Juvenile salmon with high standard metabolic rates have higher energy costs but can process meals faster

Millidine, K.J., Armstrong, J. and Metcalfe, N.B. (2009) Juvenile salmon with high standard metabolic rates have higher energy costs but can process meals faster. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, 276(1664), pp. 2103-2108. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2009.0080)

Abstract

Basal or standard metabolic rate (SMR) has been found to exhibit substantial intraspecific variation in a range of taxa, but the consequences of this variation are little understood. Here we explore how SMR is related to the energy cost of processing food, known as apparent specific dynamic action or the heat increment of feeding. Using juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, we show that fishes with a higher SMR had a higher peak and a greater total energy expenditure when digesting a given size of meal. However, the duration over which their metabolism was elevated after consuming the meal was shorter. The greater energy costs they incur for processing food may be related to their assimilation efficiency. These relationships are likely to have implications for feeding strategies and growth rates, since individuals with a higher SMR have higher routine costs of living but recover more quickly following feeding and so may have a greater potential for processing food.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Millidine, Mrs Karen and Armstrong, Mrs Jennifer and Metcalfe, Professor Neil
• Authors: Millidine, K.J., Armstrong, J., and Metcalfe, N.B.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• ISSN: 0962-8452
• ISSN (Online): 1471-2954