Effects of temperature on larval fish swimming performance: the importance of physics to physiology

Temperature influences both the physiology offish larvae and the physics of the flow conditions under which they swim. For small larvae in low Reynolds number (Re) hydrodynamic environments dominated by frictional drag, temperature‐induced changes in the physics of water flow have the greatest effect on swimming performance. For larger larvae, in higher Re environments, temperature‐induced changes in physiology become more important as larvae swim faster and changes in swimming patterns and mechanics occur. Physiological rates at different temperatures have been quantified using Q₁₀s with the assumption that temperature only affected physiological variables. Consequently, Q₁₀s that did not consider temperature‐induced changes in viscosity overestimated the effect of temperature on physiology by 58% and 56% in cold‐water herring and cod larvae respectively. In contrast, in warm‐water Danube bleak larvae, Q₁₀s overestimated temperature‐induced effects on physiology by only 5–7%. This may be because in warm water, temperature‐induced changes affect viscosity to a smaller degree than in cold water. Temperature also affects muscle contractility and efficiency and at high swimming velocities, efficiency decreases more rapidly in cold‐exposed than in warm‐exposed muscle fibres. Further experiments are needed to determine whether temperature acts differently on swimming metabolism in different thermal environments. While hydrodynamic factors appear to be very important to larval fish swimming performance in cold water, they appear to lose importance in warm water where temperature effects on physiology dominate. This may suggest that major differences exist among locomotory capacities of larval fish that inhabit cold, temperate waters compared to those that live in warm tropical waters. It is possible that fish larvae may have developed strategies that affect dispersal and recruitment in different aquatic habitats in order to cope not only with temperature‐induced physiological challenges, but physical challenges as well.     

Effect of water temperature and fish biomass on environmental DNA shedding,degradation, and size distribution

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has successfully detected organisms in various aquatic environments. However, there is little basic information on eDNA, including the eDNA shedding and degradation processes. This study focused on water temperature and fish biomass and showed that eDNA shedding, degradation, and size distribution varied depending on water temperature and fish biomass. The tank experiments consisted of four temperature levels and three fish biomass levels. The total eDNA and size‐fractioned eDNA from Japanese Jack Mackerels (Trachurus japonicus) were quantified before and after removing the fish. The results showed that the eDNA shedding rate increased at higher water temperature and larger fish biomass, and the eDNA decay rate also increased at higher temperature and fish biomass. In addition, the small‐sized eDNA fractions were proportionally larger at higher temperatures, and these proportions varied among fish biomass. After removing the fish from the tanks, the percentage of eDNA temporally decreased when the eDNA size fraction was >10 µm, while the smaller size fractions increased. These results have the potential to make the use of eDNA analysis more widespread in the future.     

Effects of fish size, time‐to‐fatigue and turbulence on swimming performance: a case study of Galaxias maculatus

A simple relationship for the inanga Galaxias maculatus swimming velocity is suggested and tested in low and high turbulence channels. The relationship connects the swimming velocity with fish Reynolds and Froude numbers and can be used in both ecological analysis ( e.g . habitat requirements) and management strategies ( e.g . fishways design). Contrary to some previous studies and intuition, effects of turbulence on swimming performance appeared to be negligible. The most likely explanation for this result relates to mechanics of fish–turbulence interactions that may be dependent on both the turbulence scales and energy. The data suggest that future studies of turbulence effects on fish behaviour should involve, in addition to turbulence energetics, consideration of fish dimensions in relation to the spectrum of turbulence scales.     

Constraints of body size and swimming velocity on the ability of juvenile rainbow trout to endure periods without food

The hypothesis that body size and swimming velocity affect proximate body composition, wet mass and size‐selective mortality of fasted fish was evaluated using small (107 mm mean total length, L _T) and medium (168 mm mean L _T) juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss that were sedentary or swimming ( c . 1 or 2 body length s⁻¹) and fasted for 147 days. The initial amount of energy reserves in the bodies of fish varied with L _T. Initially having less lipid mass and relatively higher mass‐specific metabolic rates caused small rainbow trout that were sedentary to die of starvation sooner and more frequently than medium‐length fish that were sedentary. Swimming at 2 body length s⁻¹ slightly increased the rate of lipid catabolism relative to 1 body length s⁻¹, but did not increase the occurrence of mortality among medium fish. Death from starvation occurred when fish had <3·2% lipid remaining in their bodies. Juvenile rainbow trout endured long periods without food, but their ability to resist death from starvation was limited by their length and initial lipid reserves.     

Endurance of simulated winter conditions by age-0 walleye pollock: effects of body size, water temperature and energy stores

Survival of age-0 walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma in the absence of food followed simple bioenergetic models, with large body size, high initial condition, and cold temperatures all increasing survival rates. High survival after >200 days at cold temperatures (<3·0° C) indicated extended tolerance of extreme cold, as long as sufficient body size and condition are attained during the summer growth period. Analysis of body constituents demonstrated a substantial increase in tissue water and depletion of lipid during starvation. Survivors had significantly higher lipid stores than mortalities, and larger fish had higher levels of lipid than smaller fish among experimental survivors, laboratory fish that were never starved, and wild fish. Fish returned to warm temperatures and high rations following 205 days of food deprivation displayed nearly complete recovery, with rapid increases in length, weight, and condition and minimal mortality (6·8%) during the subsequent 3 months. Age-0 walleye pollock collected in September in the Bering Sea were substantially smaller and generally had lower lipid levels than fish used in laboratory starvation experiments, suggesting they are susceptible to size- and condition-dependent mortality during the winter. The results are interpreted with respect to field distributions of age-0 walleye pollock, overwinter survival, and synergistic effects of food and temperature under varying models of climate change.     

Effect of exercise training on swimming performance,survival under predation and hypoxia tolerance in an endangered fish species in China

Poor swimming performance and low hypoxia tolerance have been suggested as the main reasons for the dramatic decrease in the wild population of Chinese sucker. The present study aimed to investigate the potential for exercise training to enhance swimming performance and hypoxia tolerance in this fish species targeted for stocking enhancement. Fish were exercise trained (force to swim against a flow) once daily, twice daily or not exercise trained for 20 d and then detrained for 10 d (a period of nontraining). Training showed no significant effect on anaerobic swimming performance.. The fish from both training groups showed lower hypoxia tolerance and a lower survival rate under predation. Thus, the present study suggested thatexercise training showed little effect or even a negative effect on physiological function in Chinese sucker, and the forced training might not be the proper protocol to apply for improving the stocking enhancement of Chinese sucker..     

Effects of surgically implanted acoustic transmitters >2% of body mass on the swimming performance, survival and growth of juvenile sockeye and Chinook salmon

The influence of surgical implantation of an acoustic transmitter on the swimming performance, growth and survival of juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka and Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha was examined. The transmitter had a mass of 0·7 g in air while sockeye salmon had a mass of 7·0–16·0 g and Chinook salmon had a mass of 6·7–23·1 g (a transmitter burden of 4·5–10·3% for sockeye salmon and 3·1–10·7% for Chinook salmon). Mean critical swimming speeds (U_crit) for Chinook salmon ranged from 47·5 to 51·2 cm s^?1 [4·34–4·69 body lengths (fork length, L_F) s^?1] and did not differ among tagged, untagged and sham‐tagged groups. Tagged sockeye salmon, however, did have lower U_crit than control or sham fish. The mean U_crit for tagged sockeye salmon was 46·1 cm s^?1 (4·1 L_F s^?1), which was c. 5% less than the mean U_crit for control and sham fish (both groups were 48·6 cm s^?1 or 4·3 L_F s^?1). A laboratory evaluation determined that there was no difference in L_F or mass among treatments (control, sham or tag) either at the start or at the end of the test period, suggesting that implantation did not negatively influence the growth of either species. None of the sockeye salmon held under laboratory conditions died from the influence of surgical implantation of transmitters. In contrast, this study found that the 21 day survival differed between tagged and control groups of Chinook salmon, although this result may have been confounded by the poor health of Chinook salmon treatment groups.     

Amphibious adaptations in a newly recognized amphibious fish: Terrestrial locomotion and the influences of body size and temperature

Amphibious animals are adapted for both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The conflicting requirements for dual habitats are perhaps most pronounced in the air‐breathing fishes, which represent an intermediate stage between the totally aquatic habitat and terrestrial colonization. A key requirement for amphibious fishes is terrestrial locomotion. The different densities and compositions of air and water impose constraints for efficient terrestrial locomotion that differ from those required for aquatic locomotion. I investigated terrestrial locomotion in a small South African fish, Galaxias ‘nebula’, by exposing 60 individual fish to air in specially designed raceways and quantifying movement type and occurrence as a function of availability of water, fish size and environmental temperature. Nebula showed a sustained undulating form of terrestrial locomotion characteristic of amphibious fishes and also a transient ballistic locomotion (jumps) typical of fully aquatic species. Terrestrial movement was influenced by fish size, with medium‐sized fish undertaking more jumps towards water, and fewer jumps away from water, than their smaller or larger conspecifics. In contrast, axial undulation was mainly influenced by temperature. However, there was no consistent pattern in temperature effects presumably because temperature is just one of a suit of environmental factors that may affect terrestrial locomotion. Nebula's amphibious adaptations allow it to cope with the unpredictability inherent in its natural environment.     

The influence of temperature and habitat on the distribution of chiselmouth, Acrocheilus alutaceus, in British Columbia

We intensively sampled fish in rivers and streams within a single major drainage basin (the Blackwater River) and across major drainages in British Columbia to assess the factors influencing distribution of chiselmouth, Acrocheilus alutaceus, and to develop models for predicting chislemouth presence. Chiselmouth were typically absent from sites with maximum temperatures below 20°C or 2100 annual degree days, both within a single drainage and between larger drainages. Indices of stream size (bankfull channel width and basin area) were the most significant predictors of chiselmouth presence within the Blackwater drainage (p=0.016 and p=0.032, respectively), and inclusion of thermal variables only marginally increased classification success. In contrast, bankfull channel width and basin area were poor predictors of chiselmouth presence in mainstem habitat within larger drainage basins throughout British Columbia. Inclusion of thermal variables (particularly degree days > 12°C) doubled correct classification rates of chiselmouth presence across larger drainage basins. These habitat associations suggest that water temperature is the primary constraint on presence of chiselmouth populations in larger drainages across a landscape, while selection of different habitat types (mainstem habitat over smaller tributaries) determines distribution within any given basin.     

Morphology of the retina in deep‐water fish Nezumia sclerorhynchus (Valenciennes, 1838) (Gadiformes: Macrouridae)

Using light microscopy, we examined the retina of benthopelagic fish Nezumia sclerorhynchus. Although the retina is typical of other vertebrates, having three nuclear and two synaptic layers, it presents some features associated with the animal's deep‐sea habitat. A stratum argenteum containing iridescent crystals is located in the choroid. The pigment cell layer shows bulky cells filled with melanin granules but without the typical apical processes. The visual cells, consisting of a big population of rods, are arranged in several banks. No cones were observed. The outer segments are very long and cylindrical, and the inner segments are constituted by a small ellipsoid at the proximal end. The outer nuclear layer contains several rows of oval nuclei, and the spherules in the outer plexiform layer have less regular outlines than nuclei. The inner retina is characterized by very large horizontal cells, and presumable bipolar and amacrine cells separated by large spaces that are occupied by neuronal processes. Finally, the low density of ganglion cells produces a thin nerve fibre layer. The results of this study suggest that the retina of Nezumia sclerorhyncus exhibits high visual sensitivity and that vision is a sense that plays an important role in its behaviour.     

Effect of food shortage and temperature on oxygen consumption in the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract.  Temperature and food availability are limiting factors for the establishment of tropical insects in temperate countries. In the alien pest beetle, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), starvation and temperature have a significant impact on metabolic rate with oxygen consumption ranging from 0.5 µmol/g fresh mass (FM)/h at 12 °C to 3.4 µmol/g FM/h at 24 °C. At 12 °C, oxygen consumption decreased continuously during an entire period of starvation. However, at 16, 20 and 24 °C, beetles display a marked hyperactivity that leads to an increase in the oxygen consumption level during the first week of starvation, followed by a steep decrease until the end of the starvation period. Oxygen consumption either does not decline in fed beetles (observed at higher temperatures) or declines at a much shallower rate than in starved beetles (observed at cooler temperatures). During the first week of refeeding, Oxygen consumption rose steeply at 16, 20 and 24 °C before levelling off to the initial value ( t ₀). At 12 °C, no compensation process was observed during recovery. This study reveals that an important threshold in the biology of A. diaperinus lies between 12 and 16 °C, leading to the onset of reduced locomotor activity and the promotion of survival to the detriment of reproduction. This 'sit and wait' behaviour is proposed as an adaptive strategy (i.e. inactivity and lower oxygen consumption coupled with low energetic requirements and high recovery abilities). Such behaviour and the observed hyperactivity were rarely described in insects before the present study. Together, the previous and present results suggest that A. diaperinus populations are likely maintained in temperate regions by immigration from warmer situations.     

延迟首次投喂对南方鲇(Silurus meridionalis Chen)仔鱼身体含能量、体长及游泳能力的影响

在（22.0±0.5）℃条件下,将人工孵化的南方鲇仔鱼分别于出膜后4、5、6、7天进行首次投喂（其中4d的为对照组）,首次投喂前（出膜后4d）取样测量体长、体重、身体含能量作为初始值,于出膜后7d（延迟投喂实验）和21d（继续喂养实验）分别测定体长、体重、身体所含能量和临界游泳速度。结果显示：延迟投喂实验结束时各处理组的体重、身体含能量和体长随首次投喂时间的延迟均呈下降趋势,相对临界游泳速度随首次投喂时间的延迟表现为先提高后降低的趋势,绝对临界游泳速度在延迟投喂2d以内无显著差异;继续喂养实验结束时处理组各指标逐渐接近对照组水平,两种临界游泳速度表现为同步变化趋势;另外,体长特定生长率相对百分比（SGRL%）的变化幅度小于身体含能量特定生长率相对百分比（SGRE%）的变化幅度,而绝对临界游泳速度相对百分比（Ucrit%）的变化又小于体长特定生长率相对百分比的变化。结果表明：早期食物资源的短缺会导致南方鲇仔鱼体重、身体含能量产生明显变化,体长生长速度的变化则相对较小,而短期饥饿不会显著降低南方鲇仔鱼的游泳能力。     

Effect of springtime water temperature on the time of emergence and size of Pteronarcys californica in the Henry's Fork catchment, Idaho, U.S.A.

1. The emergence time of Pteronarcys californica in streams in the Henry's Fork catchment, Idaho, U.S.A. was negatively correlated with mean April water temperature. Emergence was in mid- to late May at sites influenced by groundwater, where April water temperature averaged 7.9 °C. Adults emerged in mid-June in streams receiving run-off from snowmelt (mean April water temperature 5.4 °C). Intermediate emergence times were observed in a regulated section of river where water temperature was influenced, on one bank, by dam release (mean April water temperature 4.5 °C) and, on the other, by a spring-fed tributary stream (mean April water temperature 6.3 °C).
2. During each of the three study years, emergence was earlier on the bank of the regulated section that was warmer during April and May. The mean body length of P. californica exuviae, collected from the warm side of the river, averaged 1.2 mm longer than those collected from the cold side.
3. We tested the effect on emergence of altering springtime water temperature by translocating P. californica in cages from one location to another during April. Individuals moved to sites with higher April water temperature emerged earlier than individuals that remained at the site from which they were collected.     

Effects of water activity and temperature on the survival of Aspergillus carbonarius spores in vitro

AIMS: To determine the effect of water activity (a(w)) and temperature on the survival of Aspergillus carbonarius spores. METHODS AND RESULTS: Spores of A. carbonarius were dried onto filter membranes. These filters were held at 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, 0.6 and 0.4 a(w) and at 1, 15, 25 and 37 degrees C for up to 618 d. At intervals, spores were recovered from filters and assessed for viability by enumeration on dichloran rose bengal chloramphenicol agar. Survival and subsequent growth of spores was prolonged at low temperatures and at a(w) below 0.6. Above 15 degrees C, 0.6-0.9 a(w) were often more deleterious than 1.0. However, at 1 degrees C and 1.0 a(w), spores lost viability more rapidly than at lower a(w). CONCLUSIONS: Increased incidence of black Aspergillus spp. in dry soils and from grapes in dry conditions may result partly from prolonged survival of spores. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Delineating the direct effect of a(w) and temperature on survival of A. carbonarius spores may aid in understanding the incidence of this ochratoxin A-producing species in vineyard soils and on grapes.     

温度对黑豆蚜体内共生菌胞数量及宿主体型大小的影响

为了明确饲养温度对黑豆蚜Aphis fabae 内共生菌和宿主蚜虫体型大小的影响,对在室内不同温度下饲养的黑豆蚜内共生菌胞数量和宿主蚜虫体型大小进行了观察和统计分析。结果表明,温度对同一发育时期蚜虫内共生菌胞数量的影响在不同温度范围内有所不同,1龄若蚜体内的菌胞数量除在25℃与35℃间有显著差异外,在其余各温度间没有显著差异; 其余时期的蚜虫内共生菌胞数量在高温（> 30℃）下显著低于较低温度下的菌胞数量,存在负直线相关性。温度对菌胞数量随宿主发育到产仔前的变化趋势有不同程度的影响,在较低温度（15℃、20℃和25℃）下,菌胞数量随虫体发育显著增加; 但在高温（30℃和35℃）下,蚜虫体内菌胞数逐渐增加直到3龄达到最高,然后略有下降（30℃）或显著下降（35℃）。除1龄若蚜外,蚜虫体型大小总体呈现随温度升高而降低的格局,但随其内共生菌数量增多而增大（35℃下除外）。据此认为,温度可能通过作用于蚜虫内共生菌胞数量而影响蚜虫体型的大小。     

The bioenergetics of the southern catfish (Silurus meridionalis Chen): growth rate as a function of ration level, body weight, and temperature

A feeding-growth experiment was conducted in the laboratory on 114 young southern catfish ( Silurus meridionalis Chen) with initial weights of 8.71–127.9g at 15, 20, 25 and 30°C. The experiment consisted of eight weight-temperature groups, with five ration levels ranging from starvation to satiation in each group. A multiple regression equation fitted to the experimental data was developed to describe the relation between specific growth rate (SGR) and the three factors, ration level (RL), body weight ( W ) and temperature ( T ): SGR = 0.471 + 0.172ln W −0.0443 T +0.0682 T ln(RL + l). This predicts that with increasing temperature the specific growth rate decreases at lower ration levels and increases at higher ration levels. The equation, SGR = a + b ln(RL + l), may be considered as the basic growth model where a is the maintenance metabolism exponent and b is the conversion exponent of the net energy; body weight and temperature influence the two parameters. With this relationship the two antagonistic effects of temperature on growth can be understood, increasing temperature imposes a negative effect on growth due to increment in energy cost for maintenance metabolism, and a positive effect due to higher efficiency of transforming food energy into net energy; the positive effect will increase at higher ration levels. This could also explain why at a restricted ration level relationships between growth and temperature are different in different species.     

饥饿和温度驯化对中华倒刺鲃静止代谢和游泳能力的影响

为了探讨饥饿和温度驯化对中华倒刺鲃(Spinibarbus sinensis)幼鱼维持代谢和游泳运动能力的影响,在不同温度(15、25℃)条件下分别测定了经0(对照)、1、2、4周饥饿后中华倒刺钯的静止代谢率(M_(O_2_(rest))和匀加速最大游泳速度(U_(CAT))。饥饿和低温对M_(o_2_(rest))和U_(CAT)均有负效应。在高温条件下,实验鱼经1周饥饿后其M_(o_2_(rest))和U_(CAT)均显著下降(P0.05);但在低温条件下,仅4周饥饿组的M_(o_2_(rest))和U_(CAT)显著下降(P0.05)。U_(CAT)与M_(o_2_(rest))在不同的饥饿周期具有相似的变化趋势;在低温条件下,前期饥饿阶段M_(o_2_(rest))和U_(CAT)变化较小,后期饥饿阶段变化较大;但在高温条件下则相反。无论是在低温还是在高温条件下,U_(CAT)与M_(o_2_(rest))之间均呈显著线性正相关(P0.05),但低温组回归方程斜率显著高于高温组回归方程斜率(F_(1,4)=11.416,P=0.028)。在不同温度下,中华倒刺钯游泳运动能力对饥饿的反应不尽相同可能与维持代谢、生化反应速率、机体能量储存、代谢酶活性及底物利用类型等的差异相关,这种对策的差异可能是其对栖息地环境温度和食物资源季节性变化的适应。     

Effect of water temperature on the mass emergence of the mayfly, Ephoron shigae, in a Japanese river (Ephemeroptera: Polymitarcyidae)

1. Winged stages of Ephoron shigae were collected every day during their emergence period during a 6-year period from 1989 to 1994, by net sweeps or a light trap along the Asahi-gawa River in western Japan. Emergence occurred mainly in September. 2. Coefficients of determination (r²) were calculated for the regression of the mean date of emergence against cumulative degree-days during various periods from late March to early September. 3. In both sexes the highest values of r² were obtained for regression with degree-days from late June to late August. This indicates that thermal conditions during the late instars affected the emergence timing most strongly. The timing of emergence can be well predicted from the cumulative degree-days during summer.