Body condition, rather than size, predicts risk-taking and resource holding potential in hatchery reared juvenile lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens.

Abstract

To test how body size might influence lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens anti-predator behaviour, asymmetrically body-size-matched individuals were exposed to conspecific chemical alarm cues with the presence or absence of food. Additionally, to test resource holding potential (RHP), hatchery-reared juvenile A. fulvescens were asymmetrically (c. 60% mass difference) and symmetrically (c. 3% mass difference) size matched in individual tanks. Results suggest that A. fulvescens of higher body condition, rather than body length or mass, may take greater risks when presented with foraging opportunities and realize a higher RHP. As hatcheries are likely to select individuals of higher body condition, more research is necessary to understand the role body condition may have on behavioural responses and ensuing fitness post-release.