Thermoregulation of fish and other aquatic vertebrates in thermally stressed habitats: roles of behavior, competition, predation and nutrients. Progress report, 1 January 1984-31 December 1986

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5691709

Spotila, J R; Standora, E A

The mechanisms by which fish and turtles thermoregulate in thermally stressed habitats were quantitatively determined. Experiments on the roles of behavior, competition and predation on the thermoregulation of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) in extreme environments are described. The presence of the bass changes the upper avoidance temperature of a bluegill. Bass from Par Pond and Pond C on the Savannah River Plant have the same selected temperature but the responses of small bass to tests of selected temperature and upper avoidance temperature are altered by the presence of large conspecific. Field enclosure experiments documented the complex nature of the bluegill-bass interaction in Pond C. The effect of diet protein content and temperature on the growth and assimilation efficiency of the turtle Pseudemys scripta are related. Growth rate increased when turtles were fed diets with a higher protein content. Yearling snapping turtles, Chelydra serpentina, did not grow when kept at 15/sup 0/C. Those kept at 25/sup 0/C grew rapidly. There was no difference in selected temperature between the two groups, although CTM's were significantly different. Mathematical modeling focused on an analysis of the relationship between the thermal conductance of animals, the insulative properties of skin and fur and the external properties of animal-environmental interactions. 70 refs., 21 figs., 10 tabs.

• Research Organization: State Univ. Coll., Buffalo, NY (USA). Dept. of Biology
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76EV02502
• OSTI ID: 5691709
• Report Number(s): DOE/EV/02502-23; ON: DE86012322
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
FISHES
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
TURTLES
DIET
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
THERMAL EFFLUENTS
THERMOREGULATION
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
CONTROL
DATA
ECOSYSTEMS
INFORMATION
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
REPTILES
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VARIATIONS
VERTEBRATES
520100* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (-1989)