ANT LIA: Hypoxia Tolerance in Notothenioid Fishes

The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica has historically been a stable, icy-cold, and oxygen-rich environment, but is now warming at an unprecedented rate and faster than all other regions in the Southern hemisphere.

Evolution at sub-zero temperatures has equipped Antarctic fishes with traits allowing them to thrive in frigid waters, but has diminished their resilience to warming. Presently little is known about the ability of Antarctic fishes to withstand hypoxic conditions that often accompany warming. This research will investigate the hypoxia tolerance of four species of Antarctic fishes, including two species of icefishes that lack the oxygen-carrying protein, hemoglobin, which may compromise their ability to oxygenate tissues under hypoxic conditions.