Response of Respiration Physiology and Nitrogen Metabolism under Low Dissolved Oxygen Stress in Whitmania pigra

• Whitmania pigra is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat congestion, hypertension, coronary heart disease and tumors; however, its response of respiration physiology and nitrogen metabolism under low-oxygen stress need to be further studied. In this paper, a pattern of decreasing oxygen was adopted to investigate the physiological changes in respiration and nitrogen metabolism. Behavioral responses were observed by measuring oxygen consumption rate (ROC) and ammonia extraction rate (RAE) of leeches (body mass 4.73±2.34 g) under low oxygen conditions in 20 and 30°C water. The results showed that ROC was 0.065 and 0.093 mgg−1⋅h−1 in 20 and 30°C water, respectively. But under sufficient oxygen, ROC decreased with the decrease of dissolved oxygen. When the dissolved oxygen was lower than 1.8 mg⋅L−1, the leeches would lengthen the body wandering around, and waiting for an escape, gradually dying below 1.0 mgL−1. When the oxygen stress increased, the ammonia and nitrite gradually increased, RAE showed the time rhythm characteristics; and the O:N decreased. To sum up, these results indicate that W. pigra tends to change the metabolic pattern to adapt to the low-oxygen environment by reducing its respiratory metabolism. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers © 2021. All rights reserved.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Low oxygen stress

Metabolism

Nitrogen

Whitmania pigra

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)