I was wondering if anyone knows of a source to look for the individual tolerance of temperature/DO for individual species. I know there is information out there, but I am looking for a source that contains information on multiple species in the same location. I am also particularly interested in the differences between YOY and immature of a species as compared to adults and larger adults. For example, it is well known that YOY and immature striped bass, Morone saxatilis are tolerant of warmer water temperatures(in excess of 85 degrees F) while smaller adults are less tolerant and large adults are even less tolerant. Any sources, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by MidAtlntcCllctr, 05 July 2010 - 02:39 AM.

It all depends on other physical parameters like salinity, TDS, pH, light, current, depth, substrate. I'm not sure it would be meaningful to put together a list of tolerances, except very broadly, because of these variables. The short answer would be to look at variations in the chloride cells of species, functions of hemoglobin, and metabolic rate.

As Bruce mentioned, chemical parameters tend to work synergistically, not univariately. Additionally, many parameters and their effect are temperature dependent. Even if you find literature with lab tolerances (e.g. LC50's) I tend to take those with a grain of salt compared to a range of empirical values where the species was present vs. absent observed in the wild. A few years ago, we collected one of our densest populations of bluespotted sunfish on Maryland's Eastern shore in a ditch with a DO of barely 1 mg/L. Can they tolerate it, yes, is that what is typical, no.

I recall learning somewhere (forget the source) that heat tolerance in at least some fish species is acquired during early life stages. Those that grow up in warmer water have higher thermal tolerance as adults. Dunno if the same applies to low oxygen tolerance.

Many fish fit neatly in the traditional "cold, cool, warm" stream management categories (or 2 out of 3) but then there's those few like rosyside dace that extend from cold brook trout creeks down to bathwater-warm sites in the upper coastal plain. I wonder could an individual fish from one extreme survive at the other extreme, or are their proteins more narrowly "fixed" by early exposure?

Matt - did you measure that 1.0 mg/l DO before or after collecting the bluespotted sunnies? Stirring up ditch muck might have lowered DO before you measured it, or there could be patches of higher DO here and there, possibly in plant thickets, to serve as "breathing holes."

Before, but regardless we measure in situ water chemistry above the section we electrofish, so it is undisturbed.

I figured there wasn't a chart with hard set data, but I wouldn't mind a rough idea... I appreciate the interesting discussion and knowledge shared here though.