Mechanisms for climate-induced mortality of fish populations in whole-lake experiments

Biro, PA; Post, JR; Booth, DJ

Mechanisms for climate-induced mortality of fish populations in whole-lake experiments

Biro, PA

Post, JR Booth, DJ

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007, 104 (23), pp. 9715 - 9719
Issue Date:: 2007-06-05

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Biro, PA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3565-240X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Post, JR	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Booth, DJ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8256-1412	en_US
dc.date.issued	2007-06-05	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007, 104 (23), pp. 9715 - 9719	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0027-8424	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/3809
dc.description.abstract	The effects of climate change on plant and animal populations are widespread and documented for many species in many areas of the world. However, projections of climate impacts will require a better mechanistic understanding of ecological and behavioral responses to climate change and climate variation. For vertebrate animals, there is an absence of whole-system manipulative experiments that express natural variation in predator and prey behaviors. Here we investigate the effect of elevated water temperature on the physiology, behavior, growth, and survival of fish populations in a multiple whole-lake experiment, by using 17 lake-years of data collected over 2 years with differing average temperatures. We found that elevated temperatures in excess of the optimum reduced the scope for growth through reduced maximum consumption and increased metabolism in young rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Increased metabolism at high temperatures resulted in increased feeding activity (consumption) by individuals to compensate and maintain growth rates similar to that observed at cooler (optimum) temperatures. However, greater feeding activity rates resulted in greater vulnerability to predators that reduced survival to only half that of the cooler year. Our work therefore identifies temperature-dependent physiology and compensatory feeding behavior as proximate mechanisms for substantial climate-induced mortality in fish populations at the scale of entire populations and waterbodies. © 2007 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1073/pnas.0701638104	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Animals	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Oncorhynchus mykiss	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Mortality	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Feeding Behavior	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Food Chain	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Temperature	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Fresh Water	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Population Dynamics	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Energy Metabolism	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	British Columbia	en_US
dc.title	Mechanisms for climate-induced mortality of fish populations in whole-lake experiments	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	23	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	104	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	23	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	104	en_US

Abstract:

The effects of climate change on plant and animal populations are widespread and documented for many species in many areas of the world. However, projections of climate impacts will require a better mechanistic understanding of ecological and behavioral responses to climate change and climate variation. For vertebrate animals, there is an absence of whole-system manipulative experiments that express natural variation in predator and prey behaviors. Here we investigate the effect of elevated water temperature on the physiology, behavior, growth, and survival of fish populations in a multiple whole-lake experiment, by using 17 lake-years of data collected over 2 years with differing average temperatures. We found that elevated temperatures in excess of the optimum reduced the scope for growth through reduced maximum consumption and increased metabolism in young rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Increased metabolism at high temperatures resulted in increased feeding activity (consumption) by individuals to compensate and maintain growth rates similar to that observed at cooler (optimum) temperatures. However, greater feeding activity rates resulted in greater vulnerability to predators that reduced survival to only half that of the cooler year. Our work therefore identifies temperature-dependent physiology and compensatory feeding behavior as proximate mechanisms for substantial climate-induced mortality in fish populations at the scale of entire populations and waterbodies. © 2007 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/3809