Do copper tolerant fathead minnows produce copper tolerant adult offspring?

The objective of this study was to determine if the relative Cu tolerance of fathead minnow parents determines the relative Cu tolerance of their adult offspring. It was hypothesized that the adult offspring of Cu-tolerant minnows would inherit Cu tolerance from their parents. The relative Cu tolerance of 96 adult fish was determined based upon their reduction in swim performance following a sublethal exposure to 150 μg Cu/l. Control, Cu-tolerant and Cu-susceptible lines of fish were produced and fish within each line were allowed to breed. The offspring were raised to adults, then exposed to one of two sublethal Cu concentrations (150 or 225 μg Cu/l) for 8 days. There were no significant differences in relative Cu tolerance, as measured by reduction in swim performance, among the three lines of fish at either dose. However, significant differences in whole body Na⁺ occurred among the fish lines after exposure to 150 μg Cu/l, but not after exposure to 225 μg Cu/l. Significant differences in whole body Cu occurred between Cu-tolerant and Cu-susceptible fish lines after exposure to either Cu dose. The offspring did not inherit the relative Cu tolerance of their parents, however, the selection lines had diverged from each other, particularly with respect to their whole body Cu concentrations after exposure.