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Data from: The physiological mechanisms underpinning metamorphosis in reef fishes

The study explores physiological mechanisms underpinning metamorphosis in coral reef fishes, using swimming respirometry and muscle histology techniques.

Methodology: The study investigated changes in swimming performance, oxygen uptake and muscle mitochondria volume density of larval and juvenile ambon damselfishes.The study was conducted on Lizard Island, Australia. Light traps were deploy in the afternoon (16:00) and collected at 22:00 to get larvae and 06:00 to get juveniles. Larvae were collected at night to prevent them from metamorphosing. Larvae (n=10) and juveniles (24, 48 and 72 h post-settled onto the reef; n=10 per stage) were swum in the same swimming respirometer. A swimming respirometer is a glass chamber with an installed propeller that generates flow. The larvae swim against this flow, and oxygen probes measure the changes in oxygen uptake rates as the fish swim. The larvae would undergo a stepped velocity test (Ucrit; 1 body length per second every 20 minutes) until fatigue; this fatigue speed is the maximum swimming speed that the larvae can support mainly aerobically. At each velocity increment until fatigue, oxygen uptake rate is measured. The oxygen uptake rate at maximum swimming speed is Maximum Metabolic Rate (MMR). Extrapolating the oxygen uptake rates at each swimming speed to '0' swimming speed provides an estimate of Standard Metabolic Rate (SMR), which are basic maintenance costs. The difference between MMR and SMR is aerobic scope (AS), which is an estimate for whole animal energy budgets. Pectoral and trunk muscles (left and right sides of the fish) were dissected out of the fish after the trial. The tissues were preserved in glutaraldehyde and images (electron micrographs) of mitochondria were taken for each piece of tissue using electron microscopy (n=10 images per piece of tissue). Mitochondria were quantified via point counting techniques, involving placing a grid on top of the electron micrograph and counting the number of intersecting points of the grid that touches a mitochondria.

The data consists of 2 files in comma-separated values (.csv) format and a metadata file (.txt) that includes all of the variables, labels and units.

The data files are:

Files File Description
DOWNIE_Chpt6_metadata.txt Metadata file including all of the variables, labels and units
DOWNIE_PhD_Chpt6_SwimmingRespirometry.csv Swimming respirometry data for ambon damselfsh larva and metamorphosed juveniles
DOWNIE_PhD_Chpt6_MuscleMitochondria.csv Muscle mitochondria volume density data for ambon damselfish larva and metamorphosed juveniles
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    Data Record Details
    Data record related to this publication ATD_PhD_Chpt6
    Data Publication title Data from: The physiological mechanisms underpinning metamorphosis in reef fishes
  • Description

    The study explores physiological mechanisms underpinning metamorphosis in coral reef fishes, using swimming respirometry and muscle histology techniques.

    Methodology: The study investigated changes in swimming performance, oxygen uptake and muscle mitochondria volume density of larval and juvenile ambon damselfishes.The study was conducted on Lizard Island, Australia. Light traps were deploy in the afternoon (16:00) and collected at 22:00 to get larvae and 06:00 to get juveniles. Larvae were collected at night to prevent them from metamorphosing. Larvae (n=10) and juveniles (24, 48 and 72 h post-settled onto the reef; n=10 per stage) were swum in the same swimming respirometer. A swimming respirometer is a glass chamber with an installed propeller that generates flow. The larvae swim against this flow, and oxygen probes measure the changes in oxygen uptake rates as the fish swim. The larvae would undergo a stepped velocity test (Ucrit; 1 body length per second every 20 minutes) until fatigue; this fatigue speed is the maximum swimming speed that the larvae can support mainly aerobically. At each velocity increment until fatigue, oxygen uptake rate is measured. The oxygen uptake rate at maximum swimming speed is Maximum Metabolic Rate (MMR). Extrapolating the oxygen uptake rates at each swimming speed to '0' swimming speed provides an estimate of Standard Metabolic Rate (SMR), which are basic maintenance costs. The difference between MMR and SMR is aerobic scope (AS), which is an estimate for whole animal energy budgets. Pectoral and trunk muscles (left and right sides of the fish) were dissected out of the fish after the trial. The tissues were preserved in glutaraldehyde and images (electron micrographs) of mitochondria were taken for each piece of tissue using electron microscopy (n=10 images per piece of tissue). Mitochondria were quantified via point counting techniques, involving placing a grid on top of the electron micrograph and counting the number of intersecting points of the grid that touches a mitochondria.

    The data consists of 2 files in comma-separated values (.csv) format and a metadata file (.txt) that includes all of the variables, labels and units.

    The data files are:

    Files File Description
    DOWNIE_Chpt6_metadata.txt Metadata file including all of the variables, labels and units
    DOWNIE_PhD_Chpt6_SwimmingRespirometry.csv Swimming respirometry data for ambon damselfsh larva and metamorphosed juveniles
    DOWNIE_PhD_Chpt6_MuscleMitochondria.csv Muscle mitochondria volume density data for ambon damselfish larva and metamorphosed juveniles
  • Other Descriptors
    • Descriptor
      • Descriptor type
    • Data type dataset
  • Keywords
    • coral reef fish
    • early life history
    • swimming respirometry
    • metamorphosis
    • muscle mitochondria volume density
    • ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
  • Funding source
  • Research grant(s)/Scheme name(s)
    • -
    • Research themes
    Tropical Ecosystems, Conservation and Climate Change
    FoR Codes (*)
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  • Start Date
  • End Date
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  • Locations
    • Lizard Island Research Station, northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia
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- Citation
    Citation Downie, Adam (2021): Data from: The physiological mechanisms underpinning metamorphosis in reef fishes. James Cook University. https://doi.org/10.25903/j9rx-7a14