Meeting Abstract
Residing in the North-West Atlantic, tautog are one of the northern most species in the family Labridae. As water temperatures cool tautog migrate offshore to their wintering habitats where temperature is constant in deep water. Previous work with cunner, a related species, demonstrated that muscle function was inhibited at cold temperatures. We studied the impact of acclimation temperature (5, 10, 15, 20°C) on steady swimming and pectoral fin muscle function in tautog. We hypothesized that muscle acclimated at cold temperatures will produce less power than muscle acclimated at warm temperatures. Additionally, we hypothesized that twitch contraction and relaxation times would increase with decreasing temperature. To address these hypotheses, we acclimated tautog (n=5) at each temperature for a minimum of two weeks. We performed steady swimming experiments, then removed the abductor superficialis and performed muscle kinetic tests and standard workloop protocols. Fish acclimated at warm temperatures (15 and 20°C) were able to sustain higher swimming velocities. At cold temperatures (5 and 10°C) the pectoral fin abductor muscles were slower to contract and relax, displaying inhibited muscle function. Additionally, power output increased with increasing temperature. Decreased swimming and muscle performance suggests that tautog migrate offshore to a thermally constant environment, avoiding further cooling in inshore habitats.
