Effect of Temperature on Growth, Condition, and Survival of Juvenile Shovelnose Sturgeon

Abstract

Water temperature plays a key role in determining the persistence of shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus in the wild and is a primary factor affecting growth both in the hatchery and in natural waters. We exposed juvenile shovelnose sturgeon to temperatures from 88C to 308C for 87 d to determine the effect of temperature on growth, condition, feed efficiency, and survival. Growth occurred at temperatures from 128C to 308C; the optimal temperature predicted by regression analysis was 22.48C, and the minimum temperature needed for growth was greater than 10.08C. The maximum feed efficiency predicted by regression analysis was 24.5% at 21.78C, and condition factor was highest in the 188C treatment. Mortality was significantly higher at 288C and 308C than at lower temperatures but less than 10% across the thermal regimes tested and 0% at 14-188C. Mortality was observed at and below 128C, suggesting that extended periods of low temperature may deplete energy reserves and lead to higher mortality. Rearing juvenile shovelnose sturgeon at temperatures above 248C reduced the growth rate and feed efficiency and increased mortality. Temperatures in the range 18-208C appeared to maximize the combination of condition, growth, and feed efficiency while not increasing thermal stress. This study corroborates field studies suggesting that altered temperature regimes in the upper Missouri River reduce the growth of shovelnose sturgeon. This information may help protect the thermal habitat critical to the species and guide restoration efforts by delineating temperature regime standards for regulated rivers and those affected by hydroelectric facilities and suggesting new criteria for conservation propagation.

The effect of temperature and substrate on the development of the cortisol stress response in the lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, Rafinesque (1817)

“…Therefore, rearing at this low temperature seems to retard developmental rate but has a significant effect on shaping the cortisol response later in life. A lower temperature limit of 10°C required for growth was demonstrated in juvenile shovelnose sturgeon, S. Platorynchus, (Kappenman et al 2009). …”

Age and Heat Stress as Determinants of Telomere Length in a Long-Lived Fish, the Siberian Sturgeon

“…Water temperature is one critical 88 environmental parameter for both farmed and wild fish (Hart and Reynolds 2008). Heat 89 stress is a classic cause of stress in sturgeon, with high temperature being associated for 90 instance with reduced growth rate and increased juvenile mortality (Kappenman et al 2009). 91 Consequently, we investigated the impact of a chronic sublethal heat stress (i.e.…”

Estimating Differences in Growth and Metabolism in Two Spatially Segregated Groups of Columbia River White Sturgeon Using a Field-Based Bioenergetics Model

“…Equation 2 describes energy intake initially increasing at a rate Q c , but begins to decline at higher temperatures to a point (T m ) where it is half that predicted from Q c and continues to decline at a rate g. We assume g=0.39 and T m =22, which is identical to the function derived in Bevelhimer [13], and implies a maximum consumption at 20°C and a maximum feeding temperature of 28°C which is similar to other sturgeon species [22]. Equation 3 describes metabolism increasing exponentially at a rate of Q m for every 10° increase above the mean annual temperature, .…”