Individual variation in the swimming performance of fishes: An overlooked source of variation in toxicity studies
- Nicholls State Univ., Thibodaux, LA (United States). Dept. of Biological Science
- Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States)
A commonly used indicator of sublethal stress in fish is impaired swimming performance. Analysis of performance data usually employs a simple comparison, in which the mean of a stressed group of fish is compared to that of a control group. Although such a comparison is satisfactory in many cases, a comparison emphasizing individual variation in performance can yield valuable information unattainable by a means comparison. In this experiment, the authors determined critical swimming speeds of subadult male fathead minnows before and after exposure to contaminated sediments from Devil`s Swamp, Louisiana, USA. The data were then analyzed using a means comparison and an individual approach to illustrate the differences in explanatory power between the two approaches.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 571685
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 17, Issue 2; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Development of a New Technique to Assess Susceptibility to Predation Resulting from Sublethal Stresses (Indirect Mortality)
Toxicity of oil shale retort water to representative aquatic fishes. Progress report