| Oxygen hypothesis of polar gigantism not supported by performance of Antarctic pycnogonids in hypoxia. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 19129117 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Compared to temperate and tropical relatives, some high-latitude marine species are large-bodied, a phenomenon known as polar gigantism. A leading hypothesis on the physiological basis of gigantism posits that, in polar water, high oxygen availability coupled to low metabolic rates relieves constraints on oxygen transport and allows the evolution of large body size. Here, we test the oxygen hypothesis using Antarctic pycnogonids, which have been evolving in very cold conditions (-1.8-0 degrees C) for several million years and contain spectacular examples of gigantism. Pycnogonids from 12 species, spanning three orders of magnitude in body mass, were collected from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Individual sea spiders were forced into activity and their performance was measured at different experimental levels of dissolved oxygen (DO). The oxygen hypothesis predicts that, all else being equal, large pycnogonids should perform disproportionately poorly in hypoxia, an outcome that would appear as a statistically significant interaction between body size and oxygen level. In fact, although we found large effects of DO on performance, and substantial interspecific variability in oxygen sensitivity, there was no evidence for sizexDO interactions. These data do not support the oxygen hypothesis of Antarctic pycnogonid gigantism and suggest that explanations must be sought in other ecological or evolutionary processes. |
| | |
Authors:
|
H Arthur Woods; Amy L Moran; Claudia P Arango; Lindy Mullen; Chris Shields |
Related Documents
:
|
7061307 - A simply constructed treadmill for rodent exercise studies. 17451167 - Measurement of nonlinear po2 decay in mouse lungs using 3he-mri. 7086347 - The respiratory metabolism of temperature-adapted flatfish at rest and during swimming ... 7898337 - Muscle o2 transport and o2 dependent control of metabolism. 3575297 - Fasciola hepatica: tegumental surface alterations following treatment in vitro with the... 10653307 - Fluorodopa uptake and glucose metabolism in early stages of corticobasal degeneration. |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society Volume: 276 ISSN: 0962-8452 ISO Abbreviation: Proc. Biol. Sci. Publication Date: 2009 Mar |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2009-02-09 Completed Date: 2009-03-24 Revised Date: 2010-09-22 |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 101245157 Medline TA: Proc Biol Sci Country: England |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 1069-75 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA. art.woods@mso.umt.edu |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
Animals Antarctic Regions Arthropods / anatomy & histology, physiology* Body Weight Ecosystem Oceans and Seas Oxygen Consumption / physiology* |
| Comments/Corrections | |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Survival costs of reproduction vary with age in North American red squirrels.
Next Document: Cnidarian internal stinging mechanism.