Exposure to elevated pCO2 alters post‐treatment diel movement patterns of largemouth bass over short time scales. (18th July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hasler, Caleb T.; Midway, Stephen R.; Jeffrey, Jennifer D.; Tix, John A.; Sullivan, Cody; Suski, Cory D.
• Is Part Of: Freshwater biology. Volume 61:Number 9(2016)
• Page Start: 1590
• Page End: 1600
• Publication Date: 2016-07-18
• Subjects: activity -- carbon dioxide -- climate change -- Micropterus salmoides -- space use; Freshwater biology -- Periodicals; Biologie d'eau douce -- Périodiques; 577.605
• DOI: 10.1111/fwb.12805
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0046-5070

Abstract

Summary: Studies with marine fishes indicate that exposure to elevated partial pressures of CO2 ( p CO2 ) related to climate change have negative consequences for fish behaviour. Freshwater fishes may experience similar increases in p CO2 due to a number of different mechanisms, but there is a paucity of information on how freshwater fishes may respond to exposure to elevated p CO2 . To define the effects of elevated p CO2 on a free‐swimming freshwater fish, 19 adult largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) were tagged with acoustic transmitters, held in water with p CO2 levels of either ˜10 000 μatm or ambient p CO2 (<100 μatm) for 5 days and released into a naturalised, earthen‐bottom pond outfitted with an acoustic telemetry array. Findings indicate that largemouth bass not exposed to elevated levels of p CO2 decreased movement over 35% during the daylight periods; however, fish exposed to elevated levels of p CO2 did not exhibit this pattern. This difference in diel movement patterns between fish exposed to elevated p CO2 and fish not exposed was not detectable after 11 days. Changes in home range size and daily distance travelled were not observed. However, based on an assessment of position estimates after the completion of the telemetry monitoring portion of the study, space use differed for fish exposed to elevated p CO2 . Exposure to elevated p CO2 therefore can have consequences for some movement behaviours of freshwater fish and this may influence a variety of ecological processes including energetics, foraging and predator–prey dynamics. CO2 ‐induced alterations to behaviour should recover upon a return to ambient water.