MadSci Network: Zoology
Query:

Re: Why is it that some fish live in warm waters and others limited to cold?

Date: Wed Mar 15 17:06:17 2000
Posted By: John Franklin Rawls, graduate student, Developmental Biology, Washington University
Area of science: Zoology
ID: 952661312.Zo
Message:

It is true that fish are found in waters with a wide range of temperatures.  
Certain fish may indeed be adapted to certain temperature ranges, and the 
specific means by which they are adapted to those water temperatures will 
vary from species to species (I would guess!).  While I have no general 
answer to why different fish are found at different temperatures, I would 
offer another issue to consider:  Besides temperature, there are numerous 
other characteristics of any environment that might determine whether a 
fish could survive there.  For instance, some of these other factors might 
include food supply, oxygen concentration, predation, salt concentration, 
etc..  So while it is largely true that carp are found living in warmer 
waters than trout, this observation maybe due to differences between their 
environments other than temperature.  Sorry I can not be more specific, but 
good question!



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