Elevated surface temperatures exacerbate the threat of hypoxia within coastal ecosystems. These two primary stressors likely interact as they elicit opposing physiological responses from marine organisms. Metabolic depression is typically associated with hypoxia, while metabolic rates increase with temperature. Moreover, physiological effects of combined stressors may not be additive. In light of increasing pressures from hypoxia, elevated ocean temperatures, and other stressors within coastal regions, studies need to examine effects of multiple stressors on physiology of coastal organisms.
Mass-specific aerobic respiration (VO2) was characterized as a proxy for metabolic cost of Streblospio gynobranchiata, at combined levels of dissolved oxygen and temperature relative to body size. Also, changes in VO2 during acclimation to hypoxia and respiratory recovery following hypoxia exposure were examined. Overall, oxyregulatory abilities were maintained with decreasing dissolved oxygen levels and increasing temperatures except at the highest temperature treatment, indicating the critical temperature was reached within the treatment range. Over a 12 hour period of hypoxia exposure, this species showed an initial acclimation period, followed by a decreased VO2 for the remainder of the exposure. After returning to aerated conditions following acclimation to hypoxia, VO2 appeared to increase and decrease in two cycles over a 12 hour period, possibly reflecting energy cycling in terms of ATP usage. VO2 peaked at 10 hours, overshooting reference normoxia readings, perhaps indicating an oxygen debt. Streblospio gynobranchiata exhibited a high tolerance to these combined stressors, however, further challenges by decreasing oxygen and increasing temperatures may surpass this species’ ability to meet energy demands.
","abstract_html":"<p>Elevated surface temperatures exacerbate the threat of hypoxia within coastal ecosystems. These two primary stressors likely interact as they elicit opposing physiological responses from marine organisms. Metabolic depression is typically associated with hypoxia, while metabolic rates increase with temperature. Moreover, physiological effects of combined stressors may not be additive. In light of increasing pressures from hypoxia, elevated ocean temperatures, and other stressors within coastal regions, studies need to examine effects of multiple stressors on physiology of coastal organisms.</p> <p>Mass-specific aerobic respiration (V<sub>O2</sub>) was characterized as a proxy for metabolic cost of <em>Streblospio gynobranchiata</em>, at combined levels of dissolved oxygen and temperature relative to body size. Also, changes in V<sub>O2</sub> during acclimation to hypoxia and respiratory recovery following hypoxia exposure were examined. Overall, oxyregulatory abilities were maintained with decreasing dissolved oxygen levels and increasing temperatures except at the highest temperature treatment, indicating the critical temperature was reached within the treatment range. Over a 12 hour period of hypoxia exposure, this species showed an initial acclimation period, followed by a decreased V<sub>O2 </sub>for the remainder of the exposure. After returning to aerated conditions following acclimation to hypoxia, V<sub>O2</sub> appeared to increase and decrease in two cycles over a 12 hour period, possibly reflecting energy cycling in terms of ATP usage. V<sub>O2 </sub>peaked at 10 hours, overshooting reference normoxia readings, perhaps indicating an oxygen debt. <em>Streblospio gynobranchiata</em> exhibited a high tolerance to these combined stressors, however, further challenges by decreasing oxygen and increasing temperatures may surpass this species’ ability to meet energy demands.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bennett, Alyssa"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":"Ocean Science and Technology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Chester F. Rakocinski","Robert J. Griffitt","Kelly M. Dorgan"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:50Z","subjects":["hypoxia","climate change","polychaete","oxygen consumption","respiration rate","physiology","Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment","Environmental Sciences","Life Sciences","Marine Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/336","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Chester F. Rakocinski","Robert J. Griffitt","Kelly M. Dorgan"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bennett, Alyssa"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-10-17T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Ocean Science and Technology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["hypoxia","climate change","polychaete","oxygen consumption","respiration rate","physiology","Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment","Environmental Sciences","Life Sciences","Marine Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/336"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Elevated surface temperatures exacerbate the threat of hypoxia within coastal ecosystems. These two primary stressors likely interact as they elicit opposing physiological responses from marine organisms. Metabolic depression is typically associated with hypoxia, while metabolic rates increase with temperature. Moreover, physiological effects of combined stressors may not be additive. In light of increasing pressures from hypoxia, elevated ocean temperatures, and other stressors within coastal regions, studies need to examine effects of multiple stressors on physiology of coastal organisms.
Mass-specific aerobic respiration (VO2) was characterized as a proxy for metabolic cost of Streblospio gynobranchiata, at combined levels of dissolved oxygen and temperature relative to body size. Also, changes in VO2 during acclimation to hypoxia and respiratory recovery following hypoxia exposure were examined. Overall, oxyregulatory abilities were maintained with decreasing dissolved oxygen levels and increasing temperatures except at the highest temperature treatment, indicating the critical temperature was reached within the treatment range. Over a 12 hour period of hypoxia exposure, this species showed an initial acclimation period, followed by a decreased VO2 for the remainder of the exposure. After returning to aerated conditions following acclimation to hypoxia, VO2 appeared to increase and decrease in two cycles over a 12 hour period, possibly reflecting energy cycling in terms of ATP usage. VO2 peaked at 10 hours, overshooting reference normoxia readings, perhaps indicating an oxygen debt. Streblospio gynobranchiata exhibited a high tolerance to these combined stressors, however, further challenges by decreasing oxygen and increasing temperatures may surpass this species’ ability to meet energy demands.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Combined Effects of Dissolved Oxygen and Temperature On Aerobic Respiration and Respiratory Recovery Responses of the Spioniform Polychaete, Streblospio gynobranchiata, In Relation to Body Size"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Chester F. Rakocinski","Robert J. Griffitt","Kelly M. Dorgan"],"dc:creator":["Bennett, Alyssa"],"dc:date.available":["2017-10-17T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Elevated surface temperatures exacerbate the threat of hypoxia within coastal ecosystems. These two primary stressors likely interact as they elicit opposing physiological responses from marine organisms. Metabolic depression is typically associated with hypoxia, while metabolic rates increase with temperature. Moreover, physiological effects of combined stressors may not be additive. In light of increasing pressures from hypoxia, elevated ocean temperatures, and other stressors within coastal regions, studies need to examine effects of multiple stressors on physiology of coastal organisms.
Mass-specific aerobic respiration (VO2) was characterized as a proxy for metabolic cost of Streblospio gynobranchiata, at combined levels of dissolved oxygen and temperature relative to body size. Also, changes in VO2 during acclimation to hypoxia and respiratory recovery following hypoxia exposure were examined. Overall, oxyregulatory abilities were maintained with decreasing dissolved oxygen levels and increasing temperatures except at the highest temperature treatment, indicating the critical temperature was reached within the treatment range. Over a 12 hour period of hypoxia exposure, this species showed an initial acclimation period, followed by a decreased VO2 for the remainder of the exposure. After returning to aerated conditions following acclimation to hypoxia, VO2 appeared to increase and decrease in two cycles over a 12 hour period, possibly reflecting energy cycling in terms of ATP usage. VO2 peaked at 10 hours, overshooting reference normoxia readings, perhaps indicating an oxygen debt. Streblospio gynobranchiata exhibited a high tolerance to these combined stressors, however, further challenges by decreasing oxygen and increasing temperatures may surpass this species’ ability to meet energy demands.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/336"],"dc:subject":["hypoxia","climate change","polychaete","oxygen consumption","respiration rate","physiology","Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment","Environmental Sciences","Life Sciences","Marine Biology"],"dc:title":["Combined Effects of Dissolved Oxygen and Temperature On Aerobic Respiration and Respiratory Recovery Responses of the Spioniform Polychaete, Streblospio gynobranchiata, In Relation to Body Size"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Ocean Science and Technology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:50Z"}