The effects of marine heatwaves on a coral reef snapper: Insights into aerobic and anaerobic physiology and recovery potential

Background:Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency and intensity. Coral reefs are particularly susceptible to MHWs, which cause mass coral bleaching and mortality. However, little is known about how MHWs affect coral reef fishes. Here we investigated how MHWs affect the physiology of a coral reef mesopredator, Lutjanus carponotatus.Methods:Specifically, we exposed mature adults to two different MHW intensities, +1°C (29.5°C) and +2°C (30.5°C) and measured physiological performance at 2- and 4-weeks of exposure, and at 2-weeks post-exposure. At these time points we measured whole-organism physiological attributes (resting and capture oxygen consumption, and recovery time), excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), and associated biochemical markers in the blood (baseline lactate, post-capture lactate, glucose, haemoglobin levels and haematocrit proportion).
This data record contains:
3 x .csv files containing respirometry, recovery time, blood, and temperature preference data. Also in .ods format.