Goldfish cold water survival secret - Ethanol!

[MitchM]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170811085036.htm

 

[MoonShadows]

Amazing how creatures adapt in their own way.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Yep! They manufacture their own form of 'anti-freeze'. This ability is shared with some species of turtles.
This ability not only allows them to survive extremely low temperatures (even freezing) for extended periods, it also allows them to survive in anoxic conditions.

Additional sources (sorry, no links, from personal library)-

OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, BRAIN METABOLISM AND RESPIRATORY MOVEMENTS OF GOLDFISH DURING TEMPERATURE ACCLIMATIZATION, WITH SPECIAL REFER
ENCE TO LOWERED TEMPERATURES'
John A, Freeman

THE METABOLIC STRATEGY OF THE ANOXIC GOLDFISH
Eric Alan Shoubridge

SIMULTANEOUS DIRECT AND INDIRECT CALORIMETRY ON NORMOXIC AND ANOXIC GOLDFISH
J. Van Waverfeld, A. D. F. Addink And G. Van Den
Thillart

And there is also this chart for determining high and low levels of temperature toleration for Goldfish.

 

[MitchM]

Amazing how creatures adapt in their own way.

What I also find amazing is that we have science that can discover these details.

Yep! They manufacture their own form of 'anti-freeze'. This ability is shared with some species of turtles.
This ability not only allows them to survive extremely low temperatures (even freezing) for extended periods, it also allows them to survive in anoxic conditions.

Additional sources (sorry, no links, from personal library)-

OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, BRAIN METABOLISM AND RESPIRATORY MOVEMENTS OF GOLDFISH DURING TEMPERATURE ACCLIMATIZATION, WITH SPECIAL REFER
ENCE TO LOWERED TEMPERATURES'
John A, Freeman

THE METABOLIC STRATEGY OF THE ANOXIC GOLDFISH
Eric Alan Shoubridge

SIMULTANEOUS DIRECT AND INDIRECT CALORIMETRY ON NORMOXIC AND ANOXIC GOLDFISH
J. Van Waverfeld, A. D. F. Addink And G. Van Den
Thillart

And there is also this chart for determining high and low levels of temperature toleration for Goldfish.

View attachment 103188

I'm not understanding what exactly that graph represents. It shows a lower "lethal" limit of 9C.

.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

What I also find amazing is that we have science that can discover these details.



I'm not understanding what exactly that graph represents. It shows a lower "lethal" limit of 9C.

.

That is the example. To find the limits find the current temperature that the goldfish is adapted to on the diagonal dotted line. Draw a straight vertical line using this as a reference point to find Min. and Max.
For example. the the current adapted temperature of the water is 16C the minimum non-lethal temperature would be 0C and the maximum non-lethal temperature would be about 33C.

 

[MitchM]

Isn't temperature adaptation just a matter of time?

 

[Jhn]

Interesting, so I shouldn't let my goldfish drive, when there is ice on the pond.

Seriously, it is interesting how animals can adapt to their surroundings.

Like the graph too that shows how the temperature range goldfish can handle while at a certain temp. Very informative thread Meyer and Mitch.

 

[MitchM]

The level of alcohol really surprises me as well.
Goldfish can generate levels of 5mg/l.* We humans are considered impaired at levels of 8 mg/l.
No wonder we refer to our goldfish as "coming out of their winter stupor"!

(*corrected the previously stated alcohol concentration)

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Isn't temperature adaptation just a matter of time?

Yes, and you will find this interesting also.

https://www.researchgate.net/profil...-membranes/links/54d12ff90cf25ba0f040cfe5.pdf

Keep in mind that these were abrupt changes in temperature levels not the gradual change that usually occurs in a natural environment

 

[MitchM]

That's true. My fish experience 0C for 6 months of the year and never experience anything above 21C.

 

[addy1]

I was wondering why my fish swim crooked in the winter................

Neat info! thanks for posting

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Here is a link to the full article referrred to in the opening post in this thread.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-07385-4

 

[MitchM]

Here is a link to the full article referrred to in the opening post in this thread.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-07385-4

Thanks, but do you have the plain english version...

 

[MitchM]

Actually, once you get past the article title and abstract it's fairly straightforward.
I can only imagine the lab facilities and equipment required.
It sounds like this study had some proper funding behind it.
Really appreciate you posting the full study. It gives a person an idea of the effort required for the findings.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Thanks, but do you have the plain english version...

That's funny. What you posted is the plain English version. Many times I find myself researching terminology definitions just so I can understand the scientific nomenclature.
Most people would be amazed if they could see the sheer volume of research papers that are published daily on all imaginable subjects.
I rely on lot on Google Scholar alerts. I have about 20 separate alerts set up on different aspects of freshwater biology and limnology. Twice a week I automatically receive emails for each alert providing titles of articles and the links to them. Each of these alerts will contain anywhere from 2 to 20 different research papers that have been recently published.
For those Forum members that do any research or even if information is needed on a subject at a particular time, I would recommend using Google Scholar first. Here is where one will find the scientifically based information and not the anecdotal type found on the open internet.