Abstract
Some suggestions are made concerning methods and statistical evaluation of results in temperature preference studies. The use of regression analysis is advocated rather than graphical methods for evaluating results from acute temperature preference studies and a method of assessing the final preferendum and its confidence interval is demonstrated. This method is applied to a previously published study of the acutely preferred temperature of the American eel (Barila & Stauffer, 1980). The final preferendum and its 95% confidence interval is shown to be 17.4° ± 2.0 °C. In direct contrast to conclusions there drawn, the preferred temperature is shown to depend on the acclimated temperature. Some critical comments are also made concerning other parts of the study.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barila, T. Y. & Stauffer Jr., J. R., 1980. Temperature behavioral responses of the American eel, Anguilla rostrata (LeSueur), from Maryland. Hydrobiologia 74: 49–51.
Cherry, D. S. & Cairns Jr., J., 1982. Biological monitoring. 5. Preference and avoidance studies. Wat. Res. 61: 263–301.
Draper, N. & Smith, H., 1981. Applied Regression Analysis. 2nd ed. J. Wiley & Sons, N.Y., 709 pp.
Enright, J. T., 1972. When the beachhopper looks the moon: the moon-compass hypothesis. In: Galler, S. R., Schmidt-Koenig, K., Jacobs, G. J. J. & Belleville, R. E. (eds.), Animal orientation and navigation. Wash. D.C., N.A.S.A. 12: 523–555.
Healey, M. C., 1967. Orientation of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) during early marine migration from Bella Coola River System. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 24: 2321–2338.
Howland, H. C., 1973. Orientation of European robins to Kramer cages: Eliminating possible sources of error and bias in Kramer cage studies. Z. Tierpsychol. 33: 295–312.
Larkin, P. A., 1969. Fish school size and migration. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can.26: 1372–1374.
Mathur, D. & Silver, C. A., 1980. Statistical problems in studies of temperature preference of fishes. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 37: 733–737.
McCauley, R. W. & Huggins, N. W., 1979. Ontogenetic and non-thermal seasonal effects on thermal preferenda of fish. Am. Zool. 19: 267–271.
McInerney, J. E., 1964. Salinity preference: an orientation mechanism in salmon migration. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 21: 995–1018.
Medcof, J. C., 1966. Incidental records on behaviour of eels in lake Ainslie, Nova Scotia. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 23: 1101–1105.
Nyman, L., 1972. Some effects of temperature on eel (Anguilla) behaviour. Rep. Inst. Freshw. Res. Drottningholm 52: 90–102.
Peňáz, M. & Tesch, F.-W., 1970. Geschlechtsverhältnis und Wachstum beim Aal (Anguilla anguilla) an verschiedenen Lokalitäten von Nordsee und Elbe. Ber. dt. wiss. Kommn Meeresforsch. 21: 290–310.
Richards, F. P., Reynolds, W. W. & McCauley, R. W., 1977. Temperature preference studies in environmental impact assessments: an overview with procedural recommendations. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 34: 728–761.
SAS Users' Guide, 1979. Statistical Analysis System Institute. Sparks Press, Raleigh, N. Carolina, USA, 494 pp.
Shingleton, M. C., Hocutt, C. H. & Stauffer Jr., J. R., 1981. Temperature preference of the New River shiner. Trans. am. Fish. Soc. 110: 660–661.
Sörensen, I., 1951. An investigation of some factors affecting the upstream migration of the eel. Rep. Inst. Freshwat. Res. Drottningholm 32: 126–172.
Tesch, F.-W., 1977. The Eel. Biology and Management of Anguillid Eels. Chapman & Hall, Lond., 434 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Karlsson, L., Ekbohm, G. & Steinholtz, G. Comments on a study of the thermal behaviour of the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and some statistical suggestions for temperature preference studies. Hydrobiologia 109, 75–78 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006299
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006299