Influence of the combination of time of feeding and ration level on the diurnal hormone rhythms in rainbow trout

Abstract

The study examined the combined effects of time of feeding (post-dawn, midday-pre-dusk) and ration level (1.5%, 2.0%, 2.5%) on the diurnal rhythms of plasma growth hormone (GH), L-thyroxine (T4), triiodo-L-thyronine (T3), cortisol and glucose concentrations in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) maintained under constant ambient water temperature and natural photoperiod.Plasma GH and glucose concentrations exhibited marked diurnal rhythms, with significant postprandial peaks that were phase-shifted with time of feeding. The ration level did not appear to alter these feeding time-entrained rhythms, but the amplitude of the changes (peaks) were more pronounced in trout fed the higher ration levels. Plasma cortisol concentrations showed distinct diurnal rhythms, with peaks during the photophase and the scotophase in all the treatment groups. The time of feeding did not appear to influence these rhythms, and there was no evidence of a postprandial increase in any group.Plasma GH, cortisol and glucose concentrations were significantly higher in groups fed the 2.5% ration compared with animals fed either 1.5 or 2.0% rations.The diurnal rhythms of plasma T4 concentrations were not affected by the time of feeding or ration level; the peak values generally occurred during the photophase in all the treatment groups. Plasma T3 concentrations did not show any significant diurnal patterns, nor were they influenced by ration levels or time of feeding.