Biochemical adaptations of the mudskipper Boleophthalmus boddaerti to a lack of oxygen

Abstract

Specimens of the mudskipper Boleophthalmus boddaerti, collected along the estuarine canal at Pasir Ris, Singapore between April 1987 and December 1989, were examined in the laboratory. After being exposed to environmental hypoxia for 6 h, no accumulation of lactate, alanine or succinate was observed in the muscle tissue of B. boddaerti. In addition, the blood lactate content and muscle creatine phosphate (CrP), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and glycogen contents were not significantly different from those of the control. During normoxic recovery, oxygen debt repayment was only a small fraction of the oxygen deficit incurred during the 6 h of hypoxic exposure. Therefore, it would appear that B. boddaerti coped with environmental hypoxia by undergoing metabolic rate reduction. After anoxic exposure, the CrP, ATP and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) contents in the muscle tissue of B. boddaerti were significantly lower than the corresponding control values. Lactate accumulated in the blood and muscle tissue of the anoxic fish though the muscle energy charge and glycogen content remained constant. Hence, B. boddaerti was able to cope with such a period of anoxia without increasing its glycolytic rate. Succinate, which was not detected in the muscle tissue of the control and hypoxia-exposed fish, accumulated in significant quantities in the muscle tissue of B. boddaerti exposed to environmental anoxia and functional hypoxia. In the case of functional hypoxia, there was a significant decrease in the muscle glycogen content, and the muscle lactate content increased 17.3-fold, indicating that glycolysis was activated to provide the source of energy during muscular exercise.