The dose makes the poison: Non-linear behavioural response to CO-induced aquatic acidification in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

CO-induced aquatic acidification is predicted to affect fish neuronal GABA receptors leading to widespread behavioural alterations. However, the large variability in the magnitude and direction of behavioural responses suggests substantial species-specific CO threshold differences, life history and parental acclimation effects, experimental artifacts, or a combination of these factors. As an established model organism, zebrafish (Danio rerio) can be reared under stable conditions for multiple generations, which may help control for some of the variability observed in wild-caught fishes.

Vision of conspecifics decreases the effectiveness of ethanol on zebrafish behaviour.

Aquatic organisms in pharmacology and toxicology research are often exposed to compounds in isolation prior to physiological or behavioural testing. Recent evidence suggests that the presence of conspecifics during a stressful event can modulate behavioural outcomes (called 'social buffering') when testing occurs within the same context. It is unknown, however, whether the social environment during exposure interacts with the efficacy of anxiety-altering substances when subsequently tested in the absence of conspecifics.