Oxygen consumption in relation to sustained exercise and social stress in Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus L.)

• Published in: Journal of Experimental Zoology
• Main Authors: Christiansen, Jørgen Schou, Jørgensen, Even H., Jobling, Malcolm
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1991
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic charr; Salvelinus alpinus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jez.1402600203; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjez.1402600203; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jez.1402600203

Abstract Rates of oxygen consumption were measured repeatedly in feeding groups of Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus L.) subjected to moderate sustained exercise or allowed to perform routine swimming activity (control). Oxygen consumption did not differ significantly between treatments. Agonistic activity, assessed in terms of bite mark frequencies, were significantly reduced in exercising fish. Consequently, high levels of spontaneous activity displayed by the control fish in performing agonistic interactions may have led to substantial increases in energetic costs resulting in energy expenditures equivalent to those shown by fish performing forced swimming at moderate speeds. Plasma cortisol levels measured at the end of the experiment suggested that both control and exercising fish were subjected to chronic stress with cortisol levels of exercising fish being significantly higher than those of controls. The validity of using plasma cortisol levels as an indicator of stress per se is discussed.