User:Milligancl

Course Instructor, Biology 4931G, 2011/12
 * Seminar in Physiology
 * SAMPLE OF USER PAGE ENTRY
 * Article to review: Hypoxia (environmental)
 * (250 word, minimum, critique; how and why to make it better)
 * There is no real mention of physiological and/or ecological consequences of hypoxia to fish. This is important because aquatic hypoxia is becoming increasingly common in near-shore as well as some off shore areas.
 * Three key references:
 * 1. Ecological impact of hypoxia on fish
 * This article mapped out the habitat use by bay anchovy and their key mesoplankton prey and dissolved oxygen levels. The relevant findings are:
 * in the summer months, low oxygen in the bottom layers of the Chesapeake Bay alters the vertical migration of the bay anchovy because bottom
 * as a consequence, fish are limited to the upper, oxygenated layers of the surface waters
 * the mesoplankton prey appear to use the oxygen-poor layers as a refuge, thus potentially limiting access by the bay anchovy
 * this separation of predator and prey may lead to reduction in the bay anchovy population, due to starvation


 * 2. Physiological adaptations in fish routinely encountering hypoxia as part of their life cycle
 * This is a good review article summarizing the issues associated with life in a hypoxic environment and adaptations shown by intertidal fishes. Some key findings are:
 * metabolism is suppressed at low oxygen levels
 * fishes in low oxygen environments tend to have larger mass-specific gill surface areas, and high-affinity hemoglobin
 * the most hypoxia tolerant species tended to show behavioural adapatations, including aquatic surface respiration and aerial emergence


 * Citations