Presentation Details
| Incognito Mode: The efficacy of camouflage netting covers to reduce fear in laboratory Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Evan Faulkner, brian greco. University of New England, Biddeford, ME, USA |
Abstract
Although Zebrafish are one of the most commonly utilized animal models in biomedical sciences, research on their behavioral indicators of welfare is sparse. We investigated whether Zebrafish fear and comfort behaviors are enhanced when camouflage netting covers are placed over standard 2.8L laboratory tanks. We hypothesized that when tank covers are added to standard tanks, the fish will be more dispersed and display less darting behavior in response to the predator model. We conducted fear tests using a cardboard model of an Indian pond heron head to startle fish. For analysis, we used instantaneous scan sampling of videos, focusing on darting behavior and location preference/dispersion within the tank. Following data collection, we processed the data into heat maps, locational diversity indexes, and ratios for analysis. Initial analyses indicate that the covered fish are more evenly dispersed than control fish. Covered fish also appear to dart more, but settle faster than the control fish.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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