title: Temporal plasticity in thermal-habitat selection of burbot Lota lota a diel-migrating winter-specialist.
abstract: In this study, animal-borne telemetry with temperature sensors was coupled with extensive habitat temperature monitoring in a dimictic reservoir, to test the following hypotheses: behavioural thermoregulation occurs throughout the year and temperature selection varies on a diel and seasonal basis, in a winter-specialist diel-migrating fish. Burbot Lota lota demonstrated nightly behavioural thermoregulation throughout the year, with a large seasonal shift between selection for very cold temperatures (<2° C) optimal for reproduction during the spawning period and selection for warmer temperatures (12-14° C) optimal for hunting and feeding during non-reproductive periods. During daylight hours, while L. lota avoided habitats warmer than optimal for reproduction and feeding during the spawning and non-reproductive periods, respectively, active selection was limited to selection for 4-6° C habitat during the prespawning period. Although behavioural thermoregulation explained the night-time migration, behavioural thermoregulation only partially explained daytime behaviour, indicating that diel migration is best explained by a combination of factors. Thus, thermal-habitat selection was a good predictor of night-time habitat occupancy in a diel-migrating species. Together, these results show that thermal-habitat selection by fishes may be important throughout the year and a more seasonally plastic behaviour than previously recognized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.|Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.
authors.forename: L F G
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Gutowsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.|Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.|Cooperative Research Management Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Research Management Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.affiliation: Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Power
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003080:Cold Temperature; D017753:Ecosystem; D048388:Gadiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction; D012621:Seasons; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013696:Temperature
keywords: acoustic telemetry; behavioural thermoregulation; diel migration; resource selection; thermal ecology