RESUMO
The fish gut is responsible for numerous potentially energetically costly processes, yet little is known about its metabolism. Here, we provide the first in vivo measurements of aerobic metabolism of the gut in a teleost fish by measuring gut blood flow, as well as arterial and portal venous oxygen content. At 10°C, gut oxygen uptake rate was 4.3±0.5â mlâ O2 h-1 kg-1 (â¼11% of whole-animal oxygen uptake). Following acute warming to 15°C, gut blood flow increased â¼3.4-fold and gut oxygen uptake rate increased â¼3.7-fold (16.0±3.3â mlâ O2 h-1 kg-1), now representing â¼25% of whole-animal oxygen uptake. Although gut blood flow decreased following an acute stress event at 15°C, gut oxygen uptake remained unchanged as a result of a â¼2-fold increase in oxygen extraction. The high metabolic thermal sensitivity of the gut could have important implications for the overall aerobic capacity and performance of fish in a warming world and warrants further investigation.