Abstract
This chapter will draw attention to the importance of performing more research on the effects of stress on the reproductive performance of fishes. The subject will be approached from the point of view that reproduction may have a narrower tolerance to stress than any other life function, while enjoying at the same time a pivotal role in the success or failure of a population in nature. The sensitivity of reproduction to stress has emerged during the last 10 years. Mount (1968) announced this point of view for the first time in his studies of the effect of copper on the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). He said, “It appears from these data that there is a range of concentration of copper in water in which indefinite survival is possible but reproduction is inhibited and that this effect is not detected by measurements of growth or histopathological examination.” This statement has been echoed many times since, and it is now taken for granted that the bioassay of any stressor must take into account the whole life cycle with the strong possibility that reproduction will be the most sensitive part. Reproductive bioassays are as much as 200–500 times more sensitive than acute survival bioassays (Eaton 1973).
This research was performed under contract No. EY-76-5-02-2498 sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
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Gerking, S.D. (1980). Fish Reproduction and Stress. In: Ali, M.A. (eds) Environmental Physiology of Fishes. NATO Advanced Study Institutes Series, vol 35. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3659-2_22
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