Unit 5:

 Chapter 1. Effect of Environmental Factors on Physiology of Fin and

Shellfishes
5.1.1. Introduction
The organism can be taken to be open system, suitably walked off from its milieu,
through which energy flow by appropriate entrances and exist . The organism uses their
energy to maintain and extend its being. The energy comes from environment and
further the environment sets to a large degree the condition which organisms uses the
energy, it has assimilated but all the organisms have regulatory power and bargain with
environment in regard to extend make use of energy they have gained. Such bargaining
involves the use of some energy for regulation against the environment to tree the rest
for the organism's other activities.
The classical work on the morphological and physiological responses of animals to
stress is undoubtedly that pioneered by selye work that originated from an interest in
medical physiology. "Stress" is defined in terms of the response of the animal with the
stimulus being referred to as the stressor. The components of this response are
collectively known as the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) which can be divided on
a temporal basis into stages of alarm. It also been demonstrated by schereck who
presence evidence to show that dimination of "awareness" reduces the magnitudes of
the physiological stress response.
5.1.2. Metabolism and activity
A careful distinction will be made here in the usage of the terms metabolism, and
activity. Metabolism as used here is catabolism as ordinarilly understood, that is the
sum of reaction which yielded the energy which the organism utilizes. Thus, activities
are such processes as running or fighting or other manifestations of energy released by
metabolism. (These manifestations are not all movements growth is activity and so is
excretion. By this definition, metabolism is an activity).
The purpose of belonging the distinction between metabolism and activity here is not to
introduce a novel thorough out. For the generalities is what use all recognizes but rather
to provide a consistent treatment of whole organisms in relation to its biochemical basis.
Activity is fundamentally, the result of transformation of energy from one form to another
and the application of that energy to a given performance. Two generalizations arise
from these circumstances.
Standard metabolism is an approximation of the minimum rate for the intact organism. It
is preferably detem1ined as the value found at zero activity by relating metabolic rate to
random physical activity in fish in past absorptive. The routine rate of metabolism is the
mean rate observed in fish whose metabolic rate is influenced by random activity under
experimental condition in which movement are presumably somewhat restricted and
fish protected from outside stimuli.
5.1.3. Acclimation
Acclimation will be used to designate the process of brining the actual to a given steady
state by setting one or more of conditions to which it is exposed for an appropriate time
before a given test. Such condition may be fixed or cycled depending on circumstances.
The most significant aspect of acclimation an opposed to acclimation is that it allow the
organism to acquire an adjustment, say to higher temperature in advance of event if that
event is appropriate to seasonal cycle. Thus acclimatization provides for anticipatory
adjustment as well as reactive adjustment.
1. Lethal factors: An environmental identity act as lethal factor when its effect is to
destroy the integration of organism. Properly speaking such destruction should
be independent of metabolic rate to be the result of lethal factor. The lethal effect
of any identity may be separated into two components a) the incipient lethal level,
that level of the identity concerned beyond which organism can no longer like for
an indefinite period of time. b) effective time, the period of time acquired to bring
about at lethal effect at a given level of the identity beyond the incipient lethal.
2. Controlling factors: Controlling factors comprise one of two categories which
govern the metabolic rate what are considered here as controlling factors are
what Blackman termed 'tonic effects. Controlling factors govern the metabolic
rate by this influence on state of molecular activation of the component of the
metabolic chain. Controlling factors place bound to two levels of metabolism.
They permit a certain maximum in the absence of a limiting factor through their
influence on the later of chemical reactions. The controlling factors also demand
certain minimum metabolic rate which is taken is necessary to release the energy
required for the repair reactions needed to keep the organism in being.
3. Limiting factors: It makes up the second category of identity that govern the
metabolic rate. They are Blackman's factors of supply in his original treatment of
limiting factors and the category to which Leibig's law of minimum applies. Both
the term and concept of the factor have been widely used in this connection. The
usage here is simply to restrict the definition to what was the major border of
Blackman's exposition. It operates by restricting the supply or removal of
materials in metabolic chain. Thus a reduction in the supply of oxygen below a
certain level it can be said that oxygen supply is limiting.
4. Masking factors: A masking factor is an identity which modifies the operation of
second identity on organism. An organism achieves all its physiological
regulation by the exploitation of marking factor through the channeling of energy
by some anatomical device. For example, deep sea fishes with swim bladder
have pressures of gas in these bladder for in excess of pressure that could be
generated by releasing all the atmospheric gases held in blood. To make this gas
available at high pressure, the fish exploit a second physical law, namely the
property of dissolved gases to diffuse down a pressure gradient.
5. Directive factors: These allow or require a response on part of organism
directed in some relation to gradient of factor in space or time. The factor elicits
the well known forced movement. They also provide for the animal's guidance in
moving about the environment in relation to physical obtader and for its
interaction with other organism. The directive factor also trigger physiological
process without mediation of senses, as in effect of photoperiod on the pituitary.
Directive factors operate by impingement of energy on some appropriate target.
The energy absorbed initiates a signal which appropriately metabolism into the
appropriate response.
 5.1.4. Categories of stress
Stress may be divided into three categories. They are a) response to cultural procedure
b) response to disease c) response to water pollutants.
Stress response to culture procedure
The intensification of fish culture and the consequent rearing of fish in man-made
environments has resulted in the fish being exposed to a number of stresses which they
do not experience at all in natural environment or do not experience to the same
degree.
First group
It is the consequency of the artificial environment itself and can include such factor as
temperature, salinity charge, stocking density, O 2 concentration, pH and water velocity
etc
The intensification of fish culture and the consequent rearing of fish in man-made
environments have resulted in the fish being exposed to a number of stresses which
they do not experience at all in natural environment or do not experience to the same
degree. First group stimulus being referred to as the stressor. The components of this
response are collectively known as the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) which can
be divided on a temporal basis into stages of alarm. It also been demonstrated by
schereck who presence evidence to show that dimination of "awareness" reduces the
magnitudes of the physiological stress response.

It is the consequency of the artificial environment itself and can include such factor as
temperature, salinity charge, stocking density, O 2 concentration, pH and water velocity
etc
Second group
It relates to the stress of the fish that is fed and includes such factors like protein quality
vitamin cone., lipid type, mineral level etc .,
Third group
It consist of handling procedure like capture, anaesthesia, grading, storing by sex etc
5.1.5. Stress response to disease and treatments
Fishes are exposed to disease related stress in both culture facilities such as density or
dietry problems in the natural environment where it may also occur in conjunction with
other stress such as temperature.
For example
Species Disease
S. gairdneri Myxobacterium
O. nerka Copper
O. gorbuscha Bacterial kidney disease
 5.1.6. Stress response to water pollutants
Man's activities have increasing impact on the natural environment of salmonoids and
other fishes both in freshwater and in coastal saltwater habitats .
Species Pollutant
S. gairdneri Chromium
Copper
O. nerka
I
O. kisutub A mmonia
5.1.7. Action of stresses
In fishes measured reported 3 min. lateney under harsh conditions involving struggling
and anoxia and a 5-fold increase in plasma A and NA levels after 5 min. of forced
swimming. Besides A and NA small amount of dopamine have been found in
elasmobranch plasma and auxiliary bodies and in teleost plasma. In most experimental
conditions involving harsh stress the amine increase by 5-20 fold in others only 2-5 fold.
5.1.8. Resting level
The modulation of the adrenergic response in terms of the nature and intensity of
stimulus makes it difficult to assess the resting levels of plasma A in fish
Species Resting value
Cyclostomes 2.5x10-10
Teleosts 2.95x10-9
5.1.9. Osmotic stress
The particular emphasis is placed on physiological effects of the osmotic stress of
transferring fish from freshwater to sea some stress occurred reverse. In this time some
stress occurred is called as Osmotic Stress.
5.1.10. Ionic stress
An attempt is made to define those areas of osmotic and ionic regulation which are
likely to be influenced by stress. This stress is called as ionic stress.
5.1.11. Stress in defence mechanism
Stress modulates many of the defence mechanisms suppressmg some and exgenating
other. This may be advantageous or injuries. to the animal concerned depending upon
the complex interaction below the stress factors and the animals physiological state
which will eventually determine how well the animal will adapt to the situation.
5.1.12. Thermal stress
Thermal stress is defined as any temperature change that produces a significant
disturbance in the normal function of a freshwater teleost and thus decreases the
probability of survival thermal stress considered only at the level of individual fish and
emphasis is placed on ecological rather than physiological effects.
5.1.13. Stress control
Fishery managers should be concerned with optimizing the space of the realized
performance capacity of their stocks. Some activities of the fish all undoubtedly more
important than others and we would need to consider the contribution of each
performance factor under various management options.
5.1.14. Conclusion
Mostly as stress plays a physiological load on the fish, there by reducing its capacity to
perform with regard to subsequent stresses the appropriate recovery time depends
upon the severity and duration of the initial stress and on habitat conditions such as
temperature, introducing hatchery reared fish into waters containing a wide population
could conceivable result in reduced performance.