Social cues can push amphibious fish to their thermal limits

Biology Letters
PublishedOctober 31, 2018  17:01 EDT (Brief from the Royal Society)
Researchers used a tropical, air-breathing fish that routinely leaves the water to avoid stressful situations to determine if social information affected how the fish responded to increasing water temperatures. The fish prioritized social interactions over escape from thermal stress, such that they remained in water perilously close to their thermal maximum. This shows that social imperatives may push animals to their thermal limits and compromise survival, making them susceptible to climate warming.

Canadian co-authors: Suzanne Currie, Acadia University, Nova Scotia – scurrie@mta.ca; Glenn Tattersall, Brock University – gtatters@brocku.ca