Effects of body mass and temperature on routine metabolic rate of juvenile largemouth bronze gudgeon Coreius guichenoti

The effects of body mass ( M ) and temperature ( T ) on routine metabolic rate ( m R ) were assessed in the largemouth bronze gudgeon Coreius guichenoti , from Three Gorges Reservoir, Yangtze River, China. The m R increased with increasing M by factors ( b ‐value in the equation m R = aM b ) of 0·843, 0·800, 0·767, 0·788 and 0·822 at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30° C, respectively. A significant interaction between M and T on m R was observed. The variation in the b ‐value at different T suggests that the b ‐values were not consistent with the universal allometric exponent 0·75. After controlling for M , the relationship between the normalized standard metabolic rate ( m S , mg O 2 kg −1 h −1 ) and T was described by an exponential equation: m S = 9·89e (0·093T) . The results indicate that the effects of M on m R depend on T . The increased water temperature induced by dam construction on the Yangtze River may cause a marked increase in energy demand by this species, with potential ecological consequences.