From lab to ocean: bridging swimming energetics and wild actions to know pink drum ( Sciaenops ocellatus ) habits in a tidal estuary

Understanding how fish navigate complicated pure environments requires bridging fine-scale biomechanics with ecological habits. We investigated the volitional motion and energetics of untamed pink drum (
Sciaenops ocellatus
) throughout laboratory, mesocosm, and area settings. Using flow-respirometry, we quantified metabolic prices and swimming kinematics underneath ecologically related movement circumstances formed by bluff our bodies mimicking mangrove roots and oyster mounds. Fish swimming in turbulent wakes exhibited diminished oxygen consumption and altered tailbeat dynamics, particularly at excessive movement speeds. In a big out of doors mesocosm, twin accelerometers revealed a wealthy behavioral repertoire, together with maneuvering and relaxation, which isn’t simply observable in confined lab settings. Spectral evaluation and clustering recognized eight distinct locomotory states, highlighting the restrictions of summed acceleration metrics. Field telemetry tracked wild pink drum throughout a 54 km estuarine hall for a three-year interval by an array of 36 acoustic receivers, revealing motion patterns formed by tidal movement and bodily habitats. Hydrodynamic modeling revealed that whereas laboratory trials demonstrated substantial energetic financial savings at excessive flows (approaching 100 cm/s), wild fish had been detected predominantly in low-velocity microhabitats (<30 cm/s) close to structurally complicated options. This mismatch means that habitat choice is an adaptive technique pushed by ecological components reminiscent of foraging alternatives, predation refuge, and web site constancy, reasonably than hydrodynamic effectivity alone. Our multi-scalar strategy demonstrates that whereas flow-structure interactions can cut back locomotor prices for fish, habitat use within the wild displays broader ecological constraints, providing a framework for integrating biomechanics, physiology, and ecology in conservation-relevant contexts.