Physiological responses to feed restriction and starvation in juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii (Brandt, 1869): Effects on growth, body composition and blood plasma metabolites

Abstract

An 8-week study was applied to evaluate the effects of feed restriction and starvation on growth, proximate composition, haematological and biochemical factors in juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii with an average weight of 54 ± 0.6 g. Fish were randomly divided into nine indoor tanks (1,050 L volume) with 30 fish per tank in a flow-through system at 18 ± 0.4°C. Three feeding strategies were considered: I) fed at satiation (F), II) restricted feeding at the rate of 1% body weight per day (R) and III) starvation (S) each with 3 replicates. Fish were fed with commercial pellets 4 times daily, but no feed was considered for S group throughout the trial. Basal level at the start, 4 and 8 weeks after initiation of the experiment, blood samples were taken from 5 fish/tank to measure the haematological and biochemical parameters.Moreover, growth performance was recorded every 2-week interval. At the end of the experiment, the growth parameters and proximate composition were significantly different among the treatments. As expected, the highest weight (164.7 ± 2.1 g) was observed in F group compared to R (101 ± 1.7 g), or S (42.4 ± 0.8 g) groups. The highest (12.07 ± 0.14%) and lowest (5.37 ± 0.42%) fat contents were observed in F and S groups, respectively, while the protein was not affected in R group compared with F group. In addition, most haematological and biochemical indices of Siberian sturgeon were affected by starvation at week 4 and 8, while few changes were observed in restricted feeding. The highest mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, plasma total protein, cholesterol and triglyceride was found in S group, while the lowest value of plasma glucose was observed in this group. It can be concluded that Siberian sturgeon adjusts the physiological condition in short-term (4 weeks) feed restriction using stored metabolites to have basal metabolism and due to this, a short period of feed restriction strategy recommends to the optimum nutritional management of Siberian sturgeon to cost-saving during unsuitable conditions. K E Y W O R D Sbiochemical indices, body composition, fasting, growth, haematology, restricted feeding, sturgeon | 283 SHIRVAN et Al.

Weight Loss, Survival, and Fatty Acid Composition in Overwintered Juvenile Coppernose Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus purpurescens Cultured in Outdoor Tanks Using Different Feeding Regimens

“…sport fish species is not associated with reduced feeding during winter months. In Siberian Sturgeon Acipenser baeri that were grown at 18°C and subjected to one of three feeding regimens (satiation daily, 1% of body weight daily, or starved), fish that were not offered feed lost 21.6% of their body weight and had a reduced condition factor, but their survival rate was similar to that of their fed counterparts (Shirvan et al 2020).…”

“…During periods of reduced winter feeding, whole-body moisture content often increases due to hydration of the organism's tissues (Ali et al 2003;Shirvan et al 2020), while muscle lipids and proteins are utilized if initial stores do not satisfy energy needs. However, in fish that are either starved or fed restricted rations, the whole-body protein composition changes less than whole-body lipid composition (Shearer 1994).…”

Partial immune responses in Sichuan bream (Sinibrama taeniatus) after starvation

“…This was in consistent with the findings in gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio var. CAS III) (51), hoplosternum littorale (Teleostei, callichthyidae) (52). Genes such as Hadha and Mgll were upregulated related to fatty acid hydrolysis, while other genes related to fatty acid synthesis such as ANGPTL4 and Ank1 were downregulated.…”

Blood Performance: A New Formula for Fish Growth and Health

“…When fish are subjected to various stressors, RBC, unlike Hb and Ht, exhibits a variety of responses such as an increase, decrease, or no change ( Table S2 ). For instance, when fish is exposed to ammonia stress [ 25 ], pathogens [ 63 , 64 ], feed restriction [ 65 ], and silver nanoparticles [ 66 ], no change or increase in RBC in the stressed group than control was observed. Oxidative stress (which is a result of external and internal stressors) can damage the RBC membrane and impair its deformability [ 67 ].…”

“…Depending on their concentration, target cell, and the specific immune function studied, these elements have either an enhancing or suppressive effect on the immune system [ 71 ]. The increase of WBC under pollutions and herbicides [ 40 , 72 ], and silver nanoparticles [ 73 ], pathogens [ 63 ]; and no change with many other stressors [ 65 , 66 , 74 , 75 ] were observed. However, as with other haematological parameters, the majority of monitored studies revealed a decrease in WBC in the blood of stressed fish ( Table S2 ).…”