Utility of Condition Indices as Predictors of Lipid Content in Slimy Sculpin ( Cottus cognatus )
Slimy sculpin ( Cottus cognatus ) are increasingly being used as indicator species. This has primarily entailed measuring their condition, the assumption being that condition can be used as a surrogate for lipid content. While there is evidence to suggest this assumption is applicable to some fish,...
| Published in: | Diversity |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/d11050071 https://doaj.org/article/cc85b00caae74330a75b6a360672e7cb |
| Summary: | Slimy sculpin ( Cottus cognatus ) are increasingly being used as indicator species. This has primarily entailed measuring their condition, the assumption being that condition can be used as a surrogate for lipid content. While there is evidence to suggest this assumption is applicable to some fish, it has yet to be validated for C. cognatus . Further, there are several means by which one may calculate condition, the most commonly employed of which are indirect measurements of lipid content (namely, Fulton’s K , somatic K ( Ks ), and Le Cren’s relative condition factor ( Kn )). We compared the ability of each of these morphometric indices to predict whole-body lipid content in C. cognatus . There was a moderate degree of evidence that Fulton’s K , Ks , and Kn are reliable predictors ( Ks and Kn in particular). Of the latter we recommend Kn be used because, unlike Ks , it does not require that fish be killed. And while Fulton’s K did not perform quite as well, we consider it a sufficient substitute if the data necessary to calculate Kn are unavailable. |
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