In this study, we explored the growth, survival, and potential population-level effects of short-term experimentally induced stress in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Cortisol implants [50 mg·(kg body mass)–1] were used to increase circulating stress hormones in a group of wild fish in a research lake for ~6 d in June 2007. Through mark- and recapture, we compared survival, growth, and plasma biochemistry of cortisol-treated, sham-treated, and control fish at liberty until October 2007. Cortisol-treated fish displayed persistent growth rate depression compared with other groups. However, neither plasma biochemistry nor mortality rates differed among treatments. In a complementary study, we found that the standard metabolic rates (SMR) of cortisol-treated fish were higher than control fish ~56 h following treatment. Bioenergetics modelling revealed that a transient elevation in SMR alone was insufficient to explain the observed growth depression. Finally, we constructed a simple population model to explore the potential consequences of growth depression. We found that a 10 % reduction in population growth rate is conceivable when 39 % of the population experiences a stress causing the growth rate depression documented in this study. Our study is novel in highlighting that individual and potentially population-level growth depression can result from a single stress event of short duration.
The consequences of short-term cortisol elevation on individual physiology and growth rate in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Rezensierter Artikel
O’Connor, C. M., Gilmour, K. M., Arlinghaus, R., Matsumura, S., Suski, C. D., Philipp, D. P., Cooke, S. J. (2011). The consequences of short-term cortisol elevation on individual physiology and growth rate in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 68, 693-705
Veröffentlicht
: 2011
Erschienen in
: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 68, 693-705