Changes in the predator-avoidance behaviour of juvenile guppies (Poecilia reticulata) exposed to pentachlorophenol

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 2001-2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Brown ◽  
Peter H. Johansen ◽  
Patrick W. Colgan ◽  
R. Alastair Mathers

The effects of pentachlorophenol on the predator-avoidance behaviour of the guppy (Poecilia reticulate) in response to largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) predation was investigated. There were no consistent effects of pentachlorophenol on habitat use or general behaviour of the guppies. In the presence of predators, all guppies occurred significantly more often alone, motionless, and in the top third of the water column in the nonopen areas. Nine variables associated with predator efficiency were monitored to determine which treatment groups of guppies were easiest to capture. The bass had significantly lower capture success, performed more strikes and chases, and spent more time chasing guppies from the untreated and 100 μg/L groups than those from the 500 and 700 μg/L groups. This suggests that the guppies from the two high treatment groups had a slower response to predator attack and could not maintain a prolonged escape burst of speed.

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1189-1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Howard McCormick ◽  
Kathleen M. Jensen

Young-of-the-year largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were exposed to pH levels from 8.0 to 4.5 in two water types, 1.5 and 13.4 mgCa/L. Exposures were conducted at 3.8 °C for 113 d, followed by 14 d of increasing temperature to 18 °C. Two treatments in the softer water, one each at pH 5.0 and 4.5, had Al added to attain 30 μg Al/L; all other treatments were at approximately 5 μg Al/L. The condition factor of fish in all treatment groups declined with exposure time at 3.8 °C. Fish in the 13.4 mg Ca/L water maintained osmotic homeostasis through pH 5.0. In the 1.5 mg Ca/L water, osmotic homeostasis was lost at pH 4.5 and at pH 5.0 when Al was added. Mortalities were most prevalent when exposed in the 1.5 mg Ca/L water with added Al. The probability of survival was directly correlated with blood osmolality; no correlation was found between survival probability and condition factor. A rise in blood osmolality occurred among fish from most exposure groups when the temperature was increased to 18 °C. When fish from these chronic treatments were challenged at pH 3.8, they had shorter survival times in the softer water and after longer preexposures.


2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 654-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongmei MA ◽  
Guocheng DEND ◽  
Junjie BAI ◽  
Shengjie LI ◽  
Xiaoyan JIANG ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Ryba ◽  
J. L. Lake ◽  
J. R. Serbst ◽  
A. D. Libby ◽  
S. Ayvazian

Environmental context. In the development of fish consumption advisories, fisheries biologists routinely sacrifice fish and analyse muscle fillets in order to determine the extent of mercury contamination. Such lethal techniques may not be suitable for endangered species or limited fish populations from smaller-sized water bodies. We compared the measured total mercury concentrations in tail fin clips to that of muscle fillets and illustrated that tail fin clips may be used as an accurate tool for predicting mercury in muscle tissue. This is the first study on the use of tail fin clips to predict mercury levels in the muscle tissue of largemouth bass with minimal impact on the fish. Abstract. The statistical relationship between total mercury (Hg) concentration in clips from the caudal fin and muscle tissue of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from 26 freshwater sites in Rhode Island, USA was developed and evaluated to determine the utility of fin clip analysis as a non-lethal and convenient method for predicting mercury concentrations in tissues. The relationship of total Hg concentrations in fin clips and muscle tissue showed an r2 of 0.85 and may be compared with an r2 of 0.89 for Hg concentrations between scales and muscle tissue that was determined in a previous study on largemouth bass. The Hg concentration in fin clip samples (mean = 0.261 μg g–1 (dry)) was more than a factor of twenty greater than in the scale samples (mean = 0.012 μg g–1 (dry)). Therefore, fin clips may be a more responsive non-lethal predictor of muscle-Hg concentrations than scale in fish species which may have reduced Hg concentrations.


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