Fish with smaller cells are less vulnerable to oxygen limitation

Diploid and triploid zebrafish differing in cell size were compared to uncover the consequences of cell size for whole-organism metabolic rate. Fish with smaller cells (i.e. diploids) are less vulnerable to oxygen limitation in warm aquatic habitats and have improved hypoxia tolerance. By contrast, warm-reared triploids had higher metabolic rates when they were tested at acute cold temperature, suggesting that being composed of larger cells may provide metabolic advantages in the cold. Read more in the Journal of Experimental Biology.