The effects of body mass and feeding on metabolic rate in small juvenile Atlantic cod

Abstract

Apparent specific dynamic action (SDA) amplitude in young juvenile Atlantic cod Gadus morhua (1 to 8 g wet mass), fed a standardized meal and then exercised in a circular swimming respirometer at a constant swimming speed of 0·5 ± 0·3 body lengths s-1, occurred within l h after feeding in all juveniles. SDA amplitude were 1·4 to 1·8 times higher in fed fish compared to unfed fish, and rates of oxygen consumption decreased as body mass increased. SDA duration had a tendency to decrease with increasing body mass and was shortest, at 6 h, in the smallest fish (1–1·5 g), but increased to 10–11 h in the largest fish. Apparent SDA in fed fish (Rr) scaled with a mass exponent of 0·89, while maximum metabolic rate (Rmax) determined by chasing fish to exhaustion and then measuring oxygen consumption for 12 h, and unfed routine metabolic rate (Rr) scaled with a mass exponent of 0·79 and 0·76 respectively. Relative aerobic scope (Rmax– unfed Rr) did not appear to vary over the 1 to 8 g increase in wet mass. These results show that as body mass increased in young juvenile Atlantic cod: (1) apparent SDA (Rf) increased more rapidly than Rmax, and (2) apparent SDA took up >98% of the relative aerobic scope and that young Atlantic cod allocated most of the energy to growth, and left little for other metabolic activities.