Hypoxia tolerance decreases with body size in red drum <i>Sciaenops ocellatus</i>

Abstract

Mass-specific oxygen consumption rate, i.e. standard metabolic rate (Rs ) and critical oxygen tension (Pcrit ) of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus were measured and scaled over a 2500-fold range in mass (MF ; 0·26-686 g). Rs conformed to well established models (Rs = 3·73·91 MF (-0·21) ; r(2) = 0·86) while Pcrit increased over the size range (Pcrit = 3·15 log10 MF + 16·19; r(2) = 0·44). This relationship may be ecologically advantageous as it would allow smaller S. ocellatus to better utilize hypoxic zones as habitat and refuge from predators.