Pectoral fin beat frequency predicts oxygen consumption during spontaneous activity in a labriform swimming fish (Embiotoca lateralis)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify kinematic variables correlated with oxygen consumption during spontaneous labriform swimming. Kinematic variables (swimming speed, change of speed, turning angle, turning rate, turning radius and pectoral fin beat frequency) and oxygen consumption (MO 2 ) of spontaneous swimming in Embiotoca lateralis were measured in a circular arena using video tracking and respirometry, respectively. The main variable influencing MO 2 was pectoral fin beat frequency (r 2 =0.71). No significant relationship was found between swimming speed and pectoral fin beat frequency. Complementary to other methods within biotelemetry such as EMG it is suggested that such correlations of pectoral fin beat frequency may be used to measure the energy requirements of labriform swimming fish such as E. lateralis in the field, but need to be taken with great caution since movement and oxygen consumption patterns are likely to be quite different in field situation compared to a small lab tank. In addition, our methods could be useful to measure metabolic costs of growth and development, or bioassays for possible toxicological effects on fish.

The effects of swimming pattern on the energy use of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurataL.)

“…The M O 2 value of 100 mg h À1 kg À1 is similar to the SMR estimated from the spontaneous swimming seabream in this study and validates this method for obtaining reliable estimates of SMR. This is in accordance with the study by Tudorache et al (2009). They found that estimating SMR from spontaneous swimming surf perches (Embiotoca lateralis) also resulted in a reliable estimate of SMR.…”

“…Krohn and Boisclair (1994) demonstrated with spontaneously swimming brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) that M O 2 correlated equally well with mean speed, acceleration and turning rate. Only few studies aimed to quantify the influence of the different swimming characteristics on M O 2 of spontaneously active fish (Tang and Boisclair 1995;Tang et al 2000;Tudorache et al 2009). Tang and Boisclair (1995) found that the average turning rate and the variance of speed both contributed significantly to the explanation of M O 2 of brook trout.…”

Unsteady flow affects swimming energetics in a labriform fish (Cymatogaster aggregata)

“…Mussi et al, 2002;Kendall et al, 2007;Tudorache et al, 2009;Johansen et al, 2010). Some authors have suggested that the relationships between fin-beat frequency, oxygen consumption rate and swimming speed in a given fish species may provide useful indicators of swimming energetics in the wild, which are extremely difficult to estimate in aquatic species (Steinhausen et al, 2005;Ohlberger et al, 2007;Tudorache et al, 2009;Layton, 2011). However, our results suggest that the use of time-averaged fin kinematics to predict oxygen consumption rates depends on the hydrodynamic context in which these estimates are made.…”

Unusual sound production mechanism in the triggerfishRhinecanthus aculeatus(Balistidae)

“…During sound production, the pectoral fins complete a cycle between 15 and 40 ms, corresponding to about 25-60 beats s −1 . This is higher than typical rates observed for locomotion because pectoral fin beat frequencies can be from 20 to 30 Hz in larval and juvenile fishes (Green et al, 2011;Hale et al, 2006) but are generally below 10 Hz in most adult species during swimming (Gibb et al, 1994;Mussi et al, 2002;Tudorache et al, 2008). Alternating pectoral fin motions have also been shown to function during station holding, maneuvering, turning and deceleration in many species (Drucker and Lauder, 2003;Hove et al, 2001).…”