Fish, amphibians and reptiles in the lab Flashcards
1
Q
Why is the zebra fish a good model?
A
- small, can be kept in large numbers
- females can spawn every 2-3 days
- short generation time, 3-4 months
- sequenced genome
- increasing interest in behaviour
2
Q
Why is the stickleback a good model?
A
- well studied species
- very popular in behavioural studies
- becoming popular in tox studies
- genome sequenced
3
Q
Pain in fish
A
- rainbow trout has the same type of nociceptors as mammals
- as in mammals pain information from head and mouth conveyed by the trigeminal nerve
- respond behaviorally to noxious stimuli
- this response is reduced by analgesic (morphine)
4
Q
Name some stressors for fish
A
- hypoxia
- bad water quality
- temperature
- handling
- transport crowding
- social interactions
5
Q
Physiological effects of sympathetic activation and elevated plasma catecholamine concentrations
A
- increased HR
- stimulation of breathing, oxygen uptake and transport
- increase in blood flow to gills, brain and skeletal muscles
- reduction in blood supply to the GI tract
- elevelated blood glucose levels
6
Q
Why is it costly to breath water?
A
- holds lower oxygen concentration than air
- has a higher density than air
- is more viscous than air
- oxygen has a lower diffusion coefficient in water than in air
7
Q
Effects of air exposure in fish
A
- drastically reduced O2 levels in the blood
- increase in blood pCO2
- larger increase in blood and muscle lactate concentrations
- larger decrease in blood and muscle pH
- even a very short air exposure results in drastically elevated mortality
- gills collaps in gravity
8
Q
How to reduce the effects of stress in fish
A
- low temperature
- starve the fish
- NaCl to the water
9
Q
Behavioural effects of social subordination
A
- suppression of aggressive behaviour
- decreased appetite and food intake
- lowered locomotor activity
- a general inhibition of behavioural responsiveness
