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Stress response to daily temperature fluctuations in common carp, Cyprinus carpio L.

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Abstract

The littoral zone of lakes and lagoons is often used by fish for feeding or reproduction. However, the large changes in temperature that are typical of natural environments, including the littoral zone, represent a potential stressor for fish. Despite the importance of this habitat, little is known about the effect of daily temperature fluctuations on the stress responses of fish. We monitored daily temperature changes in the near-shore and offshore regions of a natural lagoon between May and July 2008–2010. We observed large temperature fluctuations more frequently in the near-shore zone than the offshore zone. We then exposed common carp (Cyprinus carpio) to a temperature regime similar to that observed in the near-shore zone and measured the levels of cortisol released into the water. The rate of cortisol release increased when carp were exposed to an increase in temperature of ~0.6°C/h over a 5-h period. Conversely, there was no change in the rate of release when temperatures decreased. Our results highlight the importance of maintaining high temporal resolution when evaluating the stress response to daily fluctuations temperature.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Drs. M. Ototake, K. Yuasa, N. Ohsako, and S. Miwa at the NRIA for their comments and discussion of the experimental design. This work was supported by the RIHN C-06 research project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Sustainable Sciences and Development (ISSD), Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8530, Japan

    Teruhiko Takahara

  2. Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8047, Japan

    Teruhiko Takahara, Alata A. Suzuki, Mie N. Honjo, Toshifumi Minamoto, Tomoaki Itayama, Yukihiro Kohmatsu & Zen’ichiro Kawabata

  3. Department of Environmental Solution Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2194, Japan

    Hiroki Yamanaka

  4. Gifu Prefectural Research Institute for Freshwater Fish and Aquatic Environments, Kasada, Kawashima, Kakamigahara, Gifu, 501-6021, Japan

    Ryuji Yonekura

  5. Tamaki Station, Aquatic Animal Health Division, National Research Institute of Aquaculture (NRIA), Fisheries Research Agency, Tamaki, Mie, 519-0423, Japan

    Takafumi Ito

Authors
  1. Teruhiko Takahara
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  2. Hiroki Yamanaka
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  3. Alata A. Suzuki
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  4. Mie N. Honjo
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  5. Toshifumi Minamoto
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  6. Ryuji Yonekura
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  7. Tomoaki Itayama
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  8. Yukihiro Kohmatsu
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  9. Takafumi Ito
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  10. Zen’ichiro Kawabata
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Correspondence to Teruhiko Takahara.

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Handling editor: M. Power

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Takahara, T., Yamanaka, H., Suzuki, A.A. et al. Stress response to daily temperature fluctuations in common carp, Cyprinus carpio L.. Hydrobiologia 675, 65–73 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0796-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0796-z

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