Varied temperature scales help fish cope

Published on 18/08/2012 02:25

The temperature a fish experiences at the earliest stage of development can affect how it copes with temperature changes later in life, new research suggests.

Researchers found that zebrafish embryos incubated in water warmer, or cooler, than average coped better with variation as adults.

The fish could swim faster and had muscle better suited for aerobic exercise than fish whose embryos were incubated at average temperatures.

The study suggests that being exposed to challenging temperatures in early life might help some fish cope with warmer or more variable temperatures when they get older, which could help mitigate the adverse effects of global warming.

It was carried out by Professor Ian Johnston and Dr Graham Scott at the University of St Andrews.