Cm. Wannamaker et Ja. Rice, Effects of hypoxia on movements and behavior of selected estuarine organisms from the southeastern United States, J EXP MAR B, 249(2), 2000, pp. 145-163
Citations number
52
Categorie Soggetti
Aquatic Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
Hypoxia, or low dissolved oxygen, remains a common occurrence in estuarine
waters as human activity in coastal areas expands. Fish kills, probably the
most recognized indicator of these and other water quality problems, have
significantly increased in recent years in many Southeastern United States
estuaries. While entire aquatic communities are impacted by changes in avai
lable oxygen, estuarine organisms serve as appropriate indicators of these
changes as they exhibit complex physiological and behavioral responses to h
ypoxia. The consequences of hypoxia for these species depend on their abili
ty to detect and avoid areas of low dissolved oxygen. We conducted a series
of two-way, replicated choice experiments with juvenile spot (Leiostomus x
anthurus), pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), croaker (Micropogonias undulatus),
menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), white mullet (Mugil curema), mummichog (Fu
ndulus heteroclitus), and brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) to determine their
ability to detect and avoid specific levels of hypoxia. Additional data on
organisms' movement patterns, aquatic surface respiration, and ventilation
rates were collected. All species tested could detect and avoid 1 mg l(-1)
dissolved oxygen. The hypoxia avoidance response differed among species, a
s some species exhibited an avoidance threshold while others exhibited a gr
aded avoidance response. These data supply baseline information necessary t
o assess how some mobile estuarine organisms respond behaviorally to oxygen
concentrations, and to understand how hypoxia more broadly impacts fish po
pulations and estuarine community health. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. Al
l rights reserved.