Temperature Effects on Acceleration of Rainbow Trout, Salmo gairdneri

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 1417-1422 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Webb

Acceleration performance during and immediately following fast-starts was measured at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 °C for rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) of mean mass 23.5 g. Fast-start responses were initiated by an electric shock stimulus. Temperature had little effect on fast-start kinematics. Response latency and duration of propulsion strokes decreased with temperature. Latencies decreased from 23 ms at 5 °C to 6 ms at 25 °C. Times to complete the first two principal acceleration strokes in a fast-start decreased from 116 ms at 5 °C to 65 ms at 25 °C. Distance traveled in a given time increased with temperature. For an elapsed time of 100 ms, the distance traveled was 3.5 cm at 5 °C increasing to 11.3 cm at 25 °C. Velocity increased with time at each temperature to reach maximum values by the end of the third propulsive stroke and thereafter declining. Maximum velocity increased with temperature from 0.99 m∙s−1 at 5 °C to 1.71 m∙s−1 at 15 °C. Maximum velocity was independent of temperature from 15 to 25 °C. Similar trends were found for maximum acceleration rate which increased from 16 m∙s−2 at 5 °C to 41 m∙s−2 over the 15–25 °C range. Temperature effects on acceleration performance would alter the ability of fish to traverse short areas of high velocity flow, the effectiveness of predators, and vulnerability of prey fish. Key words: trout, acceleration, swimming, fast-start, temperature, predation, locomotion


1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 578-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kurt Gamperl ◽  
Dan L. Schnurr ◽  
E. Don Stevens

Fast-start acceleration performance of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) was measured after 9 weeks of sprint training (30°s duration, every 2nd day). Response latency and time required to complete the first two stages of a fast start were unaffected by the sprint-training protocol. Maximum acceleration (trained 1985 ± 176 (SE) cm/s2; control 1826 ± 144 cm/s2) and maximum velocity (trained 130 ± 7 cm/s; control 134 ± 14 cm/s) were also not significantly different following training. However, trained fish reached high rates of acceleration before control (untrained) fish. Thus, acceleration was higher in trained fish from 20 to 35 ms postshock. When fish are separated by start type, trained fish consistently had greater acceleration than control fish between 30 and 45 ms postshock. Alterations in fast-start performance due to sprint training may improve predator avoidance ability. Sprint training did not change critical swimming speed as measured using two separate protocols.



1978 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. WEBB

Fast-start kinematics and performance were determined for Etheostoma caeruleum, Cottus cognatus, Notropis cornutus, Lepomis macrochirus, Perca flavescens, Salmo gairdneri and a hybrid Esox sp. at an acclimation and test temperature of 15 °C. Normal three-stage kinematic patterns were observed for all species. Fast-start movements were similar in all species, except Lepomis, which had slightly higher amplitudes than expected for its length. The duration of kinematic stages was a major variable among the seven species but was a linear function of length. Acceleration rates were not functions of size. Maximum acceleration rates ranged from 22-7 to 39-5 m. s−2 with mean rates from 6.1 to 12.3 m.s−2 averaged to the completion of kinematic stage 2. Maximum velocity and distance covered in each fast-start stage varied among species but were related to length. Fast-start performance depended primarily on compromise between muscle mass as a percentage of body mass, and lateral body and fin profile. Optimal profiles provide large depth distant from the centre of mass to maximize thrust, and anterior depth enhancement to minimize recoil. The body form of Lepomis is considered optimal for multiple swimming modes.



1990 ◽  
Vol 150 (1) ◽  
pp. 321-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID G. HARPER ◽  
ROBERT W. BLAKE

The escape performances of rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri (Richardson) and northern pike Esox lucius (Linnaeus) (mean lengths 0.32 m and 0.38 m, respectively) were measured with subcutaneously implanted accelerometers. Acceleration-time plots reveal two types of fast-starts for trout and three for pike. Simultaneous high-speed ciné films demonstrate a kinematic basis for these differences. Trout performing C-shaped fast-starts produce a unimodal acceleration-time plot (type I) while during S-shaped fast-starts a bimodal accelerationtime plot (type II) results. Pike also exhibit similar type I and II fast-starts, but also execute a second S-shaped fast-start that does not involve a net change of direction. This is characterized by a trimodal acceleration-time plot (type III). Intraspecific and interspecific comparisons of distance, time, mean and maximum velocity, and mean and maximum acceleration rate indicate that fast-start performance is significantly higher for pike than for trout, for all performance parameters. This indicates that performance is related to body form. Overall mean maximum acceleration rates for pike were 120.2±20.0 ms−2 and 59.7±8.3 ms−2 for trout. Performance values directly measured from the accelerometers exceed those previously reported. Maximum acceleration rates for single events reach 97.8ms−2 and 244.9ms−2 for trout and pike, respectively. Maximum final velocities of 7.06ms−2 (18.95 Ls−2) were observed for pike and 4.19 ms−2 (13.09 Ls−2) for trout, where L is body length; overall mean maximum velocities were 2.77 ms−2 for trout and 3.97 ms−2 for pike.



1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (12) ◽  
pp. 2595-2604 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Law ◽  
R Blake

Fast-start escape performances for two species of threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus spp., were investigated using high-speed cinematography (400 Hz). The two fishes (not yet formally described, referred to here as benthic and limnetic) inhabit different niches within Paxton Lake, British Columbia, Canada, and are recent, morphologically distinct species. All escape responses observed for both species were double-bend C-type fast-starts. There were no significant differences between the species for any linear or angular parameter (pooled averages, both species: duration 0.048 s, distance 0.033 m, maximum velocity 1.10 m s-1, maximum acceleration 137 m s-2, maximum horizontal angular velocity 473.6 rad s-1 and maximum overall angular velocity 511.1 rad s-1). Benthics and limnetics have the greatest added mass (Ma) at 0.3 and 0.6 body lengths, respectively. The maximum Ma does not include the fins for benthics, but for limnetics the dorsal and anal fins contribute greatly to the maximum Ma. The deep, posteriorly placed fins of limnetics enable them to have a fast-start performance equivalent to that of the deeper-bodied benthics. Both the limnetic and benthic fishes have significantly higher escape fast-start velocities than their ancestral form, the anadromous threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, suggesting that the high performance of the Paxton Lake sticklebacks is an evolutionarily derived trait. In this biomechanical study of functional morphology, we demonstrate that similar high fast-start performance can be achieved by different suites of morphological characteristics and suggest that predation might be the selective force for the high escape performance in these two fishes.



1976 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Webb

The fast-start (acceleration) performance of seven groups of rainbow trout from 9-6 to 38-7 cm total length was measured in response to d.c. electric shock stimuli. Two fast-start kinematic patterns, L- and S-start were observed. In L-starts the body was bent into an L or U shape and a recoil turn normally accompanied acceleration. Free manoeuvre was not possible in L-starts without loss of speed. In S-starts the body was bent into an S-shape and fish accelerated without a recoil turn. The frequency of S-starts increased with size from 0 for the smallest fish to 60–65% for the largest fish. Acceleration turns were common. The radius of smallest turn for both fast-start patterns was proportional to length (L) with an overall radius of 0–17 L. The duration of the primary acceleration stages increased with size from 0–07 s for the group of smallest fish to 0–10 s for the group of largest fish. Acceleration rates were independent of size. The overall mean maximum rate was 3438 cm/s2 and the average value to the end of the primary acceleration movements was 1562 cm/s2. The distance covered and velocity attained after a given time for fish accelerating from rest were independent of size. The results are discussed in the context of interactions between a predator and prey fish following initial approach by the predator. It is concluded that the outcome of an interaction is likely to depend on reaction times of interacting fish responding to manoeuvres initiated by the predator or prey. The prey reaction time results in the performance of the predator exceeding that of the prey at any instant. The predator reaction time and predator error in responses to unpredictable prey manoeuvre are required for prey escape. It is predicted that a predator should strike the prey within 0-1 s if the fish are initially 5–15 cm apart as reported in the literature for predator-prey interactions. These distances would be increased for non-optimal prey escape behaviour and when the prey body was more compressed or depressed than the predator.



1985 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Johnsrude ◽  
P. W. Webb

Net forces and velocities resulting from in situ contractions of the myotomal musculature on one side of the body were measured at the hypural bones. Forces, velocities and power were determined with the body bent into a range of postures typical of those observed during fast-start swimming. For trout averaging 0.178 m in length and 0.0605 kg in body mass, the muscle system exerts a maximum normal force of 2.2N at the base of the caudal fin. This force is equivalent to 11.8 kN m-2 based on the mean cross-sectional area of the myotomal muscle. The maximum velocity was 1.11 m s-1, and the maximum mechanical power output, 0.64 W, or 42.4 W kg-1 muscle. Based on estimates of swimming resistance, these results would suggest acceleration rates of 7.5 to 16.5 m s-2, similar to averages observed during fast-starts. Maximum sprint speeds would range from 6.5 to 17.8 body lengths s-1, spanning the range of maximum speeds reported in the literature. It is suggested that maximum speed is limited by interactions between muscle contraction frequency and endurance. Losses in the mechanical linkages between muscle fibres and propulsive surfaces were estimated at about 50% for power with possibly greater losses in force transmission. Maximum force and power did not vary over the range of postures tested, supporting Alexander's (1969) suggestions that white muscle should contract over a small portion of the resting length of the fibres.



1999 ◽  
Vol 202 (11) ◽  
pp. 1465-1479 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Hale

Fast-start locomotor behavior is important for escaping from predators and for capturing prey. To examine the effects of size and other aspects of developmental morphology on fast-start performance, the kinematics of the fast-start escape behavior were studied through early post-hatching development in three salmonid species: chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and brown trout (Salmo trutta). These three species, while morphologically and developmentally similar, hatch and mature at different sizes (total length). Comparison of these species shows that some fast-start performance variables, including stage duration, maximum velocity and maximum acceleration, are highly dependent on ontogenetic state, while another, the overall distance traveled during stage 2, scales with total body length. Brown trout were studied from hatching into the juvenile development period. Aspects of fast-start performance peak at the end of yolk-sac absorption (the end of the eleutheroembryo phase) when the fish reaches the juvenile period. At this time, the durations of the fast-start stages are at their minima, and maximum velocity and maximum acceleration are at their highest levels relative to body length. Thus, escape behavior reaches its maximum size-specific performance at a relatively small size, just as the fish absorbs its yolk sac and begins to search for food. This peak in fast-start performance occurs during a life history period in which fast-start ability is likely to be particularly important for survival.



1991 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID G. HARPER ◽  
ROBERT W. BLAKE

Fast-start performance of northern pike Esox lucius (mean length, 0.38m) during prey capture was measured with subcutaneously implanted accelerometers. Acceleration-time plots and simultaneous high-speed ciné films reveal four behaviours with characteristic kinematics and mechanics. The fast-start types are identified by the number of large peaks that appear in the acceleration-time and velocity-time data. Comparisons of mean performance were made between each type of feeding fast-start. Type I fast-starts were of significantly shorter duration (0.084 s) and displacement (0.132 m) than type III (0.148 s and 0.235 m) and type IV (0.189 s and 0.306 m) behaviours, and higher mean and maximum acceleration (38.6 and 130.3 ms−2, respectively) than type II (26.6 and 95.8 ms−2), type III (22.0 and 91.2 ms−2) and type IV (18.0 and 66.6 m s−2) behaviours. The type II behaviours were of shorter duration (0.115 s) and displacement (0.173 m) and of higher mean acceleration than type IV fast-starts, and were also of significantly shorter duration than type III behaviours. Prey-capture performance was compared to escapes by the same individuals. When data are combined, regardless of mechanical type, mean acceleration (37.6 vs25.5ms−2), maximum acceleration (120.2 vs 95.9ms−2), mean velocity (1.90 vs 1.57 ms−1) and maximum velocity (3.97 vs 3.09 ms−1) were found to be larger and duration shorter (0.108 vs 0.133 s) during escapes than during prey capture. No differences were found through independent comparisons of the performance of feeding and escape types II and III, but type I escapes had significantly higher mean velocity (2.27 vs 1.58 ms−1), maximum velocity (4.70 vs 3.12 ms−1) and mean acceleration (54.7 vs 38.6 ms−2) than type II feeding behaviours. Prey-capture performance was also related to prey size, apparent prey size (defined as the angular size of the prey on the pike's retina) and strike distance (the distance from the pike to the prey at the onset of the fast-start). Mean and maximum acceleration increased with apparent size and decreased with strike distance, while the duration of the event increased with strike distance and decreased with apparent size. No relationship was found between the actual prey size and any performance parameter. Strike distance ranged from 0.087 to 0.439 m and decreased as the apparent size increased from 2.6 to 9.9° (r2=0.75). The type I behaviour was usually employed when the strike distance was small and the prey appeared large. As strike distance increased and apparent size decreased, there was a progressive selection of type II, then III and then IV behaviours.



1975 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 451-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. WEBB

High unsteady (acceleration) performance of rainbow trout (L = 14.3 cm) and green sunfish (L = 8.0 cm) was studied in response to electric shock stimulus. Acceleration movements were divisible into a preparatory stage 1 and a main propulsive stage 2. Locomotory behaviour varied between faststarts and turning manoeuvres. Taking the centre of mass for the stretched straight body as the reference point, distance covered with time was described by the equation; distance covered = a. (time)b. The mean value of b was 1.60 for trout and 1.71 for sunfish. The overall mean distance covered and time to the end of stage 2 was 5.36 cm in 0.078 sec for trout and 2.85 cm in 0.079 sec for sunfish. Velocity increased curvilinearly with time. Maximum values of 20 L/sec were observed, but overall mean values at the end of stage 2 were 8.5 L/sec for trout and 8.3 L/sec for sunfish. Acceleration rate was not uniform but decreased with time. Mean maximum values were calculated of 42 m/s2 for trout and 16 m/s2 for sunfish, but overall mean values for an acceleration movement were 13 m/s2 and 8 m/s2 for the two species respectively. The observed acceleration behaviour is more advantageous than uniform acceleration because a greater distance is covered and greater velocities acquired in a shorter time, while the increased energetic cost is only 2–3 % of the total energy expended.



2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
C A Bergstrom

Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have colonized freshwater habitats in circumboreal coastal regions, resulting in populations with variable but generally reduced lateral plate numbers compared with marine ancestors. Several abiotic and ecological factors associated with variation in lateral plate number among freshwater populations of G. aculeatus have been found, including large-scale climatic effects, variation in water-flow rates and levels of dissolved calcium, and the presence or absence of predatory fish. In addition, it has been proposed that plate reduction might be an adaptation for evading predator pursuit that enhances fast-start performance. If this hypothesis is correct, one would predict that fast-start performance would improve as lateral plate numbers decrease. I tested this prediction by comparing fast-start performance among stickleback with different numbers of lateral plates within two freshwater populations. Fast-starts of individual stickleback were video-recorded at 60 Hz and maximum velocity, maximum acceleration, displacement, and body curvature were calculated for each fish. Lateral plate number was significantly negatively correlated with velocity and displacement but not with acceleration or curvature. These results suggest that reduction in lateral plate number has the potential to be advantageous in some predation regimes because of its association with enhanced fast-start performance.



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