Abstract
We studied the effects of acidification on female sexual behavior in brown trout (Salmo trutta) and compared the results with those in hime (land-locked sockeye) salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) (Kitamura and Ikuta, 2000). The results were similar to those of sockeye salmon. Spawning brown trout were extremely sensitive to the acidity of ambient water, and nest-digging behavior was severely inhibited (p<0.05) by very slight acidification (pH below 6.4). However, there were some differences between the two species. Female trout and salmon showed almost no digging below pH 5.0 and 6.0 (Kitamura and Ikuta, 2000), respectively. When the ambient water was returned to nearly neutral (pH6.6) conditions, digging in hime salmon reappeared in 4 of the 6 fish tested (Kitamura and Ikuta, 2000), whereas digging in brown trout reappeared in all 6 fish tested. The above-mentioned differences in behavioral response between the two species appear to reflect the species difference in terms of vulnerability to acidification (Ikuta et al., 1992). Avoidance of slightly acidic water in selection of spawning site or cessation of spawning behavior in weakly acidic environments may be the most potent cause of the reduction of salmonid populations in the early stages of acidification.
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