibility is helpful for fish larvae to withstand changes in biotic or abiotic environmental conditions, and survive adverse conditions.