Honors Theses

Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Glenn Parsons

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of turbidity and temperature on golden shiner critical swimming speed, and tail beat frequency, and how these relationships might be altered when fish are in a group. It was found that both temperature and turbidity positively affected critical swimming speeds; critical swimming speeds increased significantly with rising temperature and turbidity values. Tail beat frequencies increased with increasing temperature and turbidity, echoing the rise in critical swimming speed. A group effect was only evident at the lowest temperature for the highest turbidity, but tail beat frequencies indicate greater stress when alone at the lowest temperature for all turbidities. But neither of these was present at the turbidities at higher temperature. The absence of a group effect at higher temperatures and turbidities was visible in both the mean critical swimming speed values, as well as through statistical tests.

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