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Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Embryos of eastern rainbowfish Melanotaenia splendida splendida (Peters, 1866) tolerate fluctuating hypoxia

N. Flint A B E , R. G. Pearson B C and M. R. Crossland C D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Central Queensland University, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Bruce Highway, North Rockhampton, Qld 4702, Australia.

B James Cook University, College of Science and Engineering, Douglas, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.

C James Cook University, Douglas, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.

D University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: n.flint@cqu.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 69(6) 987-991 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF17192
Submitted: 26 June 2017  Accepted: 26 October 2017   Published: 15 February 2018

Abstract

Hypoxia can have profound sublethal effects on reproduction and embryonic development of some freshwater fish. In the present study, the effects of diel fluctuating hypoxia on embryo viability were investigated for the eastern rainbowfish Melanotaenia splendida splendida, a small-bodied species common in wetlands of tropical Queensland. After daily hypoxic exposure (minimum 5% saturation) from fertilisation until hatch, no effects were found on egg incubation time, egg and larval mortality, and viability and size of hatching larvae. Older life history stages of the species are vulnerable to this level of hypoxia. Embryos of phytolithophilic species are likely exposed to fluctuating dissolved oxygen saturations in their natural habitat, and hypoxia tolerance may be a requirement for fish species that spawn predominantly on submerged plant material.

Additional keywords: freshwater, larval biology, pollution, tropics, wetlands.


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