On Saturday, March 16th, CU Science Discovery hosted their annual Family STEAM Fest Event (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math). Our lab group hosted an Antarctica-themed table with several hands-on interactive activities to get community members of all ages engaged with our research. Around 700 community members attend this free event each year! Our lab group members had so much fun hosting our table 🐧🐟
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Antarctic toothfish are native to the Southern Ocean and have very niche adaptations to be able to thrive in icy, sub-freezing water. These fish generally stay within the Antarctic convergence, which is the area of the ocean directly surrounding Antarctica. Researchers have concluded that Antarctic toothfish form a constant distribution around the continental shelf of Antarctica, but they have also been found more north at 57 degrees south in the Indian Ocean and 62 degrees south in the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, with capture and release methods, scientists were able to discover their movement and migration patterns. A majority of the recaptured Antarctic toothfish were found to have traveled less than 50 km from their original place of capture, while a much smaller portion of the recaptured fish traveled up to 100 km from their original place of capture.
Contrastingly, another related species of toothfish, the Patagonian toothfish, have a much different range than Antarctic Toothfish. Species distributions of Patagonian toothfish don’t often overlap with those of Antarctic toothfish, as Patagonian toothfish are usually found a bit further north of the continent on the outer sectors of the Antarctic convergence, with a much wider range of distribution extending out to sub-antarctic waters in the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean. Unlike the Antarctic toothfish, their Patagonian cousins don’t have anti-freeze in their blood and cannot withstand the freezing waters south of the convergence. While they are most commonly found in the Southern Ocean, one large Patagonian toothfish was found as far north as Greenland! Scientists reported that Patagonian toothfish may sometimes migrate all the way from sub-antarctic waters to sub-arctic waters. It’s predicted that they stay in very deep and cold waters to make this journey. References: Hanchet et al. (2015). DOI10.1007/s10750-015-2435-6; https://niwa.co.nz/fisheries/research-projects/antarctic-fisheries-research/the-toothfish; Moller et al. (2003). https://www.nature.com/articles/421599a Photo credits: Paul A. Cziko, Rob Robbins, https://niwa.co.nz/fisheries/research-projects/antarctic-fisheries-research/the-toothfish Antarctic Toothfish, scientifically known as Dissostichus mawsoni, live in extremely cold and icy waters where niche adaptations are necessary for their survival. While research is still uncovering some of the fascinating ways in which these fish live, scientists have unveiled incredible information about how the Antarctic Toothfish have adapted to their icy environments.
One adaptation to their incredibly cold environment is the presence of glycoprotein in their blood, which acts as antifreeze. This glycoprotein is crucial for their survival, as Antarctic Toothfish live in water below freezing. Another unique adaptation of the Antarctic Toothfish is the increased presence of lipoproteins, or fat, surrounding their muscles in place of a swim bladder. This adaptation affects their natural buoyancy and allows them to move through various depths in the water, as swim bladders in other fish are what allow for this function. Lipids present within the muscles and liver of these fish may additionally serve as oxygen storage, enhancing their oxygen diffusion processes. Overall, this adaptation to the below-freezing waters in the form of distinctive lipoproteins maintains their buoyancy, energy, and metabolic functions. There is still however much to discover about the biological processes and life history of these remarkable fish in the Southern Ocean. To learn more about how our team specifically studies these fish, visit the "About Our Research" tab! Resources: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S088875431100139X, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305049199000516 Photo credits: Sunhild Wilhelms, Rob Robbins, Paul A. Cziko |
AuthorIvory Carpenter ArchivesCategories |