Poster Details
STRESS RESPONSE OF A COMMON FISH TO CHANGING URBAN STREAM TEMPERATURES
Urban streams often have higher average and more variable temperatures than forested streams. However, the effects of anthropogenically influenced water temperatures on fish condition are not well understood. We propose to quantify the impacts of urbanized stream temperatures on the physiological stress response of Creek Chubs. We will use growth rates and blood-glucose levels to measure stress responses in a 6-week laboratory experiment. The treatment group will be subjected to a diurnal temperature profile that simulates urban stream temperatures of Columbus, Ohio and the control group will be subjected to a constant 21 °C, the optimal growth temperature for Creek Chubs. Results from a preliminary trial (with the control group held at a constant 14°C) suggested that increased temperature variability was related to increased growth rates, but blood-glucose levels showed no significant changes. We anticipate that subjecting fish to a temperature regime that mimics an urban stream during summer, rather than spring, will likely prompt decreased growth rates and elevated blood-glucose levels. Relationships between urban temperature profiles and Creek Chub would indicate that less thermally tolerant species may be at high risk from shifting temperature regimes in urban streams.
Levon Bajakian (Primary Presenter/Author), The Ohio State University, bajakian.1@osu.edu;
Daniel Symonds (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), The Ohio State University, desymond3@gmail.com;
S. Mažeika Patricio Sulliván (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), The Ohio State University, sullivan.191@osu.edu;