Premium
Growth‐independent effects of a fluctuating thermal regime on the life‐history traits of the Japanese medaka ( Oryzias latipes )
Author(s) -
Dhillon R. S.,
Fox M. G.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
ecology of freshwater fish
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1600-0633
pISSN - 0906-6691
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2007.00240.x
Subject(s) - oryzias , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , zoology , life history , maturity (psychological) , ecology , growth rate , fishery , mathematics , psychology , developmental psychology , geometry
– Temperature fluctuation has been shown to affect somatic growth rates and metabolic functions of fish, but little is known about the effects of fluctuating temperatures on life‐history traits. We examined these effects on female Japanese medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) reared from hatch to maturity at two mean temperatures (27 and 30 °C) with diel temperatures either held constant or allowed to fluctuate ±5 °C. Feeding regimes were manipulated to equilibrate medaka growth rates in all treatments. Age and length at maturity decreased as a result of thermal fluctuation, whereas there was no effect of temperature fluctuation on the proportion of fish attaining maturity or on the number of eggs produced by a mature female. We hypothesise that short‐term high temperatures associated with temperature fluctuation decreases development time, whereas reduced energy conversion efficiency at higher temperatures does not allow for increased egg production.