Brood Success and Climate Change: How Temperature Affects Reproductive Output in a Freshwater Fish

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Date

2024-05

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The Ohio State University

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Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of elevated temperatures on the reproductive success and larval survival of Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor, a mouthbrooding cichlid native to East Africa. Anthropogenic climate change poses a grave threat to global ecosystems, disrupting climatic norms at an unprecedented pace. Freshwater ecosystems face significant risks due to biodiversity loss and habitat alterations. This experiment exposed P. multicolor to elevated temperatures approaching their upper thermal limit and compared the reproductive success and larval growth rates to control treatments of ideal temperatures. Results reveal a stark discrepancy in brood success between control and experimental groups, indicating a significant negative impact of elevated temperatures on reproductive success. It is predicted that sustained exposure leads to maternal starvation and subsequent brood cannibalism, impeding successful reproduction. These findings shed light on the intricate interplay between temperature stress, metabolic demands, and parental investment in reproductive success. Understanding how temperature changes affect key species like P. multicolor is critical for developing effective strategies to safeguard freshwater biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change.

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Fish, Reproduction, Climate Change, Temperature, Cichlid, Brooding

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