Metrics
219 File views/ downloads
37 Record Views
Thesis
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THERMAL TOLERANCE, HYPOXIA TOLERANCE AND WATER LOSS RESISTANCE IN TWO FAMILIES OF INDO-PACIFIC AMPHIBIOUS FISHES
University of West Florida
Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida
2010
Abstract
Two families of amphibious fishes, mudskippers (Family Gobiidae) and rockskippers (Family Blenniidae), occupy the mangal habitat of Hoga Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tidepools serve as an aquatic refuge during diurnal low tide events; however, harsh conditions including high temperatures and low dissolved oxygen exist. Capable of bimodal respiration, these fishes are able to escape to land when tidepool environments become severe, although exiting tidepools to escape austere conditions may create a risk of dessication. Both families have the ability to utilize terrestrial environments; however, temporal resource partitioning of media has been observed between mudskippers and rockskippers. Three species of rockskippers, lined, Istiblennius lineatus, streaky, I. dussumieri, and Ambon, Paralticus amboinensis, along with common and barred mudskippers were collected from the mangals of Hoga Island. To elucidate the role physiological adaptations play in resource partitioning, I compared thermal tolerance, hypoxia tolerance, and water loss resistance between mudskippers and rockskippers. Rockskippers demonstrated higher aquatic thermal and hypoxia tolerance when compared to mudskippers. Common mudskippers showed no significant differences in thermal tolerance between media, while barred mudskippers revealed higher thermal tolerance in air over water. It is likely that a combination of thermal and hypoxia tolerance contribute to resource partitioning between these groups.
Details
- Title
- A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THERMAL TOLERANCE, HYPOXIA TOLERANCE AND WATER LOSS RESISTANCE IN TWO FAMILIES OF INDO-PACIFIC AMPHIBIOUS FISHES
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Publisher
- University of West Florida
- Format
- text
- Copyright
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
- Identifiers
- 99380090743606600
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Master of Science (MS)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida