Thermal sensitivity of metabolic rates and swimming performance in two latitudinally separated populations of cod, Gadus morhua L.

Abstract

Atlantic cod populations live in a wide thermal range and can differ genetically and physiologically. Thermal sensitivity of metabolic capacity and swimming performance may vary along a latitudinal gradient, to facilitate performance in distinct thermal environments. To evaluate this hypothesis, we compared the thermal sensitivity of performance in two cod stocks from the Northwest Atlantic that differ in their thermal experience: Gulf of St Lawrence (GSL) and Bay of Fundy (BF). We first compared the metabolic, physiological and swimming performance after short-term thermal change to that at the acclimation temperature (7 degrees C) for one stock (GSL), before comparing the performance of the two stocks after short-term thermal change. For cod from GSL, standard metabolism (SMR) increased with temperature, while active metabolism (AMR, measured in the critical swimming tests), EMR (metabolic rate after an exhaustive chase protocol), aerobic scope (AS) and critical swimming speeds (U (crit) and U (b-c)) were lower at 3 degrees C than 7 or 11 degrees C. In contrast, anaerobic swimming (sprint and burst-coasts in U (crit) test) was lower at 11 than 7 or 3 degrees C. Factorial AS (AMR SMR(-1)) decreased as temperature rose. Time to exhaustion (chase protocol) was not influenced by temperature. The two stocks differed little in the thermal sensitivities of metabolism or swimming. GSL cod had a higher SMR than BF cod despite similar AMR and AS. This led factorial AS to be significantly higher for the southern stock. Despite these metabolic differences, cod from the two stocks did not differ in their U (crit) speeds. BF cod were better sprinters at both temperatures. Cod from GSL had a lower aerobic cost of swimming at intermediate speeds than those from BF, particularly at low temperature. Only the activity of cytochrome C oxidase (CCO) in white muscle differed between stocks. No enzymatic correlates were found for swimming capacities, but oxygen consumption was best correlated with CCO activity in the ventricle for both stocks. Overall, the stocks differed in their cost of maintenance, cost of transport and sprint capacity, while maintaining comparable thermal sensitivities.