Meeting Abstract

P3.44  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Impact of temperature during early development on startle responses in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) FLAUTO, M. L.*; WARD, A. B.; Adelphi University; Adelphi University sflauto@aol.com

Altering significant environmental conditions such as temperature during early development can greatly affect an organisms survival. For example, it is well-known that temperature is correlated with vertebral number in ectothermic vertebrates. Previous work has demonstrated that fishes from colder regions tend to have fewer vertebrae than fishes from warmer regions. Vertebral number has also been shown to correlate with escape performance in a number of vertebrate species, including several fish species. Most fish perform startle responses, such as a C-start, when startled by a potential predator. To perform a C-start, the fish bends into a C-shape followed by rapid swimming away from the stimulus. It is likely that temperature during development will have an impact on adult escape performance. In this study, we raised zebrafish, (Danio rerio), at three different temperatures for six to eight weeks. From each temperature grouping at least 10 individuals were filmed performing C-starts. Skeletal preparations were then made for all individuals. We have found a significant difference in performance parameters between the temperature groupings. For example, the maximum velocity was greater from fish raised at lower temperatures than fish raised at higher temperatures. This study provides an important foundation for understanding the complex interactions between environmental conditions during development and adult survival.