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Individual variation in metabolic rate, locomotion capacity and hypoxia tolerance and their relationships in juveniles of three freshwater fish species

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Abstract

Individual variations in metabolic rate, locomotion capacity and hypoxia tolerance and their relationships were investigated in three cyprinid species [crucian carp (Carassius auratus), common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis), in 60 individuals of each species]. Either the active metabolic rate (AMR) and critical swimming speed (Ucrit) (30 individuals) or critical oxygen tension (Pcrit) and loss of equilibrium (LOE) (30 individuals) were measured in each species after measuring the resting metabolic rate (RMR). Both the AMR and Ucrit were found to be significantly and positively correlated with the RMR in all three cyprinid species, indicating that high-RMR individuals have high aerobic capacity and thus good swimming performance. Pcrit was positively correlated with the RMR in all three species, whereas the LOE was highly positively correlated, weakly positively correlated and not correlated with the RMR in qingbo, common carp and crucian carp, respectively, possibly due to specialized morphological and biochemical adaptations involved in hypoxia tolerance in crucian and common carp. Crucian carp showed relatively poor swimming performance, i.e., a low Ucrit (relatively high variation), strong hypoxia tolerance, and low LOE (relatively low variation); qingbo showed relatively good swimming performance (relatively low variation) and weak hypoxia tolerance (relatively high variation); and common carp showed moderate swimming performance and relatively strong hypoxia tolerance (moderate variation). These interspecific differences may be due to the different lifestyles of these cyprinid fishes based on their associated fast–slow-flow regime and are outcomes of long-term selection.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31702020) and the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (cstc2020jcyj-msxmX0479; cstc2018jcyjAX0150).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Fisheries, Institute of Three Gorges Ecological Fisheries of Chongqing, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Xu Pang, Shi-Hua Ding & Yun Li

  2. Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development, Education of Ministry, Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Xu Pang, De-Yong Pu, Dan-Yang Xia, Xiao-Hong Liu, Shi-Hua Ding & Yun Li

  3. Laboratory of Evolutionary Physiology and Behaviour, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China

    Shi-Jian Fu

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  1. Xu Pang
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Correspondence to Shi-Jian Fu.

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Pang, X., Pu, DY., Xia, DY. et al. Individual variation in metabolic rate, locomotion capacity and hypoxia tolerance and their relationships in juveniles of three freshwater fish species. J Comp Physiol B 191, 755–764 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-021-01382-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-021-01382-w

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