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1. Zooplankton Community Response to Seasonal Hypoxia: A Test of Three Hypotheses

   https://doi.org/10.3390/d12010021  

   Keister, Julie E.; Winans, Amanda K.; Herrmann, BethElLee (January 2020, Diversity)

   Several hypotheses of how zooplankton communities respond to coastal hypoxia have been put forward in the literature over the past few decades. We explored three of those that are focused on how zooplankton composition or biomass is affected by seasonal hypoxia using data collected over two summers in Hood Canal, a seasonally-hypoxic sub-basin of Puget Sound, Washington. We conducted hydrographic profiles and zooplankton net tows at four stations, from a region in the south that annually experiences moderate hypoxia to a region in the north where oxygen remains above hypoxic levels. The specific hypotheses tested were that low oxygen leads to: (1) increased dominance of gelatinous relative to crustacean zooplankton, (2) increased dominance of cyclopoid copepods relative to calanoid copepods, and (3) overall decreased zooplankton abundance and biomass at hypoxic sites compared to where oxygen levels are high. Additionally, we examined whether the temporal stability of community structure was decreased by hypoxia. We found evidence of a shift toward more gelatinous zooplankton and lower total zooplankton abundance and biomass at hypoxic sites, but no clear increase in the dominance of cyclopoid relative to calanoid copepods. We also found the lowest variance in community structure at the most hypoxic site, in contrast to our prediction. Hypoxia can fundamentally alter marine ecosystems, but the impacts differ among systems. 

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2. Hypoxia Tolerance and Metabolic Suppression in Oxygen Minimum Zone Euphausiids: Implications for Ocean Deoxygenation and Biogeochemical Cycles

   https://doi.org/doi:10.1093/icb/icw091  

   Seibel, B.A.; Schneider, J.L.; Kaartvedt, S.; Wishner, K.F.; Daly, K.L. (August 2016, Integrative and comparative biology)

   The effects of regional variations in oxygen and temperature levels with depth were assessed for the metabolism and hypoxia tolerance of dominant euphausiid species. The physiological strategies employed by these species facilitate prediction of changing vertical distributions with expanding oxygen minimum zones and inform estimates of the contribution of vertically migrating species to biogeochemical cycles. The migrating species from the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), Euphausia eximia and Nematoscelis gracilis, tolerate a Partial Pressure (PO2) of 0.8 kPa at 10 8C (15 mM O2) for at least 12 h without mortality, while the California Current species, Nematoscelis difficilis, is incapable of surviving even 2.4 kPa PO2 (32 mM O2) for more than 3 h at that temperature. Euphausia diomedeae from the Red Sea migrates into an intermediate oxygen minimum zone, but one in which the temperature at depth remains near 22 8C. Euphausia diomedeae survived 1.6 kPa PO2 (22 mM O2) at 228C for the duration of six hour respiration experiments. Critical oxygen partial pressures were estimated for each species, and, for E. eximia, measured via oxygen consumption (2.1 kPa, 10 8C, n¼2) and lactate accumulation (1.1 kPa, 10 8C). A primary mechanism facilitating low oxygen tolerance is an ability to dramatically reduce energy expenditure during daytime forays into low oxygen waters. The ETP and Red Sea species reduced aerobic metabolism by more than 50% during exposure to hypoxia. Anaerobic glycolytic energy production, as indicated by whole-animal lactate accumulation, contributed only modestly to the energy deficit. Thus, the total metabolic rate was suppressed by 49–64%. Metabolic suppression during diel migrations to depth reduces the metabolic contribution of these species to vertical carbon and nitrogen flux (i.e., the biological pump) by an equivalent amount. Growing evidence suggests that metabolic suppression is a widespread strategy among migrating zooplankton in oxygen minimum zones and may have important implications for the economy and ecology of the oceans. The interacting effects of oxygen and temperature on the metabolism of oceanic species facilitate predictions of changing vertical distribution with climate change. 

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3. Intertidal copepod Tigriopus californicus displays multilevel variation in tolerance to extended bouts of hypoxia

   https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14817  

   Powers, MJ; Schmitz, EK; Olvera-Alegria, S; Barreto, FS (March 2025, Marine Ecology Progress Series)

   Environments with fluctuating oxygen are intense challenges for organisms both on land and in the water. Aquatic organisms can be exposed to especially stressful bouts of hypoxia that come on rapidly and to extreme levels. The copepodTigriopus californicusinhabits supralittoral rocky pools and appears tolerant of hypoxia levels considered lethal for other aquatic organisms despite lacking molecular components typically used by animals to detect and respond to low environmental oxygen. Here, we quantified the natural regime of dissolved oxygen (DO) pools inhabited byT. californicusvia deployment of continuous oxygen sensors in copepod pools in Oregon, USA. Using wild-derived cultures from northern (Oregon) and southern (Californian) populations, we exposed copepods to hypoxia and anoxia and assayed loss of equilibrium (LOE) and survival. We also quantified respiratory regulation via critical oxygen tension, oxygen supply capacity, and regulation index. The pools underwent extreme daily cycles of DO, and near anoxia often persisted for up to 6 h. Respiratory statistics indicated individuals could regulate oxygen consumption even near anoxia, predicting a species with hypoxia tolerance ranking high among aquatic taxa. Copepods survived hypoxia below 0.3 mg O₂l^-1for up to 72 h with some individuals not showing any LOE. Survival was high following even 6 and 15 h exposure to anoxia. We observed sex and population differences in lethality and LOE, with southern populations exhibiting higher resilience. Intraspecific variation in tolerance makes this system a candidate for future studies to investigate alternative molecular and physiological pathways of hypoxia response. 

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4. 96-Well Oxygen Control Using a 3D-Printed Device

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04627  

   Szmelter, Adam; Jacob, Jason; Eddington, David T. (January 2021, Analytical Chemistry)

   null (Ed.)

   Oxygen concentration varies tremendously within the body and has proven to be a critical variable in cell differentiation, proliferation, and drug metabolism among many other physiological processes. Currently, researchers study the gas’s role in biology using low-throughput gas control incubators or hypoxia chambers in which all cells in a vessel are exposed to a single oxygen concentration. Here, we introduce a device that can simultaneously deliver 12 unique oxygen concentrations to cells in a 96-well plate and seamlessly integrate into biomedical research workflows. The device inserts into 96-well plates and delivers gas to the headspace, thus avoiding undesirable contact with media. This simple approach isolates each well using gas-tight pressure-resistant gaskets effectively creating 96 “mini-incubators”. Each of the 12 columns of the plate is supplied by a distinct oxygen concentration from a gas-mixing gradient generator supplied by two feed gases. The wells within each column are then supplied by an equal flow-splitting distribution network. Using equal feed flow rates, concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 20.5% were generated within a single plate. A549 lung carcinoma cells were then used to show that O2 levels below 9% caused a stepwise increase in cell death for cells treated with the hypoxia-activated anticancer drug tirapirizamine (TPZ). Additionally, the 96-well plate was further leveraged to simultaneously test multiple TPZ concentrations over an oxygen gradient and generate a three-dimensional (3D) dose−response landscape. The results presented here show how microfluidic technologies can be integrated into, rather than replace, ubiquitous biomedical labware allowing for increased throughput oxygen studies. 

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5. Why Is Reducing the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico Such a Complex Goal? Understanding the Structure That Drives Hypoxic Zone Formation via System Dynamics

   https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12090326  

   Mier-Valderrama, Luis; Ledezma, Jorge; Gibson, Karl; Anoruo, Ambrose; Turner, Benjamin (September 2024, Systems)

   The Northern Gulf of Mexico hosts a severe dead zone, an oxygen-depleted area spanning 1,618,000 hectares, threatening over 40% of the U.S. fishing industry and causing annual losses of USD 82 million. Using a System Dynamics (SD) approach, this study examined the Mississippi–Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB), a major contributor to hypoxia in the Gulf. A dynamic model, developed with Vensim software version 10.2.1 andexisting data, represented the physical, biological, and chemical processes leading to eutrophication and simulated dead zone formation over time. Various policies were assessed, considering natural system variability. The findings showed that focusing solely on nitrogen control reduced the dead zone but required greater intensity or managing other inputs to meet environmental goals. Runoff control policies delayed nutrient discharge but did not significantly alter long-term outcomes. Extreme condition tests highlighted the critical role of runoff dynamics, dependent on nitrogen load relative to flow volume from upstream. The model suggests interventions should not just reduce eutrophication inputs but enhance factors slowing down the process, allowing natural denitrification to override anthropogenic nitrification. 

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