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Assessing the ecological relevance of swimming performance traits: a case study of bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus)
- Source :
- Aquatic Ecology. 52:311-322
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2018.
-
Abstract
- A variety of fish species show habitat-related variation in traits associated with swimming performance and foraging behavior. This commonly manifests as a distinction between open water and shallow water littoral ecotypes. In bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), open water fish exhibit greater energy economy and speed during sustained locomotion than those from the littoral, whereas littoral fish were more maneuverable than their open water counterparts. These distinctions are associated with variation in diet and foraging behavior and may represent a resource polyphenism that enhances fitness through more effective exploitation of particular habitat types. A lack of field data means that polyphenisms have not been placed in context with swimming behavior in the field. We have used 3D videography to quantify bluegill field swimming performance in open water and littoral habitats. This revealed patterns of performance variation that parallel the trait variation previously established in the laboratory. Open water fish utilized faster average swimming speeds than inshore fish, while indicators of nonlinearity and unsteadiness were greater in the littoral fish. There are, however, differences in propulsive behavior between the field and laboratory. Pectoral-fin-powered, median-paired fin swimming is rarely employed by open water fish. Field body-caudal fin swimming involves short sequences of propulsive tail beats interspersed with gliding, rather than the repeated propulsive cycles employed under steady-state conditions. This suggests a need to re-evaluate the applicability of steady-state performance traits to behavior and fitness in the field and highlights the general importance of obtaining field performance data.
- Subjects :
- 030110 physiology
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine
Fin
Ecology
Foraging
Context (language use)
Aquatic Science
Biology
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
03 medical and health sciences
Waves and shallow water
Polyphenism
Habitat
Littoral zone
Lepomis macrochirus
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15735125 and 13862588
- Volume :
- 52
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Aquatic Ecology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........5a63fe09ba9666c7373e202088bc0aa0