12th Annual Larval Fish Conference Formulation of a Bioenergetic Model for Coregonine Early Life History

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Abstract
A physiological basis for correlations among type of metabolism, behavior, and lifestyle is described for two early ontogenetic stages of coregonine fishes. Stage I extends from first feeding attempts until the end of metamorphosis, which usually occurs at a total length of 2–3 cm. Stage II extends through the juvenile period to a size of 8–10 cm. During the change from stage 1 to stage II, activities of several glycolytic and muscle enzymes increase severalfold. This increase in enzyme activities indicates a switch in major energy substrates from fatty and amino acids to glycogen. Prey selection data (prey ranked by size and mode of swimming), predator–prey reactive distance, and prey-handling time per unit energy return (profitability time) are given for coregonines in stages I and II. Results from studies of coregonine species from many different locations are incorporated into a deterministic model to estimate relationships between physical and biological environmental factors and fish growth...