Item – Theses Canada

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OCLC number
801166430
Link(s) to full text
LAC copy
LAC copy
Author
McConnachie, Sarah Helen,1985-
Title
Understanding the ecological consequences of stress in wild fish using exogenous cortisol implants.
Degree
M. Sc. -- Carleton University, 2010
Publisher
Ottawa : Library and Archives Canada = Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, [2011]
Description
2 microfiches
Notes
Includes bibliographical references.
Abstract
<?Pub Inc> This thesis proposed to elucidate the relationship between stress and long-term behaviour and survival in fish. The first study investigated whether "carryover" effects of stress influence a fish's ability to tolerate future stressors. Bluegill ('Lepomis macrochirus') were exposed to chronic cortisol elevations and exposed to stressors in the short- and long-term. Fish were unable to tolerate secondary stressors in the long-term even after physiologically recovering from the cortisol elevation. Next, the consequences of stress on spawning grounds were investigated using a semelparous species, the pink salmon ('Oncorhynchus gorbuscha'). Pink salmon did not alter reproductive behaviour, physiology or success after exposure to acute stress. Chronically elevating cortisol levels caused a decrease in longevity and reproductive success and affected behaviour. The findings from both studies suggest that chronic elevations of cortisol can influence fitness. The experimental approach used is novel since few field studies have manipulated cortisol titles in the wild.
ISBN
9780494715925
0494715928