Comparing metabolic rate estimates of two similar salmonids: Salvelinus confluentus and Salvelinus fontinalis
| dc.contributor.author | Durhack, Travis | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Roth, James (Biological Sciences) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Enders, Eva (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Treberg, Jason (Biological Sciences) | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-09-09T13:35:50Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-09-09T13:35:50Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2020-08-24 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020 | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | 2020-08-24T20:47:17Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Biological Sciences | en_US |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Science (M.Sc.) | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) occur in many major watersheds in northwestern North America and are identified as “Threatened” or a “Species of Special Concern” in both Canada and the United States. Non-native fishes, including Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), are one assumed major contributor to declines of Bull Trout populations. Further understanding of how introduced species are affecting Bull Trout populations may help with their recovery. Metabolic rate is an estimate of the amount of energy being used by an organism, and one of the common ways of estimating metabolic rate in fish is through respirometry. In the following research chapters, I conducted intermittent-flow respirometry experiments both in a laboratory setting and a field setting to compare physiological performance via standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR) and aerobic scope (AS) of Bull Trout and Brook Trout across a range of ecologically relevant temperatures. The temperatures tested are found in the habitat both species currently occupy, as well as temperatures that may be seen in future climate scenarios. Brook Trout tested in Chapter 2 maintained a relatively stable AS across the range of temperatures tested (5, 10, 15, 20, 23°C) and appear to be thermal generalists, well adapted to live in various thermal environments. Brook Trout showed a peak in AS at 15°C, increasing SMR with temperature, and a peak in MMR estimates between 15 and 20°C. Results from Chapter 3 revealed that wild juvenile Bull Trout and Brook Trout have comparable SMR, MMR, and AS when living in sympatry in the natural environment, at least at the temperatures tested (~3°C and ~10°C). Brook Trout have historically been seen as a major threat to Bull Trout populations based on prior studies that have looked at interactions between the species and generally found an advantage for Brook Trout over Bull Trout. However, the results from this study showed similar metabolic rates in both species living in sympatry. The results further suggest that Brook Trout may not have the physiological or temperature related advantages that are expected, at least in regards to aerobic scope | en_US |
| dc.description.note | October 2020 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/35014 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.rights | open access | en_US |
| dc.subject | Fish | en_US |
| dc.subject | Physiology | en_US |
| dc.subject | Salmonid | en_US |
| dc.subject | Metabolic Rate | en_US |
| dc.subject | Temperature | en_US |
| dc.title | Comparing metabolic rate estimates of two similar salmonids: Salvelinus confluentus and Salvelinus fontinalis | en_US |
| dc.type | master thesis | en_US |
| local.subject.manitoba | yes | en_US |