Graduation Year

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Degree Granting Department

Marine Science

Major Professor

Brad Seibel, Ph.D.

Committee Member

David Naar, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Joshua Kilborn, Ph.D.

Keywords

physiology, Pink Shrimp, respirometry, thermal tolerance

Abstract

Temperature and environmental oxygen availability affect oxygen supply and demand in ectotherms, which are hypothesized to control the geographic limits of many marine species. The oxygen supply capacity (α) is calculated from commonly measured metabolic traits, including the standard metabolic rate (SMR) and critical oxygen partial pressure at SMR (Pcrit). It may be used to estimate the metabolic capacity and aerobic scope across changes in temperature and oxygen partial pressures as α reflects adaptations of the cardiorespiratory system to meet maximum energy demands at a given oxygen partial pressure (PO2). In this study, α was measured for the Tampa Bay region’s Pink Shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum) via respirometry and compared at two temperatures, 20°C and 23°C, near the apparent lower thermal limit of Pink Shrimp. Loss of equilibrium was observed between 18°C and 20°C. The α, and the parameters used to calculate it, were not significantly different between these measurement temperatures and provided an aerobic scope sufficiently large to support activity beyond basal maintenance. This suggests that physiological oxygen limitations do not define the lower temperature limit of Pink Shrimp analyzed in this study (20°C). Further, reported metabolic trait values were within the range reported for closely related penaeid shrimp. A significant difference in α was found when calculated with different time intervals between oxygen measurements, and with time intervals between 10- and 20-minutes resulting in similar mean values with variability that decreased as the time interval increased. The 15-minute time interval is reported here as a representative data set.

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