Abstract
The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of a temperature increase on the behaviour of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) maintained for 21 days at 34 °C (treatment) and 26 °C (control). The temperatures chosen are within the vital range of zebrafish and correspond to temperatures that this species encounters in the natural environment. Previous results showed that the same treatment affects the brain proteome and the behaviour of adult zebrafish by producing alterations in the proteins involved in neurotransmitter release and synaptic function and impairing fish exploratory behaviour. In this study, we have investigated the performance of treated and control zebrafish during environmental exploration by using four behavioural tests (novel tank diving, light and dark preference, social preference and mirror biting) that are paradigms for assessing the state of anxiety, boldness, social preference and aggressive behaviour, respectively. The results showed that heat treatment reduces anxiety and increases the boldness of zebrafish, which spent more time in potentially dangerous areas of the tank such as the top and the uncovered bright area and at a distance from the social group, thus decreasing protection for the zebrafish. These data suggest that the increase in ambient temperature may compromise zebrafish survival rate in the natural environment.
Highlights
The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of a temperature increase on the behaviour of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) maintained for 21 days at 34 °C and 26 °C
We documented the effect of a temperature increase on adult zebrafish by providing evidence that exposure to 34 °C for 21 days changes behavioural parameters compared with the control temperature (26 °C)
The results indicate that heat treatment alters the animal’s anxiety state and the behaviour of zebrafish in a new environment
Summary
The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of a temperature increase on the behaviour of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) maintained for 21 days at 34 °C (treatment) and 26 °C (control). The results showed that heat treatment reduces anxiety and increases the boldness of zebrafish, which spent more time in potentially dangerous areas of the tank such as the top and the uncovered bright area and at a distance from the social group, decreasing protection for the zebrafish These data suggest that the increase in ambient temperature may compromise zebrafish survival rate in the natural environment. Teleosts are widely used in ecological, behavioural and neurobehavioural studies since several lines of evidence have demonstrated that complex behaviours such as anxiety, aggression, learning and memory are conserved throughout the vertebrates[13,14] and that behavioural indicators can be used to monitor environmental contamination[7] and evaluate the impact of sublethal doses of pollutants[15] on fish survival[16] Given their ecological and economic importance, teleost fish are relevant models for studying the effects of short- and long-term thermal variation[17,18]. This makes it possible to acclimate experimental animals to high or low temperatures in aquaria while still remaining in the range tolerated by the animal
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