The Effects of Acute Heatwaves on Fathead Minnows

Abstract

Extreme weather events are more common due to anthropogenic climate change (Kayler et al., 2015). Heatwaves are predicted to increase in magnitude and frequency (Kunkel et al., 2013). The effects of short heatwaves can manifest themselves in the form of carry over effects. Carry over effects occur when a stressful condition early in life has consequences (or “carries over”) to the individual’s next stage (O’Connor et al., 2014). Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were used for this experiment because they can withstand a wide temperature range and are important ecologically (Brett, 1944; Robb and Abrahams, 2003). We investigated how CTmax is affected by acclimation temperature, duration of heatwaves, and timing of heatwaves during early vs. late-life stages.