Thermal biology of zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Zebrafish has become one of the most important animal models in research. Most of the variables studied using zebrafish are influenced by water temperature. The objective of this review was to analyze the published data on the thermal biology of the zebrafish. The paper first provides a brief introduction to zebrafish ecology and thermal tolerance, and continues with a review of the influence of temperature on several physiological variables, including development, growth, metabolism, reproduction, behavior, circadian biology and toxicology. Although a number of papers have already studied the effects of temperature on the zebrafish biology, knowledge in this field is still scarce, especially compared with other model organisms such as the rat, and therefore further research should be encouraged. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.