Metabolic rate and hypoxia tolerance in Girardinichthys multiradiatus (Pisces: Goodeidae), an endemic fish at high altitude in tropical Mexico

The darkedged splitfin (Amarillo fish), Girardinichthys multiradiatus is a vulnerable endemic fish species inhabiting central Mexico's high altitude Upper Lerma Basin, where aquatic hypoxia is exacerbated by low barometric pressures (lower P(o2)s), large aquatic oxygen changes, poor aquatic systems management and urban, agricultural and industrial pollution. The respiratory physiology of G. multiradiatus under such challenging conditions is unknown - therefore the main goal of the present study was to determine metabolic rates and hypoxia tolerance to elucidate possible physiological adaptations allowing this fish to survive high altitude and increasingly eutrophic conditions. Fish came from two artificial reservoirs - San Elias and Ex Hacienda - considered refuges for this species. Both reservoirs showed high dial P-o2, variation, with hypoxic conditions before midday and after 20:00 h, similar to 4 h of normoxia (15 kPa) from 16:00-20:00, and similar to 4 h of hyperoxia (16-33 kPa) from 12:00-16:00. Standard metabolic rate at 20 +/- 0.5 degrees C of larvae from Ex Hacienda was significantly higher than those from San Elias, but these differences disappeared in juveniles and adults. Metabolic rate at 20 +/- 0.5 degrees C for adults was 9.8 +/- 0.1 SEM mu mot O-2/g/h. The metabolic scaling exponent for adults was 0.58 for San Elias fish and 0.83 for Ex Hacienda fish, indicating possible ecological effects on this variable. Post-larval fish in Ex Hacienda and all stages in San Elias site showed considerable hypoxia tolerance, with P-Crit, mean values ranging from 1.9-3.1 kPa, lower than those of many tropical fish at comparable temperatures. Collectively, these data indicate that G. multiradiatus is well adapted for the hypoxia associated with their high-altitude habitat.