Using critical thermal maximum (CTMax) tests, we examined the relationship between upper temperature tolerances and fish size (fry–adult or subadult lengths) of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (41–200‐mm TL), Apache trout O. gilae apache (40–220‐mm TL), largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (72–266‐mm TL), Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (35–206‐mm TL), channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (62–264 mm‐TL), and Rio Grande cutthroat trout O. clarkii virginalis (36–181‐mm TL). Rainbow trout and Apache trout were acclimated at 18°C, Rio Grande cutthroat trout were acclimated at 14°C, and Nile tilapia, largemouth bass, and channel catfish were acclimated at 25°C, all for 14 d. Critical thermal maximum temperatures were estimated and data were analyzed using simple linear regression. There was no significant relationship (P > 0.05) between thermal tolerance and length for Nile tilapia (P = 0.33), channel catfish (P = 0.55), rainbow trout (P = 0.76), or largemouth bass (P = 0.93) for the length ranges we tested. There was a significant negative relationship between thermal tolerance and length for Rio Grande cutthroat trout (R2 = 0.412, P < 0.001) and Apache trout (R2 = 0.1374, P = 0.028); however, the difference was less than 1°C across all lengths of Apache trout tested and about 1.3°C across all lengths of Rio Grande cutthroat trout tested. Because there was either no or at most a slight relationship between upper thermal tolerance and size, management and research decisions based on upper thermal tolerance should be similar for the range of sizes within each species we tested. However, the different sizes we tested only encompassed life stages ranging from fry to adult/subadult, so thermal tolerance of eggs, alevins, and larger adults should also be considered before making management decisions affecting an entire species.
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The Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis is the southernmost subspecies of Cutthroat Trout, and as with the other subspecies, stream temperature regulates growth, reproductive success, distribution, and survival. An understanding of the upper thermal tolerance of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout is important for developing water temperature standards and for assessing suitable habitat for reintroduction and management. Hatch success of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout eggs was determined under static temperatures. The thermal requirements of fry and juveniles were also assessed under static and fluctuating temperature regimes using the acclimated chronic exposure method. Egg hatch success was 46-70% from 6 • C to 16 • C but declined significantly at 18 • C and 20 • C. Maximum growth of fry that were fed to satiation occurred at 15.3 • C. The 30-d ultimate upper incipient lethal temperature (UUILT) was 22.6 • C for fry and 21.7 • C for juveniles. Survival during fluctuating temperature experiments was dependent upon the daily maximum temperature and the daily fluctuation. The upper thermal limits for Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout were lower than those of Rainbow Trout O. mykiss but similar to those of other Cutthroat Trout subspecies. The low UUILT of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout relative to some salmonids may increase the risk of deleterious effects brought about by a changing climate, habitat alteration, and sympatric nonnative salmonids, which are known to outcompete Cutthroat Trout at temperatures above the species' optimal range. Daily mean water temperatures near the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout's optimal growth temperature of 15 • C would be suitable 1395 1396 ZEIGLER ET AL.for reintroduction of this subspecies. Depending on the daily temperature fluctuation, daily maximum temperatures within reintroduction streams and current habitat should remain at or below 25 • C to ensure long-term persistence of a Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout population. This information will aid in establishing water quality standards to protect habitat where the subspecies currently occurs.
Increasing stream temperatures have important implications for arid‐region fishes. Little is known about effects of high water temperatures that fluctuate over extended periods on Apache Trout Oncorhynchus gilae apache, a federally threatened species of southwestern USA streams. We compared survival and growth of juvenile Apache Trout held for 30 d in static temperatures (16, 19, 22, 25, and 28°C) and fluctuating diel temperatures (±3°C from 16, 19, 22 and 25°C midpoints and ±6°C from 19°C and 22°C midpoints). Lethal temperature for 50% (LT50) of the Apache Trout under static temperatures (mean [SD] = 22.8 [0.6]°C) was similar to that of ±3°C diel temperature fluctuations (23.1 [0.1]°C). Mean LT50 for the midpoint of the ±6°C fluctuations could not be calculated because survival in the two treatments (19 ± 6°C and 22 ± 6°C) was not below 50%; however, it probably was also between 22°C and 25°C because the upper limb of a ±6°C fluctuation on a 25°C midpoint is above critical thermal maximum for Apache Trout (28.5–30.4°C). Growth decreased as temperatures approached the LT50. Apache Trout can survive short‐term exposure to water temperatures with daily maxima that remain below 25°C and midpoint diel temperatures below 22°C. However, median summer stream temperatures must remain below 19°C for best growth and even lower if daily fluctuations are high (≥12°C). Received June 26, 2013; accepted May 19, 2014
Increased stream temperatures due to global climate change, livestock grazing, removal of riparian cover, reduction of stream flow, and urbanization will have important implications for fishes worldwide. Information exists that describes the effects of elevated water temperatures on fish eggs, but less information is available on the effects of fluctuating water temperatures on egg survival, especially those of threatened and endangered species. We tested the posthatch survival of eyed eggs and alevins of Apache Trout Oncorhynchus gilae apache, a threatened salmonid, in static temperatures of 15, 18, 21, 24, and 27°C, and also in treatments with diel fluctuations of ±3°C around those temperatures. The LT50 for posthatch survival of Apache Trout eyed eggs and alevins was 17.1°C for static temperatures treatments and 17.9°C for the midpoints of ±3°C fluctuating temperature treatments. There was no significant difference in survival between static temperatures and fluctuating temperatures that shared the same mean temperature, yet there was a slight difference in LT50s. Upper thermal tolerance of Apache Trout eyed eggs and alevins is much lower than that of fry to adult life stages (22–23°C). Information on thermal tolerance of early life stages (eyed egg and alevin) will be valuable to those restoring streams or investigating thermal tolerances of imperiled fishes.
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