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Muller C, Childs AR, Duncan MI, Skeeles MR, James NC, van der Walt KA, Winkler AC, Potts WM. Implantation, orientation and validation of a commercially produced heart-rate logger for use in a perciform teleost fish. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 8:coaa035. [PMID: 32346480 PMCID: PMC7176915 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Quantifying how the heart rate of ectothermic organisms responds to environmental conditions (e.g. water temperature) is important information to quantify their sensitivity to environmental change. Heart rate studies have typically been conducted in lab environments where fish are confined. However, commercially available implantable heart rate biologgers provide the opportunity to study free-swimming fish. Our study aimed to determine the applicability of an implantable device, typically used on fusiform-shaped fish (e.g. salmonids), for a perciform fish where morphology and anatomy prevent ventral incisions normally used on fusiform-shaped fish. We found that ventrolateral incisions allowed placement near the heart, but efficacy of the loggers was sensitive to their orientation and the positioning of the electrodes. Electrocardiogram detection, signal strength and subsequent heart rate readings were strongly influenced by logger orientation with a significant effect on the quality and quantity of heart rate recordings. We provide details on the surgical procedures and orientation to guide future heart rate biologger studies on perciform-shaped fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuen Muller
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Prince Alfred Street, PO Box 94, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Amber-Robyn Childs
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Prince Alfred Street, PO Box 94, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Murray I Duncan
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Prince Alfred Street, PO Box 94, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Somerset Street, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Michael R Skeeles
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Prince Alfred Street, PO Box 94, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Nicola C James
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Somerset Street, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Kerry-Ann van der Walt
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Prince Alfred Street, PO Box 94, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Somerset Street, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Alexander C Winkler
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Prince Alfred Street, PO Box 94, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Warren M Potts
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Prince Alfred Street, PO Box 94, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
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Prystay TS, Lawrence MJ, Zolderdo AJ, Brownscombe JW, de Bruijn R, Eliason EJ, Cooke SJ. Exploring relationships between cardiovascular activity and parental care behavior in nesting smallmouth bass: A field study using heart rate biologgers. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2019; 234:18-27. [PMID: 31004808 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Research in a variety of vertebrate taxa has found that cardiac function is a major limiting factor in the ability of animals to cope with physiological challenges, and thus is suggested to play an important role in mediating fitness-related behaviors in the wild. Yet, there remains a paucity of empirical assessments of the relationships between physiological performance and biological fitness in wild animals, partially due to challenges in measuring these metrics remotely. Using male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) as a model, we tested for relationships between cardiac performance (measured using heart rate biologgers) and fitness-related behaviors (assessed using videography and snorkeler observations) in the wild during the parental care period. Our results showed that heart rates were not significantly related to any measured parental care behaviors (e.g., nest tending) except for individual aggression level. After accounting for the effect of water temperature on heart rate, we found within-individual heart rate differed between days and also differed between nights. There was, however, evidence of diel variation in heart rate, where heart rate was higher during the day than at night. Although fitness is thought to be dependent on physiological capacity for exercise in wild animals, inter-individual variation in heart rate alone does not appear to relate to parental care behavior in smallmouth bass at the temporal scales examined here (i.e., hours to days). Further studies are required to confirm relationships between physiological performance and parental care behavior to elucidate the apparently complex relationships between physiology, behavior, and fitness in wild animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya S Prystay
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada.
| | - Michael J Lawrence
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Aaron J Zolderdo
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Jacob W Brownscombe
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Robert de Bruijn
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Erika J Eliason
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
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Bowers EK, Hodges CJ, Forsman AM, Vogel LA, Masters BS, Johnson BGP, Johnson LS, Thompson CF, Sakaluk SK. Neonatal body condition, immune responsiveness, and hematocrit predict longevity in a wild bird population. Ecology 2014; 95:3027-3034. [PMID: 25505800 PMCID: PMC4260523 DOI: 10.1890/14-0418.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Measures of body condition, immune function, and hematological health are widely used in ecological studies of vertebrate populations, predicated on the assumption that these traits are linked to fitness. However, compelling evidence that these traits actually predict long-term survival and reproductive success among individuals in the wild is lacking. Here, we show that body condition (i.e., size-adjusted body mass) and cutaneous immune responsiveness to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) injection among neonates positively predict recruitment and subsequent longevity in a wild, migratory population of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon). However, neonates with intermediate hematocrit had the highest recruitment and longevity. Neonates with the highest PHA responsiveness and intermediate hematocrit prior to independence eventually produced the most offspring during their lifetime breeding on the study site. Importantly, the effects of PHA responsiveness and hematocrit were revealed while controlling for variation in body condition, sex, and environmental variation. Thus, our data demonstrate that body condition, cutaneous immune responsiveness, and hematocrit as a neonate are associated with individual fitness. Although hematocrit's effect is more complex than traditionally thought, our results suggest a previously underappreciated role for this trait in influencing survival in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Keith Bowers
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Christine J. Hodges
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Anna M. Forsman
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Laura A. Vogel
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Brian S. Masters
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252 USA
| | | | - L. Scott Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252 USA
| | - Charles F. Thompson
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Scott K. Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
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