The role of internal convection in respiratory gas transfer and aerobic metabolism in larval zebrafish ( Danio rerio)

Purely diffusive O2 transport typically is insufficient to sustain aerobic metabolism in most multicellular organisms. In animals that are small enough however, a high surface-to-volume ratio may allow passive diffusion alone to supply sufficient O2 transfer. The purpose of this study was to explore the impacts of internal convection on respiratory gas transfer in a small complex organism, the larval zebrafish ( Danio rerio). Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that internal convection is required for the normal transfer of the respiratory gases O2 and CO2 and maintenance of resting aerobic metabolic rate in larvae at 4 days post-fertilization (dpf). Morpholino knockdown of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or cardiac troponin T (TNNT2) proteins allowed an examination of gas transfer in two independent models lacking internal convection. By using a scanning micro-optrode technique to measure regional epithelial O2 fluxes (JO2), it was demonstrated that larvae lacking convection exhibited reduced JO2 in regions spanning the head to the trunk. Moreover, the acute loss of internal convection caused by heart stoppage resulted in reduced rates of cutaneous JO2, an effect that was reversed upon the restoration of internal convection. Using whole body respirometry, it was shown that loss of internal convection was associated with reduced resting rates of O2 consumption and CO2 excretion in larvae at 4 dpf. The results of these experiments clearly demonstrate that internal convection is required to maintain resting rates of respiratory gas transfer in larval zebrafish.