scholarly journals A Method for Estimating the Velocity at Which Anaerobic Metabolism Begins in Swimming Fish

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1430
Author(s):  
Feifei He ◽  
Xiaogang Wang ◽  
Yun Li ◽  
Yiqun Hou ◽  
Qiubao Zou ◽  
...  

Anaerobic metabolism begins before fish reach their critical swimming speed. Anaerobic metabolism affects the swimming ability of fish, which is not conducive to their upward tracking. The initiation of anaerobic metabolism therefore provides a better predictor of flow barriers than critical swimming speed. To estimate the anaerobic element of metabolism for swimming fish, the respiratory metabolism and swimming performance of adult crucian carp (Carassius auratus, mass = 260.10 ± 7.93, body length = 19.32 ± 0.24) were tested in a closed tank at 20 ± 1 °C. The swimming behavior and rate of oxygen consumption of these carp were recorded at various swimming speeds. Results indicate (1) The critical swimming speed of the crucian carp was 0.85 ± 0.032 m/s (4.40 ± 0.16 BL/s). (2) When a power function was fitted to the data, oxygen consumption, as a function of swimming speed, was determined to be AMR = 131.24 + 461.26Us1.27 (R2 = 0.948, p < 0.001) and the power value (1.27) of Us indicated high swimming efficiency. (3) Increased swimming speed led to increases in the tail beat frequency. (4) Swimming costs were calculated via rate of oxygen consumption and hydrodynamic modeling. Then, the drag coefficient of the crucian carp during swimming was calibrated (0.126–0.140), and the velocity at which anaerobic metabolism was initiated was estimated (0.52 m/s), via the new method described herein. This study adds to our understanding of the metabolic patterns of fish at different swimming speeds.

1993 ◽  
Vol 178 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Webb

Kinematics and steady swimming performance were recorded for steelhead trout (approximately 12.2 cm in total length) swimming in channels 4.5, 3 and 1.6 cm wide in the centre of a flume 15 cm wide. Channel walls were solid or porous. Tail-beat depth and the length of the propulsive wave were not affected by spacing of either solid or porous walls. The product of tail-beat frequency, F, and amplitude, H, was related to swimming speed, u, and to harmonic mean distance of the tail from the wall, z. For solid walls: FH = 1.01(+/−0.31)u0.67(+/−0.09)z(0.12+/−0.02) and for grid walls: FH = 0.873(+/−0.302)u0.74(+/−0.08)z0.064(+/−0.024), where +/−2 s.e. are shown for regression coefficients. Thus, rates of working were smaller for fish swimming between solid walls, but the reduction due to wall effects decreased with increasing swimming speed. Porous grid walls had less effect on kinematics, except at low swimming speeds. Spacing of solid walls did not affect maximum tail-beat frequency, but maximum tail-beat amplitude decreased with smaller wall widths. Maximum tail-beat amplitude similarly decreased with spacing between grid walls, but maximum tail-beat frequency increased. Walls also reduced maximum swimming speed. Wall effects have not been adequately taken into account in most studies of fish swimming in flumes and fish wheels.


1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 521-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. WEBB

1. The oxygen consumption of rainbow trout was measured at a variety of subfatigue swimming speeds, at a temperature of 15 %C. Five groups of fish were used, a control group and four groups with extra drag loads attached to the body. 2. The logarithm of oxygen consumption was linearly related to swimming speed in all five groups, the slope of the relationship increasing with the size of the extra drag load. The mean standard rate of oxygen consumption was 72.5 mg O2/kg wet weight/h. The active rate of oxygen consumption was highest for the control group (628 mg O2/kg/h) and fell with increasing size of the attached drag load. The active rate for the control group was high in comparison with other salmonid fish, and in comparison with the value expected for the fish. This was not a result of the extra drag loads in the other groups. No explanation for this high value can be found. 3. The critical swimming speed for a 60 min test period was 58.1 cm/sec (2.0 body lengths/sec) for the control group. The values for the critical swimming speeds were slightly higher than those measured for the same species in a previous paper (Webb, 1971). The difference between the two sets of critical swimming speeds is attributed to seasonal changes in swimming performance. 4. The aerobic efficiency was found to reach values of 14.5-15.5% based on the energy released by aerobic metabolism in comparison with the calculated required thrust. 5. The anaerobic contribution to the total energy budget in increasing-velocity tests is considered to be small, and can be neglected. 6. It is concluded that the efficiency of the muscle system in cruising will be approximately 17-20% over the upper 80% of the cruising-speed range, while the caudal propeller efficiency will increase from about 15-75 % over the same range. 7. Consideration of the efficiency values for the caudal propeller calculated here, and those predicted by Lighthill's (1969) model of fish propulsion, suggest that the efficiency of the propeller system will reach an optimum value at the maximum cruising speeds of most fish, and will remain close to this value at spring speeds.


1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (14) ◽  
pp. 2183-2193 ◽  
Author(s):  
A P Farrell ◽  
A K Gamperl ◽  
I K Birtwell

Mature, wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) demonstrated their remarkable stamina and recovery abilities by performing three consecutive critical swimming speed tests with only a 45 min interval for recovery between subsequent tests. Although the repeated swimming challenges were performed without a full recovery, normoxic fish swam just as well on the second swim, and the majority of fish swam only marginally more poorly on the third swim. In addition, metabolic loading in these fish, as measured by the rate of oxygen consumption, ventilation rate and plasma lactate levels during recovery, did not appear to be cumulative with successive swims. Fish, however, did not recover as well after a similar level of initial swimming performance under moderately hypoxic conditions (water PO2&gt;100 mmHg; 1 mmHg=0.1333 kPa). Four out of the five fish did not swim again and their high plasma lactate levels indicated a greater anaerobic effort. In another group of fish, metabolic loading (elevated control rates of oxygen consumption) was induced with an overnight sublethal exposure to pentachlorophenol, but these fish swam as well as normoxic fish on the first swim, and five of the six fish swam for a third time at a marginally lower critical swimming speed. In contrast to expectations, pentachlorophenol pretreatment and moderate hypoxia were not additive in their effects. Instead, the effects resembled those of pentachlorophenol pretreatment alone. The results are discussed in terms of what aspects of fatigue might impair the repeat swimming performance of sockeye salmon.


1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 489-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. WEBB

1. The wavelength, tail-beat frequency and trailing-edge amplitude have been measured for five groups of rainbow trout at various subfatigue cruising speeds. Four groups of fish were fitted with extra drag loads. The swimming mode was anguilliform by definition, but is probably best considered as intermediate between this and the carangiform mode. 2. The wavelength of the propulsive wave represented 0.76 of the body length. The specific amplitude (amplitude/length) tended to reach a maximum value of 0.175 at tail-beat frequencies approaching 5/sec. 3. The product of frequency and specific amplitude was found to be linearly related to swimming speed in all five groups of fish. 4. The critical swimming speed for the non-loaded control group was 1.73 body length/sec, and fell in groups 1-4 as the magnitude of the extra drag loads increased. The critical swimming speed for the control group is low for salmonids, probably as a result of the unfavourable history of the fish. 5. A method is described for calculating the drag of a swimming fish from the effects of the extra loads on the characteristics of the propulsive wave. It was found that thrust, T = 7.9 (swimming speed)1.79. The thrust was approximately 2.8 times greater than that required for an equivalent straight rigid vehicle. 6. It was calculated that the power output of the red muscle system would need to be about 0.48-0.77 ergs/sec/g muscle to overcome the drag of the fish at cruising speeds. 7. The power output of the fish was compared with values calculated by means of mathematical models proposed by Taylor and Lighthill. It was found that the fish did not fit the assumptions made in Taylor's model, and so power output calculations were not comparable with those calculated in the present paper. Lighthill's model was found to give values which were within 5 % of the values calculated here at higher swimming speeds. At lower swimming speeds the values were up to about 50 % lower than expected because again the fish did not fit the assumptions involved. 8. The relationship between thrust and swimming speed was extended into the sprint-speed range. It was calculated that fish could reach a maximum sprint speed maintained for 1 sec, provided that drag was reduced by about a half, or that the power required was that to accelerate the fish to that speed.


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (10) ◽  
pp. 2137-2141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul W. Webb

Lake sturgeon, 15.7 cm in total length, have a 2-min critical swimming speed of 38.6 ± 4.2 cm∙s−1 (2.45 body lengths∙s−1) at 15 °C. Tail beat frequency (ƒ, Hz), amplitude (a, cm), and propulsive wavelength (λ, cm) increased linearly with swimming speed (U, cm∙s−1), according to the following equations: ƒ = 1.67 + 0.07 U, a = 3.2 + 0.020 U, and λ = 11.0 + 0.039 U. Tail depth and the cosine of the angle of the tail with the axis of motion were independent of swimming speed with mean values of 1.96 ± 0.08 cm and 0.7 ± 0.08, respectively. Swimming kinematics were generally similar to those of teleosts and anuran larvae, implying that body and caudal fin propulsive movements are conservative among actinopterygians and tetrapods. Swimming patterns did not provide for interactions between median fins that are considered to be important to shark swimming. The thrust generated by swimming sturgeon averages 82% that of trout of similar size, although the surface area of sturgeon is substantially lower. Therefore, drag per unit area of sturgeon is 3.5 times that of other actinopterygians, presumably because of the presence of scutes.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. W. H. Beamish ◽  
J. C. Howlett ◽  
T. E. Medland

Juvenile lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, of similar size were fed one of three isocaloric diets, each differing in protein and lipid content. Oxygen consumption and swimming performance were measured in a recirculating water flume at intervals throughout the 70-d feeding trials (10 °C). Swimming speed was increased by stepwise velocity increments (5 cm∙s−1) and oxygen consumption was measured at each velocity between 20 and 45 cm∙s−1. Oxygen consumption for a given speed did not differ significantly throughout the feeding trial nor among the diets implying a similarity in the quality and quantity of substrate catabolized for energy. Basal metabolism (0 cm∙s−1) was also independent of diet and feeding interval. Critical swimming speed increased with dietary and carcass protein content to suggest a direct association with muscle mass and number of myofilaments.


1986 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARIN VON SECKENDORFF HOFF ◽  
RICHARD JOEL WASSERSUG

The kinematics of swimming in larval Xenopus laevis has been studied using computer-assisted analysis of high-speed (200 frames s−1) ciné records. The major findings are as follows. 1. At speeds below 6 body lengths (L) per second, tail beat frequency is approximately 10 Hz and, unlike for most aquatic vertebrates, is not correlated with specific swimming speed. At higher speeds, tail beat frequency and speed are positively correlated. 2. Xenopus tadpoles show an increase in the maximum amplitude of the tail beat with increasing velocity up to approximately 6Ls−1. Above that speed amplitude approaches an asymptote at 20 % of body length. 3. Anterior yaw is absent at velocities below 6Ls−1, unlike for other anuran larvae, but is present at higher speeds. 4. At speeds below 6Ls−1 there is a positive linear relationship between length of the propulsive wave (λ) and specific swimming speed. At higher speeds wavelength is constant at approximately 0.8L. 5. There is a shift in the modulation of wavelength and tail beat frequency with swimming speed around 5.6Ls−1, suggesting two different swimming modes. The slower mode is used during open water cruising and suspension feeding. The faster, sprinting mode may be used to avoid predators. 6. Froude efficiencies are similar to those reported for fishes and other anuran larvae. 7. Unlike Rana and Bufo larvae, the axial muscle mass of Xenopus increases dramatically with size from less than 10% of total mass for the smallest animals to more than 45% of total mass for the largest animals. This increase is consistent with maintaining high locomotor performance throughout development.


2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-200
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Syme ◽  
Robert E. Shadwick

SUMMARY The mechanical power output of deep, red muscle from skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) was studied to investigate (i) whether this muscle generates maximum power during cruise swimming, (ii) how the differences in strain experienced by red muscle at different axial body locations affect its performance and (iii) how swimming speed affects muscle work and power output. Red muscle was isolated from approximately mid-way through the deep wedge that lies next to the backbone; anterior (0.44 fork lengths, ANT) and posterior (0.70 fork lengths, POST) samples were studied. Work and power were measured at 25°C using the work loop technique. Stimulus phases and durations and muscle strains (±5.5 % in ANT and ±8 % in POST locations) experienced during cruise swimming at different speeds were obtained from previous studies and used during work loop recordings. In addition, stimulus conditions that maximized work were determined. The stimulus durations and phases yielding maximum work decreased with increasing cycle frequency (analogous to tail-beat frequency), were the same at both axial locations and were almost identical to those used by the fish during swimming, indicating that the muscle produces near-maximal work under most conditions in swimming fish. While muscle in the posterior region undergoes larger strain and thus produces more mass-specific power than muscle in the anterior region, when the longitudinal distribution of red muscle mass is considered, the anterior muscles appear to contribute approximately 40 % more total power. Mechanical work per length cycle was maximal at a cycle frequency of 2–3 Hz, dropping to near zero at 15 Hz and by 20–50 % at 1 Hz. Mechanical power was maximal at a cycle frequency of 5 Hz, dropping to near zero at 15 Hz. These fish typically cruise with tail-beat frequencies of 2.8–5.2 Hz, frequencies at which power from cyclic contractions of deep red muscles was 75–100 % maximal. At any given frequency over this range, power using stimulation conditions recorded from swimming fish averaged 93.4±1.65 % at ANT locations and 88.6±2.08 % at POST locations (means ± s.e.m., N=3–6) of the maximum using optimized conditions. When cycle frequency was held constant (4 Hz) and strain amplitude was increased, work and power increased similarly in muscles from both sample sites; work and power increased 2.5-fold when strain was elevated from ±2 to ±5.5 %, but increased by only approximately 12 % when strain was raised further from ±5.5 to ±8 %. Taken together, these data suggest that red muscle fibres along the entire body are used in a similar fashion to produce near-maximal mechanical power for propulsion during normal cruise swimming. Modelling suggests that the tail-beat frequency at which power is maximal (5 Hz) is very close to that used at the predicted maximum aerobic swimming speed (5.8 Hz) in these fish.


1977 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
DENNIS J. MURPHY

1. A physiological mechanism responsible for increasing the freezing tolerance of the bivalve Modiolus demissus (Dillwyn) following low-temperature acclimation was demonstrated. 2. The rates of oxygen consumption of M. demissus acclimated to temperatures between 0 and 24 °C were presented as an Arrhenius plot. A change in slope occurred at 10 °C, suggesting that temperature alone was not responsible for the increased decline in the rate of oxygen consumption below 10 °C. 3. Low-temperature acclimation had no effect on blood Na+ or K+ concentrations but did reduce the concentration of blood Mg2+ and, in addition, resulted in the accumulation of end-products characteristic of anaerobic metabolism - tissue alanine and proline, and blood Ca2+. Furthermore, maintenance of M. demissus under anaerobic conditions increased freezing tolerance. 4. Taken together, these data indicate that the increased freezing tolerance of M. demissus acclimated to low temperatures involves a conversion to anaerobic metabolism. 5. The increase in blood Ca2+ following low-temperature acclimation was associated with the increased freezing tolerance. Finally, Mg2+ simulated the effect of Ca2+ on freezing tolerance, but was only 20% as effective. 6. These results suggest that a Ca2+-dependent mechanism responsible for increasing the freezing tolerance of M. demissus exists, and that the increase in blood Ca2+ is due to a conversion to anaerobic metabolism.


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