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Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Salinity-dependent Toxicity Assay of Silver Nanocolloids Using Medaka Eggs

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Published on: March 18, 2016

Fluctuating salinity during development impacts fish life histories.

Meng-Han Joseph Chung^1,2, Daniel W A Noble¹, Rebecca J Fox¹

¹Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

The Journal of Animal Ecology

|July 1, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Climate change impacts aquatic life. Stable salinity environments may offer a "silver spoon" effect, while fluctuating salinity triggers faster development and reproduction in mosquitofish.

Keywords:

environmental fluctuations fast‐slow continuum predictive adaptive response salinity silver spoon

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Bioindication Testing of Stream Environment Suitability for Young Freshwater Pearl Mussels Using In Situ Exposure Methods

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Published on: September 5, 2018

Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Environmental Science

Background:

Climate change and human activities are increasing salinity and variability in freshwater ecosystems.
Aquatic species face more extreme developmental conditions, potentially altering life-history traits.
Two hypotheses, 'silver spoon' and 'predictable adaptive response,' explain life-history shifts under varying developmental conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how stable versus fluctuating salinity during development affects the life-history traits of mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki).
To test the 'silver spoon' and 'predictable adaptive response' hypotheses in relation to salinity exposure.
To identify sex-specific responses to salinity fluctuations.

Main Methods:

Mosquitofish were reared from birth in three salinity conditions: freshwater control (0‰), stable saline (10‰), and fluctuating saline (0‰-20‰).
Life-history traits (growth, maturation, reproduction) were monitored until maturation.
Post-maturation performance and self-maintenance (telomere length, gut length) were assessed in a common garden setting.

Main Results:

Fish reared in fluctuating salinity exhibited slower growth and reduced reproductive output compared to those in stable saline conditions.
Fish in stable elevated salinity grew faster and matured earlier than freshwater controls, supporting the 'predictable adaptive response' hypothesis.
Salinity fluctuations affected self-maintenance differently than stable salinity, with sex-specific changes in telomere and gut length observed.

Conclusions:

Developmental salinity regime (stable vs. fluctuating) significantly influences fish life history and physiological traits.
The 'silver spoon' and 'predictable adaptive response' hypotheses provide frameworks for understanding these divergent life-history trajectories.
Sex-specific responses to environmental fluctuations highlight the complexity of adaptation to climate change in aquatic ecosystems.