Oxygen measurements in closed system respirometry using blubber explants from suckling and fasting grey seal pups

Understanding physiological responses of wildlife and domesticated animals to environmental challenges can be difficult or impossible to investigate at the whole animal level. Tissue culture approaches open up experimental possibilities, but are difficult to undertake in remote environments where facilities to assess tissue viability and minimise or monitor microbial contamination may not be available. Here we used planar optodes in closed system respirometry to measure oxygen use by blubber explants from grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups, obtained in a remote field environment in 2017 and processed in a field laboratory with minimal equipment. These data show oxygen measurements at timed intervals and demonstrate that the tissues were respiring aerobically for the 24 h measurement period, compared to empty control vials. We also measured glucose, lactate and glycerol levels in culture media after 24 hours to allow correlation of glucose uptake, lactate accumulation and lipolytic rate...