Aspects of the respiratory metabolism of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at sustained swimming speeds

A detailed description of the design of an apparatus suitable for investigations into the respiratory physiology of small nektonic organisms at various swimming speeds is presented. Juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were used to evaluate the performance of the apparatus. Twenty-four hour experiments indicated no detectable diurnal variation in the respiration rates of juvenile rainbow trout. Experiments investigating aerobic energy expenditure at sustained swimming speeds, through measurements of oxygen consumption rates, are described. Oxygen consumption was found to increase exponentially with increasing swimming speed. The influence of body size on this relationship was examined. The contribution of anaerobic metabolism at sustained swimming speeds was investigated.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Biological Sciences

Year dc:date.issued

1993

Author dc:creator

• Durholtz, Deon

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Cook, Peter

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8405

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8405