The maintenance conditions of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) breeding stock affect the survival and behavior of their offspring

Abstract

The environment in which we live influences our biological traits throughout our ontogeny, being markedly significant during the beginning of our lives. Some characteristics inherited (genetically and/or epigenetically) from parents can also influence individual development, known as transgenerational effects. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the transgenerational effects in the offspring of parental fish prior exposed to different environments in terms of quality (from poor quality to good quality one). We evaluated the consequences of different parental environmental quality on survival and behavior of their offspring. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) was used as our experimental model. To do that, zebrafish breeders were kept in different environments (stressful (poor quality), standard (neutral) or enriched (high quality)) for 15 days before reproduction. After this maintenance period, the breeders reproduced, and their offspring were evaluated for survival and exploratory behavior. Our results show that breeders kept under low welfare conditions (stressful environment) produced offspring with higher mortality rates compared to the other environmental conditions. Also, the survived offspring of parents that were in low welfare conditions exhibited increased anxiety as detected in behavioral tests. Thus, we conclude that the maintenance environment of breeders significantly affects the development of traits of their offspring, emphasizing the importance of breeders’ welfare for both fish farming and scientific research laboratories.