Effect of elevated embryonic incubation temperature on the temperature preference of juvenile lake (Coregonus clupeaformis) and round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum)

Using lake and round whitefish, we tested whether incubation temperature altered the preferred temperature of fish later in life. Temperature preference was altered in round whitefish, fish reared in warmer temperatures preferred cooler temperatures at 12 months of age. Round whitefish were more sen...

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Published in:Conservation physiology 2023-01, Vol.11 (1), p.coad067-coad067
Main Authors: Harman, Adam, Mahoney, Hannah, Thompson, William Andrew, Fuzzen, Meghan L M, Aggarwal, Bhuvan, Laframboise, Lisa, Boreham, Douglas R, Manzon, Richard G, Somers, Christopher M, Wilson, Joanna Y
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Language:English
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Summary:Using lake and round whitefish, we tested whether incubation temperature altered the preferred temperature of fish later in life. Temperature preference was altered in round whitefish, fish reared in warmer temperatures preferred cooler temperatures at 12 months of age. Round whitefish were more sensitive to incubation temperature than lake whitefish. Abstract Anthropogenic impacts can lead to increased temperatures in freshwater environments through thermal effluent and climate change. Thermal preference of aquatic organisms can be modulated by abiotic and biotic factors including environmental temperature. Whether increased temperature during embryogenesis can lead to long-term alterations in thermal preference has not been explicitly tested in native freshwater species. Lake (Coregonus clupeaformis) and round (Prosopium cylindraceum) whitefish were incubated at natural and elevated temperatures until hatching, following which, all groups were moved to common garden conditions (15°C) during the post-hatching stage. Temperature preference was determined at 8 months (Lake whitefish only) and 12 months of age (both species) using a shuttle box system. Round whitefish preferred a cooler temperature when incubated at 2 and 6°C compared with 0.5°C. Lake whitefish had similar temperature preferences regardless of age, weight and incubation temperature. These results reveal that temperature preference in freshwater fish can be programmed during early development, and that round whitefish may be more sensitive to incubation temperature. This study highlights the effects that small increases in temperature caused by anthropogenic impacts may have on cold-adapted freshwater fish.
ISSN:2051-1434
2051-1434
DOI:10.1093/conphys/coad067