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Effects of temperature on sustained swimming performance and swimming kinematics of the chub mackerel Scomber japonicus
Department of Biological Science, California State University
Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA
Present address: Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093,
USA
Present address: Anaheim High School, 811 W. Lincoln Avenue, Anaheim, CA
92805, USA
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: kdickson{at}fullerton.edu )
Accepted 24 January 2002
The effects of a 6°C difference in water temperature on maximum
sustained swimming speed, swimming energetics and swimming kinematics were
measured in the chub mackerel Scomber japonicus (Teleostei:
Scombridae), a primarily coastal, pelagic predator that inhabits subtropical
and temperate transition waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
New data for chub mackerel acclimated to 18°C are compared with published
data from our laboratory at 24°C. Twelve individuals acclimated to each of
two temperatures (15.6-26.3 cm fork length, FL, and 34-179g at
18°C; 14.0-24.7 cm FL and 26-156g at 24°C) swam at a range of
speeds in a temperature-controlled Brett-type respirometer, at the respective
acclimation temperature. At a given fish size, the maximum speed that S.
japonicus was able to maintain for a 30-min period, while swimming
steadily using slow, oxidative locomotor muscle (Umax,c),
was significantly greater at 24 than at 18°C (52.5-97.5 cm s-1
at 18°C and 70-120 cm s-1 at 24°C). At a given speed and
fish size, the rate of oxygen consumption
(
O2) was
significantly higher at 24 than at 18°C because of a higher net cost of
transport (1073-4617 J km-1 kg-1 at 18°C and
2708-14895 J km-1 kg-1 at 24°C). Standard metabolic
rate, calculated by extrapolating the
logO2
versus swimming speed relationship to zero speed, did not vary
significantly with temperature or fish mass (126.4±67.2 mg
O2 h-1 kg-1 at 18°C and 143.2±80.3
mg O2 h-1 kg-1 at 24°C; means ±
S.D., N=12). Swimming kinematics was quantified from high-speed (120
Hz) video recordings analyzed with a computerized, two-dimensional
motion-analysis system. At a given speed and fish size, there were no
significant effects of temperature on tail-beat frequency, tail-beat amplitude
or stride length, but propulsive wavelength increased significantly with
temperature as a result of an increase in propulsive wave velocity. Thus, the
main effects of temperature on chub mackerel swimming were increases in both
Umax,c and the net cost of swimming at 24°C. Like
other fishes, S. japonicus apparently must recruit more slow,
oxidative muscle fibers to swim at a given sustainable speed at the lower
temperature because of the reduced power output. Thus, the 24°C mackerel
reach a higher speed before they must recruit the fast, glycolytic fibers,
thereby increasing Umax,c at 24°C. By quantifying
in vivo the effects of temperature on the swimming performance of an
ectothermic species that is closely related to the endothermic tunas, this
study also provides evidence that maintaining the temperature of the slow,
oxidative locomotor muscle at 6°C or more above ambient water temperature
in tunas should significantly increase sustainable swimming speeds, but also
increase the energetic cost of swimming, unless cardiac output limits muscle
performance.
Key words: Scombridae, chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus, locomotion, kinematics, cost of transport, metabolism, sustained swimming, energetics, respirometer, temperature
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