Thermal tolerance in zebrafish

This application covers an evolution experiment on zebrafish. We will test if thermal tolerance can is adaptable (through laboratory evolution) by selecting for fish with high and low thermal tolerance. The selection will continue for three years and the physiology of the resulting populations will be compared. The fish will be reared at optimal temperature (28°C) and optimal conditions to ensure rapid growth and early maturation. When in the juvenile stage, each fish will be tested for thermal tolerance once, using a critical temperature test. That testing procedure may be stressful for the fish, but the thermal challenge is concluded within 30 minutes, whereafter the fish rapidly recover in their optimal temperature. This experiment includes 18 000 zebrafish.