OPTIMAL TEMPERATURES FOR GROWTH AND UPPER THERMAL TOLERANCE OF JUVENILE NORTHERN LEATHERSIDE CHUB

We examined optimal temperatures for growth and the upper thermal tolerance of juvenile northern leatherside chub (Lepidomeda copei). We conducted 2 experiments using the acclimated chronic-exposure method to estimate optimal temperature for growth of age-0 northern leatherside chub (range 12.8-28.3°C). Upper thermal tolerance was estimated using the critical thermal maximum (CTM) and upper incipient lethal temperature (UILT) methods for fish acclimated at 15, 18, 23, and 28°C. We also measured stream temperatures in Yellow Creek, Summit County, Utah, during July-August 2006 to compare our results to actual summer stream temperatures. Survival in growth tests was not significantly different between treatment temperatures in either experiment (P > 0.098). The optimal temperature for growth in the 1st trial estimated from the 2nd-order polynomial regression was 23.0°C, falling outside the range of experimental temperatures (12.8-22.2°C). The estimated optimal temperature for growth in the 2nd trial was 23.2°C. In the upper thermal tolerance tests, juvenile northern leatherside chub had CTM values between 29.6 and 35.0°C; CTM values increased as acclimation temperature increased. Upper incipient lethal temperatures (LT50) ranged from 26.5 to 30.2°C, increasing with acclimation temperature. Summer stream temperatures in Yellow Creek had a lower mean (14.0-18.1°C) than did the optimal temperature for growth determined in these studies, but these temperatures exhibited diel fluctuations as large as 15.7°C.