THE EFFECT OF EXERCISE ON THE CARDIAC OUTPUT AND BLOOD FLOW DISTRIBUTION OF THE LARGESCALE SUCKER CATOSTOMUS MACROCHEILUS

Cardiac output (Q.) and blood flow distribution were measured in adult largescale suckers at rest and while swimming. Cardiac output was directly measured using an ultrasonic flowprobe in fish during the summer (16°C), fall (10°C) and winter (5°C). Largescale suckers were adept at holding station against a current without swimming and, when engaged in this behavior, they did not significantly increase Q. relative to that found in fish in still water. When fish began to swim, Q. increased significantly. From 16 to 10°C, the critical swimming speed (Ucrit), maximum Q. and scope for Q. of the suckers did not change. However, from 10 to 5°C all three traits were significantly reduced. Thus, these fish respond to variation in water temperature in two different ways. From 16 to 10°C, the fish compensate perfectly for the change in temperature with respect to cardiac and swimming performance. From 10 to 5°C, however, largescale suckers experience a dramatic decline in cardiac and swimming performance that may be associated with a quiescent overwintering strategy. Blood flow distribution in the fish at rest and while swimming was measured at 16°C using injection of colored microspheres. In the resting fish, over 10 % of the microspheres were recovered from the kidney and over 43 % were recovered from white muscle. When the fish were swimming, there was a 60-fold increase in blood flow to the red muscle while blood flow to all other tissues remained consistent with that at rest.