Metabolic responses of Parastacus defossus and Parastacus brasiliensis (Crustacea, Decapoda, Parastacidae) to hypoxia

Abstract

The metabolic responses of two crayfish species living in different habitats, Parastacusdefossus and Parastacus brasiliensis, were analyzed after different periods of hypoxia (2.0mg O(2)/L of oxygen). In the laboratory, groups of animals were subjected to hypoxia for 1, 2, 4, and 8h. The hemolymph, hepatopancreas, muscle, and anterior and posterior gills were removed for determination of glucose, free glucose, glycogen, lactate, total proteins, total lipids, total cholesterol, arginine, and arginine phosphate. In both species, glucose and lactate increased significantly after 4h of hypoxia, but decreased after 8h (p>0.05) from the beginning of the experiment. Reductions of glycogen, lipids, and cholesterol were recorded in hepatopancreas and muscle tissue, especially of P. defossus, after 4h of hypoxia. Free glucose levels decreased in all tissues of P. brasiliensis, mainly in the hepatopancreas and muscle (p<0.05), while P. defossus showed smaller reductions of these reserves. All reserves in the anterior and posterior gills, with exception of the glycogen reserves, behaved similarly in both species. Both crayfishes stored and used arginine phosphate, mainly P. defossus, which also showed higher concentrations of all metabolites than did P. brasiliensis. Both species showed metabolic adaptations to hypoxia, but, as expected, P. defossus appeared to be better adapted.

Lactate accumulation in the intertidal hermit crab, <i>Pagurus samuelis</i>, in response to burial-induced hypoxia

“…When available oxygen was insufficient to support aerobic respiration, crabs relied on anaerobic fermentation, which was indicated by increasing lactate levels. Several studies reported elevation in lactate with increasing duration of hypoxia in crustaceans (Albert & Ellington, 1985;da Silva-Castiglioni et al, 2010;deFur et al, 1990;Gornik et al, 2008;Hill et al, 1991;Lallier et al, 1987;Maciel et al, 2008;Spicer et al, 2002). This study demonstrates that increasing lactate levels in a hermit crab species is directly attributable to hypoxia.…”

Energy response of swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus to thermal variation: Implication for crab transport method

“…Our previous work has shown that aerial exposure can bring an internal hypoxia to this aquatic crab. Hypoxia has been reported to be an abiotic factor leading to various responses in animals such as the recourse to fermentation pathway to ensure energy homeostasis, and metabolic depression to reduce ATP consumption (Holman and Hand, 2009;da Silva-Castiglioni et al, 2010;Geihs et al, 2013;Hardy et al, 2013). In this aspect, there is surprisingly scanty information on P. trituberculatus, though many studies concerning this species have been conducted.…”

Assessing the importance of burrows through behavioral observations of Parastacus brasiliensis, a Neotropical burrowing crayfish (Crustacea), in laboratory conditions

“…However, there is no consensus regarding the degree of association with burrows of each species. In Parastacus Huxley 1879, the largest and most widespread genus in South America, Noro and Buckup (2010) considered all species to be primary burrowers, whereas Silva-Castiglioni et al (2010, 2011 made a clear distinction between the life habits of Parastacus brasiliensis (von Martens, 1869) and Parastacus defossus Faxon 1898. In addition to this contradictory evidence, none of those studies actually investigated their behavior.…”

“…Herein, we studied the behavior of P. brasiliensis; this species is considered the most 'lotic' of the genus, being more often associated with low-order streams than wetlands, although it can also live in marshlands (Buckup and Rossi 1980;Fries 1984;Buckup , 2003Silva-Castiglioni et al 2010, 2011. This is also the species of Parastacus with particularly uncertain burrowing habit.…”

“…South American crayfishes comprise an independent radiation of parastacid crayfish, with a disproportionately high number of burrowers, as 12 of the 13 known species (Rudolph and Crandall 2012) are considered true burrowers (primary/secondary burrowers sensu Hobbs 1942) (Buckup and Rossi 1980;Noro and Buckup 2010;Silva-Castiglioni et al 2010, 2011. However, there is no consensus regarding the degree of association with burrows of each species.…”