In conclusion, the sea cucumber A. japonicus enters a state of
aestivation when the ambient temperature is maintained at 26 °C.
During the process of aestivation, oxygen consumption, activities of
antioxidases and Hsp70 level increase initially, and then decrease. The
decrease of oxygen consumption during aestivation is a kind of
adaptive strategy for the sea cucumber to reduce the ROS, denatured
proteins and related energy costs.