Ice age fish in a warming world: minimal variation in thermal acclimation capacity among lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations.
In the face of climate change, the persistence of cold-adapted species will depend on their adaptive capacity for physiological traits within and among populations. The lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is a cold-adapted salmonid and a relict from the last ice age that is well suited as a model species for studying the predicted effects of climate change on coldwater fishes. We investigated the thermal acclimation capacity of upper temperature resistance and metabolism of lake trout from four populations across four acclimation temperatures. Individuals were reared from egg fertilization onward in a common environment and, at 2 years of age, were acclimated to 8, 11, 15 or 19°C. Although one population had a slightly higher maximal metabolic rate (MMR), higher metabolic scope for activity and faster metabolic recovery across all temperatures, there was no interpopulation variation for critical thermal maximum (CTM) or routine metabolic rate (RMR) or for the thermal acclimation capacity of CTM, RMR, MMR or metabolic scope. Across the four acclimation temperatures, there was a 3°C maximal increase in CTM and 3-fold increase in RMR for all populations. Above 15°C, a decline in MMR and increase in RMR resulted in sharply reduced metabolic scope for all populations acclimated at 19°C. Together, these data suggest there is limited variation among lake trout populations in thermal physiology or capacity for thermal acclimatization, and that climate change may impact lake trout populations in a similar manner across a wide geographical range. Understanding the effect of elevated temperatures on the thermal physiology of this economically and ecologically important cold-adapted species will help inform management and conservation strategies for the long-term sustainability of lake trout populations.
Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada K9J 5G7.
Nicholas I
NI
Kelly
Department of Biology, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, Canada K9J 7B8.
Gary
G
Burness
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada K9J 7B8.
Jenni L
JL
McDermid
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada K9J 8M5.
Chris C
CC
Wilson
Climate change; Salvelinus namaycush; metabolic rate; physiology; temperature; thermal acclimation