Oxygen consumption of juvenile brown trout, Salmo trutta, under varying thermal conditions during embryogenesis

Climate change is predicted to increase the future thermal conditions in
northern latitudes with the potential effect of altering the metabolic
scope and potential fitness of aquatic ectotherms. We experimentally
tested the effect of elevated egg incubation temperature on the metabolic
scope in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta). Brown trout cohorts from
anadromous and resident crosses were raised from egg through exogenous
feeding of juveniles in either natural river temperatures (cold) or
elevated (+ 3 °C, warm) temperatures. In respirometry studies, we measured
oxygen consumption rates of juvenile trout from both incubation
temperatures and all possible breeding crosses after they were feeding
exogenously and at an ambient temperature of 13 °C. These measures were
taken over a period where the trout were resting, allowing for the
determination of standard metabolic rate (SMR), and followed by a chase to
exhaustion allowing for the measure of the maximum metabolic rate (MMR).
 The aerobic scope (AS) of these juveniles from four
anadromous-resident crosses and from both incubation temperatures could
then be calculated as AS = MMR – SMR. This dataset represents a key to all
respiration trials including: fish embryonic incubation temperature,
parental cross, fish total length (mm), calculated mass (g) per fish,
ventilation rate (opercular beats/min), and water temperature per
respiration trial. For each fish tested, the dissolved oxygen levels in
the respirometry chamber were recorded continuously through periods of
static respiration and recharge flow in 15 sec intervals for the duration
of the trial testing periods (~ 5-7 hrs).  These data were
evaluated for SMR and MMR using a respiration program (respR) in the R
statistical program.