Energy Partitioning in Largemouth Bass under Conditions of Seasonally Fluctuating Prey Availability

Abstract
Allocation of consumed energy by largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides into their major physiological processes was determined to investigate mechanisms by which these predators maintain condition (overall health) in a system with a seasonally fluctuating prey base. Consumed energy is partitioned into growth, energy storage, and gonads according to temporal prey availability, metabolic demands, and reproductive needs. Throughout minimum-feeding periods in the winter and early spring, largemouth bass utilize energy from visceral fat and body protein for standard metabolic demands and gonad development. Catabolism of energy from body tissue during the winter was less than 33% of standard metabolic demands, indicating that some consumption had to occur during the winter. The calculated activity metabolism of largemouth bass ranged from 18 to 144% of standard metabolism depending on time of year and sex. Parallel trends of activity metabolism and consumption over the year suggest that foraging costs ...

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