Mechanisms Influencing the Timing and Success of Reproductive Migration in a Capital Breeding Semelparous Fish Species, the Sockeye Salmon
Date
2009
Authors
Crossin, Glenn Terrence
Hinch, Scott G.
Cooke, Steven J.
Cooperman, Michael S.
Patterson, David A.
Welch, David W.
Hanson, Kyle C.
Olsson, Ivan
English, Karl K.
Farrell, Anthony P.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Chicago Press, P.O. Box 37005 Chicago IL 60637 USA,
[mailto:help@press.uchicago.edu], [URL:http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/]
Abstract
Two populations of homing sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka; Adams and Chilko) were intercepted
in the marine approaches around the northern and southern ends of Vancouver Island (British
Columbia, Canada) en route to a natal river. More than 500 salmon were nonlethally biopsied for
blood plasma, gill filament tips, and gross somatic energy (GSE) and were released with either
acoustic or radio transmitters. At the time of capture, GSE, body length, and circulating
testosterone ([T]) differed between populations, differences that reflected known life-history
variations. Within-population analyses showed that in Adams sockeye salmon, plasma glucose ([glu]),
lactate ([lactate]), and ion concentrations were higher in the northern approach than in the
southern approach, suggesting that the former was more stressful. GSE, [T], and gill Na super(+),K
super(+)-ATPase activities also differed between the two locales, and each varied significantly with
Julian date, suggesting seasonality. Despite these relative geographic differences, the timing of
river entry and the ability to reach spawning areas were strongly correlated with energetic,
reproductive, and osmoregulatory state. Salmon that delayed river entry and reached spawning areas
had relatively high GSE and low [T] and gill ATPase. In contrast, salmon that entered the river
directly but that ultimately failed to reach spawning areas had lower GSE and higher [T] and gill
ATPase, and they also swam at significantly faster rates (failed fish [image]20.0 km d super(-1) vs.
successful fish [image]15.5 km d super(-1)). Physiologically, salmon that did not enter the river at
all but that presumably died in the marine environment exhibited high stress (plasma [glu] and
[lactate]) and ionoregulatory measures (plasma [Na super(+)], [Cl super(-)], osmolality).
Description
Keywords
Bioenergetics, Anadromous species, Freshwater, Osmoregulation, Sex hormones, Serological studies, Animal metabolism, Oncorhynchus nerka, Filaments, Gills, Rivers, Spawning seasons, Marine, Adenosinetriphosphatase, Brackish, Stress, Spawning, Fish physiology, Energy, Lactic acid, Spawning migrations
Citation
Crossin, Glenn T., Scott G. Hinch, Steven J. Cooke, Michael S. Cooperman, et al. 2009. "Mechanisms Influencing the Timing and Success of Reproductive Migration in a Capital Breeding
Semelparous Fish Species, the Sockeye Salmon." Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 82(6): 635-652. doi:10.1086/605878