Successful development of lake whitefishes depends on a narrow range of temperature
- Lake whitefish is a species of freshwater fish found in North American lakes including all of the Great Lakes.
- It is considered highly valuable in commercial fishing and occasionally used in sports fishing.
- Lake whitefish embryos usually develop during the winter season; thus, these embryos may be susceptible to changes in temperature.
- Researchers incubated whitefish embryos in different but constant temperatures and in varying temperatures.
- They discovered that hatchlings had a lower survival rate in 8 °C and varying temperatures than in 2 °C and 5 °C temperatures.
- Additionally, lake whitefish eggs tend to hatch earlier in 8 °C and varying temperatures compared to eggs in 2 °C and 5 °C temperatures.
- Researchers also found that hatchlings in 8 °C and varying temperatures were significantly smaller than in 2 °C and 5 °C temperatures.
- The study highlights the effect of temperature during embryonic development in lake whitefishes.
Source:
Eme, J., Mueller, C. A., Lee, A. H., Melendez, C., Manzon, R. G., Somers, C. M., Boreham, D. R., & Wilson, J. Y. (2018). Daily, repeating fluctuations in embryonic incubation temperature alter metabolism and growth of Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis). Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology, 226, 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.07.027
