Thermal adaptation of Arctic charr: experimental studies of growth in eleven charr populations from Sweden, Norway and Britain

Larsson, Sylvia H.; Forseth, Torbjørn; Berglund, I.; Jensen, Arne J.; Näslund, Ingemar; Elliott, J. M.; Jönsson, Bror

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2004.01326.x

Cited by 93 publications

(113 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(78 reference statements)

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“…Salmonids may thus have significant somatic growth at temperatures around 08C given nutrient-rich food, but such growth during winter can hardly explain the extent of energy depletion of the juveniles in the Stjørdalselva. Thermal adaptation has been compared among populations from a broad geographical area of different salmonids species, but there appears to be no significant intraspecific differences in thermal adaptation (Larsson et al, 2005). Energy conservation must therefore predominantly occur through behavioural change during the long-winter period in northern areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of hydroelectric power generation on the body composition of juvenile Atlantic salmon

Berg¹,

Arnekleiv²,

Lohrmann³

2006

River Res. Applic.

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The fat and protein content, and thus energy resources of young (parr) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were examined in a temperate river. Juvenile salmon exhibited distinct seasonal patterns of energy storage and use. The lowest levels of energy were found towards the end of winter (mean mass specific energy about 4.3 kJÁg À1). There was a rapid accumulation of fat in spring/ early summer in spite of low-water temperatures (highest mean content of mass specific energy of about 5.0 kJÁg À1 in June). By early autumn (August) there was a rapid depletion of fat and energy resources. The decline in specific energy during late summer was of the same magnitude as the corresponding winter decline. Furthermore, total fat and protein content, and thus energy resources of juveniles below a hydroelectric power plant (hydrostation (HS)) differed from those at a (lower) reference station (RS). The younger fish exhibited higher gains, but also larger losses of energy resources compared to corresponding values at the RS. Specifically during the summer, young of year (YOY) had 31% lower total energy content at the regulated site (mean 1.27 kJ per individual) than the RS (mean 1.84 kJ). Higher mortality may occur at the site most affected by the hydroelectric plant, where energy resources on average were higher, but where depletion was also most severe.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of hydroelectric power generation on the body composition of juvenile Atlantic salmon

Berg¹,

Arnekleiv²,

Lohrmann³

2006

River Res. Applic.

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“…Fish that died during the experiment (19 out of 480) were replaced by similarly sized fish to maintain densities at 10 fish per tank, but the replacement fish were not included in the results. The setup of the growth performance experiments followed a well-documented and standardized protocol (Jonsson et al 2001, Finstad et al 2004, Larsson et al 2005, Forseth et al 2009). Mean mass (± SD) of the fish at start of the first growth experiment run was 6.2 ± 1.2, 9.0 ± 1.4, and 12.1 ± 2.2 g for natural, mixed and heated incubation temperatures, respectively, and 9.4 ± 2.4, 11.6 ± 2.5, and 14.7 ± 3.1 g for the second.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, recent experimental studies have not supported either of the first 2 hypotheses , Jonsson et al 2001, Larsson et al 2005, but leave the third possibility open. Circumstantial support for the third hypothesis was also given by a 25 yr long monitoring of the production of the anadromus salmonid Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. in the River Imsa, Norway.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effect of incubation temperature on growth performance in Atlantic salmon

Finstad¹,

Jönsson²

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Interspecific variations in thermal growth performance of ectotherms have received considerable recent interest fueled by the focus on ecological climate change effects. Amongpopulation variations in growth are commonly observed in field studies. However, the role of pheno typic plasticity in shaping this variation is largely unexplored in teleost fishes. Here, we tested for the effect of incubation temperature on thermal scaling of growth and maximum growth performance of the anadromous salmonid Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. Salmon eggs were incubated and reared until the onset of exogenous feeding at either heated or natural temperatures or transferred from natural to heated temperatures at the time of hatching, creating 3 different embryonic temperature treatments (heated, natural or mixed). We subsequently tested for juvenile growth performance of these groups at 8 temperatures ranging from 6 to 24°C. Maximum growth was significantly higher in the heated than the natural and mixed incubation temperature groups, but we did not observe differences in the thermal scaling of growth performance. Neither the upper nor lower thermal limit for growth nor the optimal growth temperature differed be tween the 3 incubation temperature treatments. However, thermal conditions experienced by in cubating embryos affected later growth performance. Although similar results have been observed previously among reptiles, this is to our knowledge the first empirical support for this hypothesis among teleost fishes. Phenotypic plasticity in growth performance can likely explain many of the contrasting findings from previous research on countergradient growth effects in teleost fishes.

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“…Arctic charr are found at higher latitudes than any other freshwater fish species and are therefore the species most likely to exhibit specific adaptations for surviving under conditions where winters are long and productivity is low. Laboratory studies of charr have found them capable of growing at very low temperatures (*2-5°C : Larsson et al 2005) while field and laboratory studies have shown that they feed throughout long periods of ice-cover (Klemetsen et al 2003;Svenning and Klemetsen 2007;Amundsen and Knudsen 2009) and can exhibit over-winter growth (Siikavuopio et al 2010). Size classes that have grown large enough to switch their diet from zooplankton to benthic invertebrates may feed better over winter since winter abundance of benthic invertebrates can be much greater than zooplankton abundance (Byström et al 2006;Hölker 2006).…”

Section: Specialization Survival Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of winter phenology in shaping the ecology of freshwater fish and their sensitivities to climate change

et al. 2012

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Thermal preference and performance provide the physiological frame within which fish species seek strategies to cope with the challenges raised by the low temperatures and low levels of oxygen and food that characterize winter. There are two common coping strategies: active utilization of winter conditions or simple toleration of winter conditions. The former is typical of winter specialist species with low preferred temperatures, and the latter is typical of species with higher preferred temperatures. Reproductive strategies are embodied in the phenology of spawning: the approach of winter conditions cues reproductive activity in many coldwater fish species, while the departure of winter conditions cues reproduction in many cool and warmwater fish species. This cuing system promotes temporal partitioning of the food resources available to young-of-year fish and thus supports high diversity in freshwater fish communities. If the zoogeographic distribution of a species covers a broad range of winter conditions, local populations may exhibit differences in their winter survival strategies that reflect adaptation to local conditions. Extreme winter specialists are found in shallow eutrophic lakes where long periods of ice cover cause winter oxygen levels to drop to levels that are lethal to many fish. The fish communities of these lakes are simple and composed of species that exhibit specialized adaptations for extended tolerance of very low temperatures and oxygen levels. Zoogeographic boundaries for some species may be positioned at points on the landscape where the severity of winter overwhelms the species' repertoire of winter survival strategies. Freshwater fish communities are vulnerable to many of the shifts in environmental conditions expected with climate change. Temperate and northern communities are particularly vulnerable since the repertoires of physiological and behavioural strategies that characterize many of their members have been shaped by the adverse environmental conditions (e.g. cool short summers, long cold winters) that climate change is expected to mitigate. The responses of these strategies to the rapid relaxation of the adversities that shaped them will play a significant role in the overall responses of these fish populations and their communities to climate change.

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Thermal adaptation of Arctic charr: experimental studies of growth in eleven charr populations from Sweden, Norway and Britain

Cited by 93 publications

References 47 publications

The influence of hydroelectric power generation on the body composition of juvenile Atlantic salmon

The influence of hydroelectric power generation on the body composition of juvenile Atlantic salmon

Effect of incubation temperature on growth performance in Atlantic salmon

The role of winter phenology in shaping the ecology of freshwater fish and their sensitivities to climate change

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