Trade-off between aerobic capacity and locomotor capability in an Antarctic pteropod

At -1.8 °C, the waters of Antarctica pose a formidable physiological barrier for most ectotherms. The few taxa that inhabit this zone have presumably made specific adjustments to their neuromuscular function and have enhanced their metabolic capacity. However, support for this assertion is equivocal...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2009-04, Vol.106 (15), p.6192-6196
Main Authors: Rosenthal, Joshua J.C, Seibel, Brad A, Dymowska, Agnieszka, Bezanilla, Francisco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action potentials
Aerobiosis
Animal behavior
Animals
Antarctic Regions
Biological Sciences
Climate change
Clione - anatomy & histology
Clione - physiology
Clione - ultrastructure
Electrodes
Fast twitch muscle fibers
Ganglia
Interneurons
Locomotion - physiology
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Mollusks
Nerves
Neurons
Sea water
Swimming
Taxonomy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:At -1.8 °C, the waters of Antarctica pose a formidable physiological barrier for most ectotherms. The few taxa that inhabit this zone have presumably made specific adjustments to their neuromuscular function and have enhanced their metabolic capacity. However, support for this assertion is equivocal and the details of specific compensations are largely unknown. This can generally be attributed to the fact that most Antarctic organisms are either too distantly related to their temperate relatives to permit direct comparisons (e.g., notothenioid fishes) or because they are not amenable to neuromuscular recording. Here, as a comparative model, we take advantage of 2 pelagic molluscs in the genus Clione to conduct a broadly integrative investigation on neuromuscular adaptation to the extreme cold. We find that for the Antarctic congener aerobic capacity is enhanced, but at a cost. To support a striking proliferation of mitochondria, the Antarctic species has shed a 2-gear swim system and the associated specialized neuromuscular components, resulting in greatly reduced scope for locomotor activity. These results suggest that polar animals have undergone substantial tissue-level reorganizations to accommodate their environment, which may reduce their capacity to acclimate to a changing climate.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0901321106