Abstract
Hierarchies readily appear when rearing flounders through metamorphosis in space-limited conditions. In this experiment, subordinate fish were stressed, as suggested by their elevated cortisol level compared to dominant fish. Subordinate fish, although of smaller size than the dominant fish, showed no suppressed digestive capacity. By separating the two hierarchical groups into different tanks at low density, the cortisol level of the subordinate fish substantially decreased. The removal of the stressor also resulted in an increase in digestive function and improved coloration. Also, compensatory growth in length but not in weight was observed in the subordinate group, suggesting that the subordinate fish devoted their energy to increase their length. These results imply that the climax of flounder metamorphosis (i.e. the settlement stage) is a highly sensitive period, where social interactions may induce high levels of stress. However, Japanese flounder early juveniles prove to have a high recovery capacity from stress and show to allocate energy preferentially to growth in length. This seems to be an adaptation to diminish the probability of death by predation.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to express my gratitude to Tadahisa Seikai, Shinȁ9ichiro Kawai, Masamoto Tagawa, Tatsuya Kaji and Yasuko Kaji for their kind assistance and guidance. This study was supported by a scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education to MCA.
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Alvarez, M., Pérez-Domínguez, R. & Tanaka, M. Digestive capacity, growth and social stress in newly-metamorphosed Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Environ Biol Fish 77, 133–140 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-9065-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-9065-9