PCB contamination does not alter aerobic metabolism and tolerance to hypoxia of juvenile sole (Solea solea L. 1758)

Marcella Cannas (1) , Fabrizio Atzori (2) , François Rupsard (3) , Paco Bustamante (1) , Véronique Loizeau (3) , Christel Lefrançois (1)

1 LIENSs - LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés
2 FREDD - Fédération de Recherche en Environnement pour le Développement Durable - FR 3097
3 DYNECO - Unité Dynamiques des Écosystèmes Côtiers

Coastal habitats play a major role as nurseries for many fish species; however, they are also submitted to pollutants and oxygen fluctuations. Fry's concept of metabolic scope for activity was used to evaluate the effect of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on the aerobic metabolism in juvenile common sole (0-1 year old). Aerobic metabolic scope (AMS) in control and PCB-contaminated fish via food pathway was determined using respirometry techniques. Furthermore, the hypoxia tolerance in control and PCB-contaminated fish was evaluated by assessing their critical oxygen concentration (O2crit). Our results showed that while PCB-contaminated fish were able to maintain a constant AMS, PCBs tend to affect their aerobic metabolism by acting on standard metabolic rate, maximal oxygen consumption (MO2max) in hypoxia and O2crit. In conclusion, we can hypothesise that a long-term exposure to PCBs may decrease their tolerance to hypoxia and consequently impair the survival and/or development of soles in their natural environment.

Mots clés: bioenergetics; Aerobic Metabolic Scope; persistent organic pollutant; flatfish

Domaines: Ecotoxicologie

Marcella Cannas, Fabrizio Atzori, François Rupsard, Paco Bustamante, Véronique Loizeau, et al.. PCB contamination does not alter aerobic metabolism and tolerance to hypoxia of juvenile sole (Solea solea L. 1758). Aquatic Toxicology, 2013, 127 (C), pp.54-60. ⟨10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.04.017⟩. ⟨hal-00769630⟩