Ms. Lauren R Bantista

The objective of our study is to gain a better understanding of how killifish respond to changes in water temperature, with a goal of forecasting how these fishes may fare in the future as nearshore water temperatures continue to rise. We are working with gulf killifish, longnose killifish, and diamond killifish species, Fundulus grandis, Fundulus similis, and Fundulus seminolis. Specifically, we will quantify and statistically compare thermal tolerance of all three species, and interpret the results relative to the fishes’ activity and distribution in their natural habitat.