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Journal of Experimental Biology 150,343-366 (1990)
Published by Company of Biologists 1990

Respiratory Cost of Swimming in Larval and Juvenile Cyprinids

RUEDIGER KAUFMANN ¹

¹ Zoologisches Institut der Universitát Technikerstrasse 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria

The relationship between swimming speed and respiration rate for larvae and juveniles (1.5–600 mg fresh mass) of two cyprinid species, Chalcalburnus chalcoides and Rutilus rutilus, was measured in a flow-tunnel at 20°C.

1. A special tunnel respirometer with small volume and fast response had to be constructed to cope with the methodological difficulties encountered with the larvae.

2. The oxygen uptake increased quadratically with swimming speed if the oxygen debt incurred at the highest speeds was included in the calculations. The maximum speeds sustainable over 2min were 6–8 lengths s^-1; the critical speed marking the onset of anaerobic processes was only 10–15 % lower. Energetics and performance were similar for both species. The cost of transport was much higher for larvae and juveniles than for adult fish and decreased rapidly during growth.

3. Standard and routine metabolic rates scaled with an allometry of M^-0.23, active rates with M^-0.15, where M is body mass in grams. In the smallest larvae, however, the standard rates were nearly independent of body mass. Their active rates of 80 µmolO₂ h^-1 g^-1 fresh mass were twice as high as those of adults.

4. The scope for activity was high on an absolute scale, but not when expressed as factorial scope, since the standard rate was also high. For the same reason, routine activity accounted for less than 25 % of the energy budget, despite the high cost of transport.

5. The data are discussed with respect to the changing swimming pattern during ontogeny, the shift from cutaneous to branchial respiration and the metabolic processes involved.

Key words: Chalcalburnus chalcoides, Rutilus rutilus, swimming energetics, growth, cost of Transport, scope for activity, tunnel respirometer

Accepted on January 24, 1990

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