Metabolic Rates of Japanese Anchovy (<i>Engraulis japonicus</i>) during Early Development Using a Novel Modified Respirometry Method

The allometric relationship between metabolic rate (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>V</mi><mi>O</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>) and body mass (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>M</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>) has been a subject of fascination and controversy for decades. Nevertheless, little is known about intraspecific size-scaling metabolism in marine animals such as teleost fish. The Japanese anchovy <i>Engraulis japonicus</i> is a planktotrophic pelagic fish with a rapid growth and metabolic rate. However, metabolic rate measurements are difficult in this species due to their extremely small body size after hatching. Herein, the metabolic rate of this species during its early developmental stage was measured for 47 individuals weighing 0.00009–0.09 g (from just after hatching to 43 days old) using the micro-semi-closed method, a newly modified method for monitoring metabolism developed specifically for this study. As a result, three distinct allometric phases were identified. During these phases, two stepwise increases in scaling constants occurred at around 0.001 and 0.01 g, although the scaling exponent constant remained unchanged in each phase (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mover accent="true"><mrow><mi>b</mi></mrow><mo>^</mo></mover></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> = 0.683). Behavioral and morphological changes accompanied the stepwise increases in scaling constants. Although this novel modified respirometry method requires further validation, it is expected that this study will be useful for future metabolic ecology research in fish to determine metabolism and survival strategy.