Morphological, physiological and behavioural response patterns of carp gudgeon Hypseleotris spp. to food deprivation: implications for assessing health

Morphological (growth, Fulton s condition factor), physiological (per cent dry mass, total lipid content) and behavioural (activity levels) response patterns of carp gudgeon Hypseleotris spp. were examined in response to food deprivation during a 56 day experiment. Considerable variability in the nature and magnitude of these response patterns was observed, suggesting that caution should be taken when interpreting changes in the health of small-bodied fishes based on individual response variables.