Metabolic costs of spontaneous swimming in Sprattus sprattus L., at different water temperatures

Oxygen uptake (MO(2); mgO(2) fish(-1)h(-1)) of fish groups was measured at temperatures between 10–19°C in an intermittent-flow respirometer to quantify the metabolic costs of spontaneous swimming patterns in the small clupeid Sprattus sprattus. Movements of individual fish within the school were tracked automatically during respirometry. Oxygen uptake was then related to mean swimming speeds and the number of sharp turns (>90°), which are common behavioural elements of spontaneous swimming in clupeid fish. Different possible model formulations for describing the relationship between respiration and swimming patterns were compared via the AIC. The final model revealed that costs for sharp turns at a frequency of 1 s(-1) doubled the metabolic costs compared to those with zero turns but with likewise a moderate swimming speed of 0.28 body length (-1). The cost for swimming doubled if the swimming speed was doubled from 0.28 to 0.56 BLs(-1) but increased by a factor of 4.5 if tripled to 0.84 BLs(-1). Costs for transport were minimal at a speed of 0.4 body lengths s(-1) at all temperatures. New basic input parameters to estimate energy losses during spontaneous movements, which occur typically during foraging in this small pelagic fish, are provided.