Hyperoxia does not improve the acute upper thermal tolerance of a tropical marine fish (Lutjanus apodus)

Abstract

Fish can experience hyperoxia in shallow environments due to photosynthetic activity and this has been suggested to provide them with a metabolic refuge during acute warming. However, this hypothesis has never been tested on a tropical marine species. Thus, we fitted 29°C-acclimated wild schoolmaster snapper (Lutjanus apodus; a species known to experience diel hyperoxia in mangrove creeks and coastal waters) with Transonic® flow probes and exposed them to an acute increase in temperature (at 1°C h−1) in respirometers under normoxia and hyperoxia (150% air saturation), until their critical thermal maximum (CTmax). The CTmax of both groups was ∼39°C, and no differences in maximum cardiac function were recorded as the fish were warmed. However, temperature-induced factorial aerobic scope was significantly greater in fish tested under hyperoxia. These data suggest that hyperoxia will not protect coastal tropical fish species during marine heat waves, despite its effects on metabolic scope/capacity.