Our swim tunnel respirometry system was used by the Brandt lab (University of Connecticut, USA) to investigate how a warmer climate alters the effect of PFAS contamination in fish.

Sheepshead minnows were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of a PFAS mixture (PFOS + PFOA) across present-day and future temperature scenarios, the study combined ecotoxicology with whole-organism physiology to better understand the effects of combined exposures.

Our Loligo swim tunnels facilitated robust measurement of oxygen consumption and metabolic performance, through metrics such as standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), aerobic scope, and critical swimming rate (Ucrit).

Based on the results fish can compensate for PFAS exposure by increasing both oxygen demand and supply at moderate warming while maintaining the aerobic scope. However, at higher temperatures, this compensation fails and the MMR and aerobic scope declines. Suggesting that the animals will have reduced ability to support activities that require a lot of energy such as predator avoidance and foraging.

The combination of precise respirometry with toxicology provides deeper insight into how climate change amplifies contaminant effects, revealing metabolic limitations that may ultimately shape fish resilience and population health.

The paper titled Temperature Modulates PFAS Accumulation and Effects on Metabolic Performance in Sheepshead Minnows is published in Environmental Science & Technology and can be found online at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c15140

Do you want to learn more about the Swim tunnel and respirometry system used in this paper?

• Swim Tunnel System – For Respirometry and Swimming Performance
• AutoResp™ v3 – Computerized Respirometry Software
• More papers published using the Swimming Tunnel systems