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Influence of different levels of dissolved oxygen on the success of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) egg hatching and embryonic development

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of different levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) on embryonic development (ED) and hatching success of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) eggs. Fertilized eggs from six females were exposed to five DO levels: severely hypoxic (10 and 20 %sat [percent saturation]), moderately hypoxic (35 and 50 %sat), and normoxic (100 %sat). Greenland halibut eggs were highly tolerant to hypoxia, with hatching occurring at levels as low as 20 %sat. In severely hypoxic conditions (10 %sat), ED was impaired and no hatching occurred. Lipid composition, during ED, changed as a function of female origin and DO levels. Phospholipids were the dominant lipid class in eggs. Although triacylglycerols were a minor lipid class in terms of abundance, they were only used under severe hypoxia. The results suggest that severe hypoxia (between 10 and 20 %sat) has detrimental effect on the early development of Greenland halibut and may result in reduced recruitment and lower population abundance if the decreasing trend in the DO levels observed in the bottom waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence continues in the future. Other species that share similar life histories may also be at risk.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr D. Chabot for his help with the experimental set-up for dissolved oxygen. We also thank I. Redjah, M. Peloquin, and M. C. Lamarche for assistance in the laboratory and the field. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian department of Fisheries and Oceans provided the financial support for this project. Finally, we would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut des Sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski (ISMER, UQAR), 310 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L 3A1, Canada

    Sahar Mejri, Réjean Tremblay & Céline Audet

  2. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Mont-Joli, QC, G5H 3Z4, Canada

    Yvan Lambert

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  1. Sahar Mejri
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  2. Réjean Tremblay
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  3. Yvan Lambert
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  4. Céline Audet
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Correspondence to Réjean Tremblay.

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Communicated by M. A. Peck.

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Mejri, S., Tremblay, R., Lambert, Y. et al. Influence of different levels of dissolved oxygen on the success of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) egg hatching and embryonic development. Mar Biol 159, 1693–1701 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1957-y

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