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Effects of soft-water acclimation on the physiology, swimming performance, and cardiac parameters of the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry volume 34, pages 313–322 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Rainbow trout acclimated to soft water were submitted to an incremental velocity trial, and exhibited a 14% decrease in critical swimming speed (U crit ∼ 1.37 ± 0.055 vs. 1.54 ± 0.044 m s−1) compared to fish kept in hard water. After a standardized swimming protocol, soft-water-acclimated fish had higher blood lactate concentrations (6.5 ± 0.66 and 6.0 ± 0.64 mmol L−1 (soft water) vs. 5.0 ± 0.46 and 3.9 ± 0.32 mmol L−1 (hard water)), revealing a greater use of anaerobic metabolism for the same exercise. Cardiovascular parameters were investigated while fish were swimming at increasing water velocities, revealing that soft-water-acclimated fish had lower increases in heart rate (105% vs. 118% of pre-exercise values), due to higher heart rates observed during acclimation and during the first 10 min of the swimming trial. This was also reflected by the plateau in heart rate and stroke volume observed during the swimming protocol, which can be attributed to increased cardiovascular function in response to soft-water acclimation. These results are in accord with previously reported increases in blood-to-water diffusion distance, due to proliferation of chloride cells at the gills in response to soft-water conditions, and underscore the costs and limitations of soft-water acclimation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank N. Rose-Janes for laboratory support at Wilfrid Laurier University, Drs J. O’Hara-Hines and C. Boudreau for assistance with statistical analyses, and Drs P.K. Sibley and C.M. Wood for their comments on the manuscript. This research project was supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grants to R.S.M. and to R.C.P. Additional financial support was provided to È.B.D. by FCAR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1

    È. B. Dussault

  2. Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3C5

    R. C. Playle

  3. Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G1

    D. G. Dixon

  4. Department of Animal Science, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4

    R. S. McKinley

Authors
  1. È. B. Dussault
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  2. R. C. Playle
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  3. D. G. Dixon
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  4. R. S. McKinley
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Correspondence to È. B. Dussault.

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R. C. Playle—Deceased.

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Dussault, È.B., Playle, R.C., Dixon, D.G. et al. Effects of soft-water acclimation on the physiology, swimming performance, and cardiac parameters of the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss . Fish Physiol Biochem 34, 313–322 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-007-9190-1

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Keywords

  • Fish
  • Physiology
  • Rainbow trout
  • Soft-water acclimation
  • Swimming

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