Biology subjects

Goodrich, H. R.

Publications and source records attributed to Goodrich, H. R..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Temperature and O2, but not CO2, interact to affect aerobic performance of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Climate change causes warming, decreased O2, and increased CO2 in marine systems and responses of organisms will depend on interactive effects between these factors. We provide the first experimental assessment of the interactive effects of warming (14 to 22{degrees}C), reduced O2 ([~]3 - 21 kPa O2), and increased CO2 ([~]400 or [~]1000 {micro}atm ambient CO2) on four indicators of aerobic performance (standard metabolic rate, SMR, maximum metabolic rate, MMR, aerobic scope, and hypoxia tolerance, O2crit), blood chemistry, and O2 transport (P50) of a marine fish, the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Warming increased SMR and O2crit (i.e. reduced hypoxia tolerance) as well as MMR in normoxia but there was an interactive effect with O2 so that hypoxia caused larger reductions in MMR and aerobic scope at higher temperatures. Increasing CO2 had minimal effects on SMR, MMR and O2crit and did not show interactive effects with temperature or O2 for any measured variables. Aerobic performance was not linked to changes in blood chemistry or P50. Despite lack of effects of CO2 on aerobic performance, increased CO2 induced 30% mortality of fish exercised in low O2 at 22{degrees}C indicating important threshold effects independent of aerobic performance. Overall, our results show temperature and O2, but not CO2, interact to affect aerobic performance of sea bass, disagreeing with predictions of the oxygen- and capacity-limited thermal tolerance hypothesis.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2019

Swimming performance traits of twenty-one Australian fish species: a fish passage management tool for use in modified freshwater systems

Freshwater ecosystems have been severely fragmented by artificial in-stream structures designed to manage water for human use. Significant efforts have been made to reconnect freshwater systems for fish movement, through the design and installation of dedicated fish passage structures (fishways) and by incorporating fish-sensitive design features into conventional infrastructure (e.g. culverts). Key to the success of these structures is making sure that the water velocities within them do not exceed the swimming capacities of the local fish species. Swimming performance data is scarce for Australian fish, which have a reduced swimming capacity when compared to many North American and European species. To help close this knowledge gap and assist fisheries management and civil engineering, we report the swimming performance capacities of twenty-one small-bodied fish and juveniles (< 10 cm) of large bodied species native to Australia as measured by critical swimming speed (Ucrit) and burst swimming speed (Usprint) in a recirculating flume. This data is complemented by endurance swim trials in a 12-meter hydraulic flume channel, and by measures of flume traverse success. Building on the utility of this dataset, we used a panel of morphological, behavioural and ecological traits to first assess their relative contributions to the observed swimming performance data, and second, to determine if they could be used to predict swimming performance capacity - a useful tool to assist in the management of species of conservation concern where access to swimming performance data may be limited. We found that body length combined with depth station (benthic, pelagic or surface) explained most of the interspecific variation in observed swimming performance data, followed by body shape and tail shape. These three traits were the most effective at predicting swimming performance in a model/unknown fish. This data will assist civil engineers and fisheries managers in Australia to mitigate the impact of in-stream structures on local fish populations.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2018

Utilising the boundary layer to help restore the connectivity of fish habitats and populations

SignificanceHabitat fragmentation is a significant contributor to the worldwide decline of freshwater ecosystem health, the most pervasive cause of which is culverts. Culverts act as a barrier to fish movement, impacting feeding, predator avoidance, spawning, and community structures. Here we show that a common remediation strategy that involves baffles, is detrimental to the successful passage of small bodied and juvenile fish at high velocities. To remedy this widespread problem, we present a novel remediation design that benefits a range of small-bodied species and juvenile fish at the same high velocities, regardless of morphology or ecological niche. The application of this remediation design may be expanded to any smooth surfaced anthropogenic structure, to improve fish passage and restore ecosystem functionality.\n\nAbstractCulverts are a major cause of habitat fragmentation in freshwater ecosystems, are a barrier to fish movement, and are regarded as a significant contributor in the decline of freshwater fish populations globally. To try to address this, various culvert remediation designs have been implemented, including the installation of vertical baffles and the provision of naturalistic (rock) substrates. While remediation strategies generally aim to reduce the velocity of water flowing through the structure, there is often resistance to their use because the resultant reduction in culvert discharge can negatively impact upstream flooding while also resulting in debris clogging and increased culvert maintenance costs. In addition, baffles markedly increase water turbulence that may be detrimental to passage by some fish species or size classes. Here we present some novel remediation designs that exploit the reduced water velocity in boundary layers along the culvert wall to enhance fish passage without significantly compromising discharge capacity. These longitudinal designs produce an expanded reduced velocity zone along the culvert margins that generate minimal turbulence. We show that these novel designs are significantly advantageous to the swimming endurance and traversability for six small-bodied Australian fish species. We also provide data on how and why some culvert baffle designs may impede small-bodied fish passage. This data scales with increasing water velocity, encompassing inter-specific differences in swimming capacity. These results have broad implications for fish community structure and the requirement of juvenile cohort of large-bodied commercially important species where baffles have been implemented to facilitate fish passage.

animal behavior and cognition↗