Nilsson Göran E, Hobbs Jean-Paul A, Ostlund-Nilsson Sara
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway.
J Exp Biol. 2007 May;210(Pt 10):1673-86. doi: 10.1242/jeb.02718.
One of the most diverse vertebrate communities is found on tropical coral reefs. Coral-reef fishes are not only remarkable in color and shape, but also in several aspects of physiological performance. Early in life, at the end of the pelagic larval stage, coral-reef fishes are the fastest swimmers of all fishes in relation to body size, and show the highest specific rates of maximum oxygen uptake. Upon settling on the reef, coral-reef fishes have to adopt a demersal lifestyle, which involves coping with a habitat that can become severely hypoxic, and some fishes may even have to rely on air breathing when their coral homes become air exposed. Oxygen availability appears to be a major ambient selection pressure, making respiratory function a key factor for survival on coral reefs. Consequently, hypoxia tolerance is widespread among coral-reef fishes. Hypoxia can even be a factor to gamble with for those fishes that are mouthbrooders, or a factor that the coral inhabitants may actively seek to reduce by sleep-swimming at night. Here, we summarize the present knowledge of the respiratory ecophysiology of coral-reef teleosts. From an ecophysiological perspective, the coral reef is an exciting and largely unexplored system for testing existing hypotheses and making new discoveries.
最为多样的脊椎动物群落之一存在于热带珊瑚礁。珊瑚礁鱼类不仅在颜色和形状上引人注目，在生理性能的几个方面也是如此。在生命早期，即远洋幼体阶段结束时，相对于体型而言，珊瑚礁鱼类是所有鱼类中游泳速度最快的，并且展现出最高的最大摄氧率。在礁体上定居后，珊瑚礁鱼类必须适应底栖生活方式，这包括应对可能变得严重缺氧的栖息地，而且当它们的珊瑚家园暴露于空气中时，一些鱼类甚至可能不得不依靠空气呼吸。氧气供应似乎是一个主要的环境选择压力，使得呼吸功能成为在珊瑚礁生存的关键因素。因此，耐缺氧能力在珊瑚礁鱼类中很普遍。对于那些口育型鱼类来说，缺氧甚至可能是一个需要冒险应对的因素，或者是珊瑚礁居民可能通过夜间睡眠游泳来积极设法减轻的一个因素。在此，我们总结了目前关于珊瑚礁硬骨鱼类呼吸生态生理学的知识。从生态生理学角度来看，珊瑚礁是一个令人兴奋且在很大程度上未被探索的系统，可用于检验现有假说并做出新发现。
