Measures of thermal tolerance

Evaluating the thermal tolerance of fishes allows us to understand and predict how changes to their thermal environment may impact their fitness and ecology. There are a variety of methods for measuring thermal tolerance, each with their own set of specific methodological criteria and capacity to answer different types of research questions. Thermal tolerance is impacted by acclimation/acclimatization and a variety of other biotic and abiotic factors. Understanding these interactions and effects on thermal tolerance enables more realistic predictions and applications of thermal tolerance measures to conservation of fish species.