The Effect of Low pH Level on Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Reproductive Performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46754/umtjur.v2i1.100Keywords:
zebrafish, pH, spawning frequency, fertilisation rate, hatching rateAbstract
Danio rerio or commonly known as zebrafish are a very popular fish among scientists and also a well-known vertebrate model species widely used in research. Zebrafish, are also a popular species among aquarists and have been put in aquariums all around the world as ornamental fish. The acid rain phenomenon has lowered the pH level of the wild habitat of zebrafish by shifting it to a more acidic pH level. This study was carried out to observe the effect of low pH level on the reproductive performance of zebrafish. The zebrafish were quarantined for a week to make sure they were healthy to be used in the experiment. The zebrafish were reared continuously for 14 days in three different pH treatments T1 (pH 2-4), T2 (pH 4-6), T3 (pH 6-8)). T3 (pH 6-8) was used as the control treatment. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) was used to control the pH level of treatments T1 (pH 2-4), T2 (pH 4-6), T3 (pH 6-8) with three replicates of each treatment. The male chasing female frequency was significant (p: 0.0001) and the data showed the highest frequency (2568.000±140.6272) at treatment 3 (pH 6-8). For the spawning frequency of zebrafish, treatment 3 (pH 6-8) showed the highest value (4.000±0.5774) followed by treatment 2 and treatment 1 and the data was significant (p: 0.0004). The fertilisation rate of the zebrafish was significant (p: 0.0001) and the highest was shown at T2 (pH 4-6) with 89.8018±0.3782, followed by T3 and treatment T1. For the hatching rate of the zebrafish, the data collected were significant (p: 0.0002) and the highest value of 2.9350±0.4070 was shown at T3 (pH 6-8), followed by T2 (pH 4-6) and T1 (pH 2-4). The overall result showed that pH 2-4 had the worst effect on the reproductive performance of zebrafish. Therefore, low pH has a significant effect on reducing the reproductive performance of zebrafish. The local fish population can be affected by the decrease of pH level due to acid rains and chemical waste pollution.
References
Ana C. B., Nuno P., Maysaf., Liliana V., Margarida P., Monica V. C., Ana A., Teresa A., Manuel R., 2016. Implementation of a Zebrafish Health Program in a Research Facility: A 4-Year Retrospective Study. Zebrafish. 13(1), 115-126.
Bart A. N. & Dunham R. A., 1996. Effects of sperm concentration and egg number on fertilization efficiency with channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) eggs and blue catfish (I. furcatus) spermatozoa. Theriogenology.45(3), 673-68.
Bernama, 17.03.2019. Chemical waste pollution in Sg Kim Kim affects livelihood of fishermen. The Star.
D’Amen M., Vignoli L., Bologna M. A., 2007. The effects of temperature and pH on the embryonic development of two species of Triturus (Caudata: Salamandridae). Amphibia-Reptilia. 28, 295-300
Das P.C., Ayyappan S., Jena J.K., 2006. Haematological changes in the three Indian major carps, Catlacatla (Hamilton), Labeorohita (Hamilton) and Cirrhinusmrigala (Hamilton) exposed to acidic and alkaline water pH. Aquaculture. 256, 80-87.
Eaton R.C. & Farley R.D., 1974. Spawning cycle and egg production in zebrafish, Brachy danio rerio, reared in the laboratory. Copeia. 1, 195-204.
Evans D. H., Piermarini P.M.,Choe K.P., 2005. The multifunctional fish gill: dominant site of gas exchange, osmoregulation, acid–base regulation, and excretion of nitrogenous waste. Physiological Reviews. 8, 97-177.
Fievet B. & Motais R., 1991. Na+/H+ Exchanges and Red Blood Cell Functions In Fish. In: Advances In Comparative And Environmental Physiology. Advances in Comparative And Environmental Physiology. 8, 79-104.
Gao Y., Kim S-G., Lee J-Y., 2011. Effect of pH on fertilization and hatching rates of far eastern catfish, Silurus asotus. Fish Aquat Sci 14(4), 417-420.
Graham C., von Keyserlingk M. A. G., Franks B., 2018. Zebrafish welfare: Natural history,social motivation and behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.200, 13-22.
Gomez, K. A. and Gomez, A.A., 1984. Statistical Procedures in Agricultural Research. 2nd Edn., John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA., Pages: 680
Hamilton, 1822. ITIS Report. Retrived from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/ SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_ value=163699#null, 26 September 2018.
Hoo J. Y., Kumari Y., Shaikh M. F., Hue S. M., Goh B. H., 2016.Zebrafish: A Versatile Animal Model for Fertility. Biomedical Research International.2016,20.
Kinth P., Mahesh G., Panwar Y., 2013. Mapping of Zebrafish Research: A Global Outlook. Zebrafish. 10(4), 510–517.
Kwong R. W. M., Kumai Y., Perry S.F., 2014. The physiology of fish at low pH: the zebrafish as a model system. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 217, 651-662.
Lawrence C., 2007. The husbandry of zebrafish (Danio rerio): A review. Aquaculture.269, 1-20.
Poppe S., 2017. The Effects of Acid Rain on Embryonic Development of Danio rerio. Union Grove Union High School.
Pradhan A. & Per-Erik Olsson, 2015.Zebrafish sexual behaviors: role of sex steroid hormones and prostaglandins. BMC Part of Springer Nature.11, 23.
Prasad G. &Charles S., 2010. Haematology and leucocyte enzyme cytochemistry of a threatened yellow catfish Horabagrus brachysoma(Gunther 1864). Fish Physiology and Biochemistry. 36(3), 435-443.
Rogers A. (2018 August 05). Have we forgotten acid rain? Borneo Post Online.
Tsang B., Zahid H., Ansari R., Lee R. C., Partap A.,Gerlai R., 2017. Breeding Zebrafish: A Review of Different Methods and a Discussion on Standardization. Gerlai lab. 14(6), 561-573.
Westerfield M., 2007. The Zebrafish Book. A guide for the laboratory use of zebrafish Danio (Brachydanio) Rerio,.4th Edition, 2000.5th Edition, 2007.Chapter 3(1). Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon.
Zahangir M. M., Haque F., Mostakim G. M., Khatun H., Islam M. S., 2015a. Effect of waterpH on the early developmental responses in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Progressive Agriculture. 26, 85-89.
Zahangir M. M.,Haque F., Mostakim G. M., Islam M. S., 2015b. Secondary stress responses of zebrafish to different pH: Evaluation in a seasonal manner. Aquaculture Reports. 2, 91-96.
