New Publication: Investigating the Vulnerability of Seahorse Newborns to Hypoxia

Our latest publication, co-authored by Raquel O. Vasconcelos and colleagues, in Marine Environmental Research. The article, titled“Physiological and behavioral responses of seahorse newborns to acute hypoxia,”investigates the effects of low-oxygen conditions on the physiology and behavior of newborn Hippocampus hippocampus—a vulnerable early life stage increasingly exposed to climate-driven stressors.

This study assessed how acute hypoxia (~27% dissolved oxygen for 12 hours) impacts heart and ventilation rates, swimming activity, and responses to ecologically relevant chemical cues from conspecifics, prey, and predators.

Key Findings:

• Hypoxia significantly reduced heart and ventilation rates in newborns.

• Predator cues triggered elevated physiological responses, especially under normoxic conditions.

• Hypoxia may impair anti-predator responses in early developmental stages.

• Newborn seahorses appear to lack the physiological coping mechanisms observed in adults.

These findings provide critical insights into how early-stage seahorses may be affected by deoxygenation events and highlight the broader implications of climate change for marine species with limited adaptive capacity during development.

Reference :Remédios, B., Gomes, M., Costa, F., Vasconcelos, R. O., Rosa, R., & Pimentel, M. S. (2025). Physiological and behavioral responses of seahorse newborns to acute hypoxia. Marine Environmental Research, 197, 107344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107344