Data from: The exercise physiology of larval reef fishes over ontogeny

The project investigated the changes in oxygen uptake rates of a coral reef fish during its entire larval phase. I also investigated hemoglobin gene expression across ontogeny.
Methodology: The study investigated how oxygen uptake rates, swimming performance and gene expression of proteins responsible for oxygen delivery and storage (e.g., hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytoglobin and neuroglobin) change as anemonefish larvae develop. Larvae were reared from adult anemonefishes, and daily measurements of swimming speed and oxygen uptake were taken (n=10 larvae per developmental day; 10 total developmental days for larval duration). An individual larva was placed in a swimming respirometer. A swimming respirometer is a glass chamber with an installed propellor that generates flow. The larvae swim against this flow, and oxygen probes measure the changes in oxygen uptake rates as the fish swim. The larvae would undergo a stepped velocity test (Ucrit; 1 body length per second every 30 minutes) until fatigue; this fatigue speed is the maximum swimming speed that the larvae can support mainly aerobically. At each velocity increment until fatigue, oxygen uptake rate is measured. The oxygen uptake rate at maximum swimming speed is Maximum Metabolic Rate (MMR). Extrapolating the oxygen uptake rates at each swimming speed to '0' swimming speed provides an estimate of Standard Metabolic Rate (SMR), which are basic maintenance costs. The difference between MMR and SMR is aerobic scope (AS), which is an estimate for whole animal energy budgets. I found that there was a distinct decrease in oxygen uptake rates from 4 days post-hatch (dph) to 6dph, which remained constant until settlement (9dph). Six larvae were selected ateach of these three developmental days (4,6 and 9dph), and using established techniques, their RNA was extracted. The RNA was sequenced to investigate changes in proteins associated with oxygen delivery and transport (hemoglobin and myoglobin), and oxygen storage (e.g., neurglobin and cytoglobin).
The data consists of 3 files in comma-separated values (.csv) format and a metadata file (.txt) that includes all of the variables, labels and units.
The data files are:

Files
File Description

DOWNIE_Chpt5_metadata.txt
Metadata file including all of the variables, labels and units

DOWNIE_PhD_Chpt5_CriticalSwimmingSpeed.csv
Daily measurements of critical swimming speed of larval cinnamon anemonefish 

DOWNIE_PhD_Chpt5_SwimmingRespirometry.csv
Daily measurement of oxygen uptake rates of larval cinnamon anemonefish

DOWNIE_PhD_Chpt5_GeneExpression.csv
Gene expression of hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytoglobin and neuroglobin of larval cinnamon anemonefish