The goal of our experiment was to elucidate the effect of stimulus duty cycle (the percentage of the cycle that the muscle was stimulated), phase (the relative timing of the imposed sinusoidal length change and stimulation), and muscle cycle frequency (the speed at which the muscle was cycled) on work and power in the pectoral fin muscle of a labriform swimmer, the pumpkinseed sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus. Stimulus train duration was varied from a twitch to a 40% duty cycle; cycle frequency was varied from 1 to 8 Hz. Work was calculated as the area of work loops produced by muscle contractions while the muscle was undergoing sinusoidal length changes. Maximum net work per cycle (6.2 J/kg) was produced at 1 Hz cycle frequency and a 32% duty cycle. Maximum power (26.7 W/kg) was produced at 5 Hz cycle frequency and a 16% duty cycle. As cycle frequency increased, the duty cycle and the stimulus train duration that produced maximum work decreased. The relatively long relaxation time compared with the length of time required to complete the whole cycle precluded the muscle from doing net positive work at high cycle frequencies.
Exotic Pumpkinseed Sunfish Lepomis gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the International Minho River (Iberian Peninsula), and Parasitic Association with Myzobdella lugubris Leidy, 1851 (Annelida, Hirudinea)
