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Biology/Effect of temperature on fish

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Expert: - 6/6/2010


Question
HI,
im doing an exmperiment on how temperature affects Guppy fish.
I found that in warmer temperatures fry grow slightly faster.
Why would this be?

Thanks for your time,
Chantelle :)

Answer
Dear Chantelle,

I can't answer your homework for you completely, but I can give you a hint.  Fish are poikilotherms (meaning that the environment controls their body temperature, not their metabolism) and ectotherms (meaning they obtain their heat from the environment).  When you change the water temperature, you change the fish's body temperature, too.

And chemical reactions, including things like DNA synthesis, metabolic pathways, etc., usually proceed faster when temperatures are higher.  This has limits, of course.  At certain critically high temperatures, the enzymes and other molecules cease to function properly because their shape changes (they become denatured) and death can ensue.

Hope this helps.

Dana

Biology

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Dana Krempels, Ph.D.

Expertise

I can answer biology-related questions in the areas of evolution, zoology, botany, genetics, and ecology. But I don't answer homework questions or provide ideas for your science fair projects. So students please do your learning the right way by reading your text assignments and studying!

Experience

At the University of Miami, I teach Evolution and Biodiversity, Botany, Zoology, Genetics, Ecology, and a variety of seminars (e.g., the Biology and Evolution of Human Gender Roles).

Education/Credentials
I have a B.S. in Biology and an A.B. in English from the University of Southern California (1980). I earned my Ph.D. in Biology in the area of evolutionary biology/visual physiology from the University of Miami in 1989.

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I am currently an "expert" in both the "Rabbits" and "Wild Animals" categories.

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