Oxygen consumption and swimming behavior of juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii during stepped velocity tests

Abstract

AB Aquatic Biology Contact the journal Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AB 24:211-217 (2016) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00649 Oxygen consumption and swimming behavior of juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii during stepped velocity tests Xi Yuan1,2,3, Lu Cai3,4, David M. Johnson3,5, Zhiying Tu3, Yingping Huang3,* 1Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China 3Engineering Research Center of Eco-environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Hubei Yichang 443002, China 4Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic-Projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem of Ministry of Water Resources, Institute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430079, China 5School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ferrum College, Ferrum, VA 24088, USA *Corresponding author: chem_ctgu@126.com ABSTRACT: Oxygen consumption rate (MO2) and critical swimming speed (Ucrit) of juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii were measured at 24°C using a step-wise velocity test in a flume-type respirometer. Swimming behavior was video-recorded before and after the swimming experiment in a respirometer and an open tank. The relationship between MO2 and swimming speed (U) can be accurately described by a power function. The Ucrit of A. baerii was found to be 2.28 ± 0.09 body lengths (BL) s-1 or 0.51 ± 0.05 m s-1. The standard metabolic rate was calculated to be 149.24 mg O2 kg-1 h-1, and measured maximum metabolic rate (MMR) was 385.04 mg O2 kg-1 h-1. This is a relatively low MMR, resulting in a low metabolic scope, and is consistent with the low Ucrit of juvenile sturgeon. Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, measured over a 60 min recovery period, was 65.20 mg O2 kg-1. Therefore, A. baerii possess high fatigue recovery capability. Tail beat frequencies increased significantly with U, but there was very little change in tail beat amplitude, and results differed between respirometer and open tank observations. Our results provide data on the physiology and behavior of A. baerii and will help to support conservation of this important species. KEY WORDS: Siberian sturgeon · Swimming capability · Swimming behavior · Oxygen consumption Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Yuan X, Cai L, Johnson DM, Tu Z, Huang Y (2016) Oxygen consumption and swimming behavior of juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii during stepped velocity tests. Aquat Biol 24:211-217. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00649 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AB Vol. 24, No. 3. Online publication date: March 17, 2016 Print ISSN: 1864-7782; Online ISSN: 1864-7790 Copyright © 2016 Inter-Research.