Hatchery and wild larval lake sturgeon experience effects of captivity on stress reactivity, behavior and predation risk.

ABSTRACT: Reintroduction programs are important tools for wildlife conservation. However, captive rearing environments may lead to maladaptive behavior and physiological alterations that reduce survival probability after release. For captive rearing programs that raise individuals captured from the wild during early ontogeny for later release, there is a lack of information about when during ontogeny the detrimental effects of captive rearing may become evident. In this study we compared cortisol levels, predation rates and swimming behavior between hatchery-produced and wild-caught larval lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), a threatened fish species, at three times over 9 days. Cortisol levels did not indicate that hatchery-produced individuals were more stressed, but cortisol reactivity t

SUBMITTER: Wassink L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9547518 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature