Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T01:10:56.049Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Experimental ecology: A key to understanding fish biologyin the wild

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 November 2005

Marc Suquet ,
Marie-Joëlle Rochet  and
Jean-Louis Gaignon
Marc Suquet
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Adaptation Reproduction Nutrition, IFREMER, BP 70, 29280 Plouzané, France
Marie-Joëlle Rochet
Affiliation:
Département Ecologie et Modèles pour l'Halieutique, IFREMER, BP 21105, 44311 Nantes Cedex 03, France
Jean-Louis Gaignon
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Adaptation Reproduction Nutrition, IFREMER, BP 70, 29280 Plouzané, France
Get access

Abstract

Because of natural complexity, field studies are often inconclusive with regards to the ultimate cause of a given change observed in wild animal populations. As a consequence, there is scope to develop an Experimental Ecology Approach (EEA). In this paper, we favour the use of experimental ecology studies to evaluate the effects of environmental factors on fish biology. We identify the advantages of EEA: disentangling the effects of several factors and identifying their respective roles, generating artificial scenarios and increasing our capability to collect and analyse data. This study emphasises the constraints of this approach: fish biological performances may be altered by rearing conditions, by domestication and by the prevention of some behaviours. It also considers the extrapolation of experimental results with regard to the sea including the realism of experimental design and the constraints of scaling or extending the results to larger scales. We also propose some experimental ecosystems which are well adapted to the requirements of EEA and a careful selection of fish species which fit this approach very well. Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) is identified as a good candidate for experimental studies and we present examples of the contribution of EEA to the description and quantification of the effects of environmental factors in this species. We conclude by highlighting the respective contribution of field studies (describing a situation in the wild and suggesting some possible causes) and EEA (allowing an active investigation of phenomena and identifying their final causes).

Keywords

Experimental ecologyLaboratory experimentsEnvironmental parametersField studyCod
Type
Review Article
Information
Aquatic Living Resources , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , July 2005 , pp. 251 - 259
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD, 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aas, E., Baussant, T., Balk, L., Liewenborg, B., Andersen, O.K., 2000, PAH metabolites in bile, cytochrome P4501A and DNA adducts as environmental risk parameters for chronic oil exposure: a laboratory experiment with Atlantic cod. Aquat. Toxicol. 51, 241-258. CrossRef
Adoff, G., Skjennum, F.C., Engelsen, R., 2002, Experience and prospects of Norwegian cod farming. Bull. Aquac. Assoc. Can. 102, 8-11.
Babiak, I., Brzuska, E., Perkowski, J., 2000, Fractional factorial design of screening experiments on cryopreservation of fish sperm. Aquac. Res. 31, 273-282. CrossRef
Beaugrand, G., Brander, K., Lindley, J.A., Souissi, S., Reid, P.C., 2003, Plankton effect on cod recruitment in the North sea. Nature 426, 661-664. CrossRef
Bégout Anras, M.L., Lagardère, J.P., 1998, Variabilité météorologique et hydrologique. Conséquences sur l'activité natatoire d'un poisson marin. C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris 321, 641-648.
Björnsson, B., Steinarsson, A., 2002, The food-unlimited growth rate of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 59, 494-502. CrossRef
Björnsson, B., Steinarsson, A., Oddgeirsson, M., 2001, Optimal temperature for growth and feed conversion of immature cod (Gadus morhua L.). ICES J. Mar. Sci. 58, 29-38. CrossRef
Blom, G., Folkvord, A., 1997, A snapshot of cannibalism in 0-group Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in a marine pond. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 13, 177-181. CrossRef
Brander, K., 1996, Effects of climate changes on cod (Gadus morhua) stocks. In: Wood C.M., Mc Donald D.G.(Eds.), Global warming: Implications for freshwater and marine fish. University Press: Soc. Exp. Biol. Seminar Ser. 61, 255-278.
Castilla, J.C., 2000, Roles of experimental marine ecology in coastal management and conservation. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 250, 3-21. CrossRef
Chambers, R.C., Waiwood, K.G., 1996, Maternal and seasonal differences in egg sizes and spawning characteristics of captive Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 53, 1986-2003. CrossRef
Chen, C.C., Petersen, J.E., Kemp, W.M., 1997, Spatial and temporal scaling of periphyton growth on walls of estuarine mesocosms. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 155, 1-15. CrossRef
Claireaux, G., Désaunay, Y., Akcha, F., Aupérin, B., Bocquené, G., Budzinski, H., Cravedi, J.P., Davoodi, F., Galois, R., Gilliers, C., Goanvec, C., Guérault, D., Imbert, N., Mazéas, O., Nonnotte, G., Nonnotte, L., Prunet, P., Sébert, P., Vettier, A., 2004, Influence of oil exposure on the physiology and ecology of the common sole Solea solea: Experimental and field approaches. Aquat. Living Resour. 17, 335-351. CrossRef
Clemmesen, C., Buehler, V., Carvalho, G., Case, R., Evans, G., Hauser, L., Hutchinson, W.F., Kjesbu, O.S., Mempel, H., Moksness, E., Otteraa, H., Paulsen, H., Thorsen, A., Svaasand, T., 2003, Variability in condition and growth of Atlantic cod larvae and juveniles reared in mesocosms: environmental and maternal effects. J. Fish Biol. 62, 706-723. CrossRef
De Pontual, H., Bertignac, M., Battaglia, A., Bavouzet, G., Moguedet, P., Groison, A.L., 2003, A pilot tagging experiment on European hake (Merluccius merluccius): methodology and preliminary results. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 60, 1318-1327. CrossRef
Devauchelle N., 2002, Assessing the health of marine organisms and ecosystems. Which biological signals should be measured? IFREMER Plouzané.
Divanach, P., Kentouri, M., 2000, Hatchery techniques for specific diversification in Mediterranean finfish larviculture. Cah. Options Méditerr. 47, 75-89.
Doumenge, F., 1999, L'aquaculture des thons rouges et son développement économique. Biol. Maric. Méditerr. 6, 107-148.
Dufour, S., Fontaine, Y.A., 1985, The reproductive migration of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla): The probable importance of hydrostatic pressure in stimulation of the gonadotropic function. Bull. Soc. Zool. France 110, 291-300.
Ellis, T., North, B., Scott, A.P., Bromage, N.R., Porter, M., Gadd, D., 2002, The relationships between stocking density and welfare in farmed rainbow trout. J. Fish Biol. 61, 493-531. CrossRef
FAO, 2001, http://www.fao.org/fi/statst/FISOFT/fishplusf.asp.
Fleming, I.A., Agustsson, T., Finstad, B., Johnsson, J.I., Bjornsson, B.T., 2002, Effects of domestication on growth physiology and endocrinology of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 59, 1323-130. CrossRef
Fores, R., Samper, M., Cejas, J.R., Santamaria, F.J., Villamandos, J.E, Jerez, S., 2000, Acclimatization of tuna fish to on-land facilities. Cah. Options Méditerr. 47, 287-294.
Frost T.M., Ulanowicz R.E., Blumenshine S.C., Allen T.F.H., Taub F., Rodgers J.H. Jr, 2001, Scaling issues in experimental ecology. In: Gardner R.H., Kemp W.M., Kennedy V.S., Petersen J.E. (Eds.), Scaling relations in experimental ecology, New York, Columbia University Press, pp. 253-279.
Hecht, T., Pienaar, A., 1993, A review of cannibalism and its implications in fish larviculture. J. World Aquac. Soc. 24, 246-261. CrossRef
Hegerl, G., Bindoff, N., 2005, Warming the world's oceans. Science 309, 254-255. CrossRefPubMed
Imsland, A.K., Jonsdottir, O.D.B., 2002, Is there a genetic basis to growth in Atlantic cod? Fish Fish. 3, 36-52. CrossRef
Isaksson, I., Pihl, L., Van Montfrans, J., 1994, Eutrophication-related changes in macrovegetation and foraging of young cod (Gadus morhua L.): a mesocosm experiment. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 177, 203-217. CrossRef
Katavic, I., Jugdujakovic, J., Glamuzina, B., 1989, Cannibalism as a factor affecting the survival of intensively cultured sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fingerlings. Aquaculture 77, 135-143. CrossRef
Kellison, G.T., Eggleston, D.B., Taylor, J.C., Burke, J.S., Osborne, J.A., 2003, Pilot evaluation of summer flounder stock enhancement potential using experimental ecology. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 250, 263-278. CrossRef
Kemp W.M., Petersen J.E., Gardner R.H., 2001, Scale dependence and the problem of extrapolation. In: Gardner R.H., Kemp W.M., Kennedy V.S., Petersen J.E. (Eds.), Scaling relations in experimental ecology. New York, Columbia University Press, pp. 3-57.
Kjesbu, O.S., 1989, The spawning activity of cod, Gadus morhua L. J. Fish Biol. 34, 195-206. CrossRef
Kobilinsky A., 1997, Les plans factoriels. In: Droebeke J.J., Fine J. (Eds.), Plans d'expérience, applications à l'entreprise, Technip, Paris.
Lafrance, P., Castonguay, M., Chabot, D., Audet, C., 2005, Ontogenic changes in temperature preference of Atlantic cod. J. Fish Biol. 66, 553-567. CrossRef
Lambert, Y., Dutil, J.D., 1997, Condition and energy reserves of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) during the collapse of the northern Gulf of St Lawrence stock. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54, 2388-2400. CrossRef
Lambert, Y., Dutil, J.D., 2000, Energetic consequences of reproduction in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in relation to spawning level of somatic energy reserves. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 57, 815-825. CrossRef
Lambert, Y., Dutil, J.D., 2001, Food intake and growth of adult Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) reared under different conditions of stocking density, feeding frequency and size grading. Aquaculture 192, 233-247. CrossRef
Lawton, J.H., 1995, Ecological experiments with model systems. Science 269, 328-331. CrossRef
Lesser, M.P., 2004, Experimental biology of coral reef ecosystems. J. Exp. Biol. Ecol. 300, 217-252. CrossRef
Lodge D.M., Blumenshine S.C., Vadeboncouer Y., 1998, Insights and application of large-scale, long-term ecological observations and experiments. In: Resetarits W.J., Bernardo J. (Eds.), Experimental ecology: Issues and perspectives, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 202-235.
Marteinsdottir, G., Begg, G.A., 2002, Essential relationships incorporating the influence of age, size and condition on variables required for estimation of reproductive potential in Atlantic cod Gadus morhua. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 235, 235-256. CrossRef
Morgan, M.J., Wilson, C.E., Crim, L.W., 1999, The effect of stress on reproduction in Atlantic cod. J. Fish Biol. 54, 477-488. CrossRef
Muir J.F., Young J.A., 1998, Strategic issues in new species development for aquaculture. In: Enne G., Greppi G.F. (eds). New species for Mediterranean aquaculture. Elsevier, pp. 22-24.
Nilssen, E.M., Pedersen, T., Hopkins, C.C.E., Thyholt, K., Pope, J.G., 1994, Recruitment variability and growth of Northeast Arctic cod: Influence of physical environment, demography, and predator-prey energetics. ICES Mar. Sci. Symp. 198, 449-470.
Nissling, A., 1994, Survival of eggs and yolk-sac larvae of Baltic cod (Gadus morhua L.) at low oxygen in different salinities. ICES Mar. Sci. Symp. 198, 626-631.
Ojeda, F.P., Dearborn, J.H., 1991, Feeding ecology of benthic mobile predators: experimental analyses of their influence in rocky subtidal communities of the Gulf of Maine. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 149, 13-44. CrossRef
Omnes, M.H., Sévère, A., Barone, H., Suquet, M., Buchet, V., Le Roux, A., Gaignon, J.L., Fostier, A., Fauvel, C., 2002, Growth and reproductive performances of juveniles and sexually mature pollack Pollachius pollachius in different conditions. EAS Spec. Publ. 32, 394-395.
Otterlei, E., Nyhammer, G., Folkvord, A., Stefansson, S., 1999, Temperature and size-dependent growth of larval and early juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua): a comparative study of Norwegian coastal cod and northeast Arctic cod. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 56, 2099-2111. CrossRef
Paradis, A.R., Pepin, P., Brown, J.A., 1996, Vulnerability of fish eggs and larvae to predation: Review of the influence of the relative size of prey and predator. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 53, 1226-1235. CrossRef
Pickova J., Larsson P.O., Kiessling A., 2000, Possible explanations to Baltic cod reproduction problems- a short review. In: Norberg B., Kjesbu O.S., Taranger G.L., Andersson E., Stefansson S.O. (Eds.), Proc. 6th Int. Symp. Reprod. Physiol. Fish, Bergen, pp. 92-94.
Pitta, P., Giannakourou, A., Divanach, P., Kentouri, M., 1997, Planktonic food web in marine mesocosms in the Eastern Mediterranean. Bottom-up or top-down regulation. Hydrobiologia 363, 97-105
Planque, B., Beillois, P., Jégou, A.M., Lazure, P., Petitgas, P., Puillat, I., 2003, Large-scale hydroclimatic variability in the Bay of Biscay: the 1990s in the context of interdecadal changes. ICES Mar. Sci. Symp. 219, 61-70.
Purchase, C.F., Brown, J.A., 2000, Interpopulation differences in growth rates and food conversion efficiencies of young Grand Banks and Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 57, 2223-2229. CrossRef
Quéméner, L., Suquet, M., Mero, D., Gaignon, J.L., 2002, Selection method of new candidates for finfish aquaculture: the case of the French Atlantic, the Channel and the North Sea coasts. Aquat. Living Resour. 15, 293-302. CrossRef
Quéro, J.C., 1998, Changes in the Euro-Atlantic fish species composition resulting from fishing and ocean warming. Ital. J. Zool. 65, 493-499. CrossRef
Rochet, M.J., 2000, A comparative approach to life-history strategies and tactics among four orders of teleost fish. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 57, 228-239. CrossRef
Rochet, M.J., Cornillon, P.A., Sabatier, R., Pontier, D., 2000, Comparative analysis of phylogenetic and fishing effects in life history patterns of teleost fishes. Oikos 91, 255-270. CrossRef
Rose, G.A., Atkinson, B.A., Baird, J., Bishop, C.A., Kulka, D.W., 1994, Changes in distribution of Atlantic cod and thermal variations in Newfoundland waters, 1980-1992. ICES Mar. Sci. Symp. 198, 542-552.
Rowe, S., Hutching, J.A., Bekkevold, D., Rakitin, A., 2004, Depensation, probability of fertilization, and the mating system of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.). ICES J. Mar. Sci. 61, 1144-1150. CrossRef
Sébert, P., Barthélémy, L., Simon, B., 1990, Laboratory system enabling long-term exposure (>30d) to hydrostatic pressure (<101 atm) of fishes or other animals breathing water. Mar. Biol. 104, 165-168. CrossRef
Smith, C., Reay, P., 1991, Cannibalism in teleost fish. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 1, 41-64. CrossRef
Spies, A., Parsons, T.R., 1985, Estuarine microplankton: an experimental approach in combination with field studies. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 92, 63-81. CrossRef
Sundby, S., Ellertsen, B., Fossum, P., 1994, Encounter rates between first-feeding cod larvae and their prey during moderate to strong turbulent mixing. ICES Mar. Sci. Symp. 198, 393-405.
Suquet, M., Normant, Y., Sevère, A., Barone, H., Fostier, A., Le Delliou, H., Fauvel, C., 2001, Growth performance of the wreckfish (Polyprion americanus) in captivity. EAS Spec. Publ. 30, 586-589.
Suquet, M., Normant, Y., Gaignon, J.L., Quéméner, L., Fauvel, C., 2005, Effect of water temperature on individual reproductive activity of pollack (Pollachius pollachius). Aquaculture 243, 113-120. CrossRef
Svasand, T., Skilbrei, O.T., Van der Meeren, G.I., Holm, M., 1998, Review of morphological and behavioural differences between reared and wild individuals: implications for sea-ranching of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., and European lobster, Homarus gammarus L. Fish. Manage. Ecol. 5, 473-490. CrossRef
Theilacker, G.H., 1980, Rearing containers size affects morphology and nutritional condition of larval jack mackerel, Trachurus symmetricus. Fish. Bull. 78, 789-791.
Tsou, T.S., Collie, J.S., 2001, Estimating predation mortality in the Georges Bank fish community. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 58, 908-922. CrossRef
Underwood, A.J., 1996, Detection, interpretation, prediction and management of environmental disturbances: some roles for experimental marine ecology. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 200, 1-27. CrossRef
Underwood, A.J., 2000, Experimental ecology of rocky interdidal habitats: what are we learning? J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 250, 51-76. CrossRef
Van Der Kraak, G., Pankhurst, N.W., 1996, Temperature effects on the reproductive performance of fish. In: Wood C.M., Mc Donald D.G (Eds.) Global warming: Implications for freshwater and marine fish. University Press: Soc. Exp. Biol. Seminar Ser. 61, 159-176.
Van Dover, C.L., Lutz, R.A., 2004, Experimental ecology at deep-sea hydrothermal vents: a perspective. J. Exp. Biol.Ecol. 300, 273-307. CrossRef
Whale, R.A., 2003, Revealing stock-recruitment relationships in lobsters and crabs: is experimental ecology the key? Fish. Res. 65, 3-32.
Wroblewski, J.S., Hiscock, H.W., Bradbury, I.R., 1999, Fecundity of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) farmed for stock enhancement in Newfoundland bays. Aquaculture 171, 163-180. CrossRef
Ylönen, H., Wolff, J.O., 1999, Experiments in behavioural ecology and the real world. Trends Ecol. Evol. 14, 82. CrossRef