The UTC Graduate School is pleased to announce that Elizabeth McAllister will present Master’s research titled, A Quantitative Evaluation of Environmental Enrichment for Stream Fish at the Tennessee Aquarium on 10/15/2025 at 10:30 AM in Holt 399. Everyone is invited to attend.
Environmental Science
Chair: Hope Klug
Co-Chair:
Abstract:
Environmental enrichment is a technique utilized by zoos and aquaria to elevate the welfare of animals under human care, and environmental enrichment has been shown to increase well-being, promote natural behavior expression, and reduce maladaptive behavior frequency in fishes. Additionally, environmental education has been shown to be most effective at zoos and aquaria where animals are held in ecologically relevant conditions that mimic those found in the wild. I conducted a study regarding seasonal mimicking in the Tennessee Aquarium’s Ridges to Rivers stream tank in order to evaluate the efficacy of seasonal mimicking as a method of environmental enrichment. Aquarists simulate seasonal change within the tank by gradually changing its temperature and water flow. I quantified the behavioral frequencies of Tangerine Darters and Tennessee Dace in response to temperature. If seasonal mimicking functions as a form of environmental enrichment, I expected both Tangerine Darters and Tennessee Dace to exhibit behavioral characteristics consistent with those observed in wild populations under similar conditions. As temperature increased, Tennessee Dace became more active (i.e., they spent more time swimming, drifted less, and engaged in more quick movements), and may have increased their space use (i.e., engaged in more movement between microhabitats). Tangerine Darters became more active (i.e., they swam more and were stationary less), increased their space use (i.e., engaged in more movement between microhabitats), were more likely to be adjacent to another fish (particularly another Tangerine Darter), spent more time begging, and may have begged, been obscured from view, engaged in hiding, and engaged in spawning-related behavior more frequently as temperature increased. Both species did not exhibit any maladaptive behaviors (i.e., gasping, biting another fish, being bitten by another fish, and stereotypic movement). Results show that Tangerine Darters and Tennessee Dace held in the stream tank exhibit behavioral characteristics consistent with those expected of wild populations as temperature increases. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that maladaptive behaviors do not arise in response to seasonal mimicking. Thus, the results indicate that seasonal mimicking is an effective mode of environmental enrichment for Tangerine Darters and Tennessee Dace, and that environmental education regarding these species at the Tennessee Aquarium is most likely effective due to the fishes’ display of natural behaviors.