Fish Are Warmer, Faster, Stronger: Unexpected Benefits of Living in a Changing Climate

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120814135157.htm

Fish Are Warmer, Faster, Stronger: Unexpected Benefits of Living in a Changing Climate, Biologists Find

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Zebrafish embryos, taken 28 hours after fertilization (a little over a third of the way through embryonic development). (Credit: Ian Johnston)

ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2012) — New research by McMaster University biologist Graham Scott suggests that growing up at warmer temperatures helps some aquatic animals cope with climate change, raising questions about the limits of adaptation.

Working with Ian Johnston at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, Scott has found that raising zebrafish at warmer temperatures as embryos actually improves their ability to adjust to both higher and lower temperatures as adults.

Their research shows the fish are hardier after being raised in a warm-water nursery, and raises the question of how far the temperature can rise before the advantage becomes a liability, as inevitably it will, Scott says.