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Bees get bee boxes…
Salmon have a better chance of successfully spawning in purpose-built spawning channels.
I have written a precis. I write very short summaries when I am doing research papers for the classes I take at the local polytechnic. I think it might make sense to put some of them here.
It is salmon season in British Columbia and so I have randomly chosen a research article on salmon spawning.
The Article:
Cook, K.V., McConnachie, S.H., Gilmour, K.M., Hinch, S.G., Cooke, S.J., 2011. Fitness and Behavioral Correlates of Pre-Stress and Stress-Induced Plasma Cortisol Titers in Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) Upon Arrival at Spawning Grounds. Hormones and Behavior, 60, 489-497.
My Precis
Aiding Pacific Pink Salmon with purpose-built spawning channels lowers stress levels and increases the chances of successful spawning.
My precis, expanded:
The hormone cortisol is produced by Pacific salmon en route to spawning grounds as a response to coping with the necessary imperative of spawning. As Pacific salmon have only a single breeding opportunity in their lifetime the natural stress effect of “natal stream homing” produces large amounts of cortisol and results in an early death.
The salmon in this study arrived in a fully monitored holding area where they were counted and examined before being released into an artificial spawning channel. Continued observation showed that the longer a female was in the spawning channel, the greater the chance she had of dropping and defending her eggs successfully. This study links reproductive success to cortisol levels and the findings are consistent with other studies and with evolutionary theory in that cortisol levels and stress response are indicators of sexual maturity and spawning success.
More variability in cortisol levels have been found in salmon spawning in the wild than in artificial spawning runs suggests that there may be factors for success other than cortisol levels to be taken into account. Comparatively, there is a greater chance of spawning success in purpose-built spawning channels than in the wild.
Find the original article here:
http://www.fecpl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/HB-Cook-et-al-2011.pdf
If you have any trouble locating the article please contact me or, call your local college or university library for assistance.
Please leave a comment. Whether you agree or disagree with what I have understood from this article, your thoughts are of interest to me. All published articles are, or should be, available to everyone. Sometimes it takes a bit of effort…
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