Does social isolation influence metabolism, copper accumulation, and thermal tolerance in a temperate fish?

Group living, exemplified by shoaling fish, offers individuals physiological benefits, including reduced stress responses (social buffering) and metabolism (the calming effect). These physiological benefits may have implications on toxicant accumulation in an aquatic environment. However, limited data exist on whether a social pair is sufficiently social to provide these benefits when compared to social isolation. We sought to investigate whether isolated and paired wild-caught anadromous threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) had different metabolic demands (oxygen uptake rate; ṀO2) and if ṀO2 drove accumulation of waterborne Cu, and whether these factors influenced the fish’s acute thermal tolerance (CTmax). Social isolation was hypothesized to elicit stress, increasing oxygen uptake and subsequent branchial accumulation of Cu, which in turn was predicted to limit the fish’s CTmax. Oxygen demand at the gills was not affected by Cu exposure nor social context. Despite this, ..., , # Does social isolation influence metabolism, copper accumulation, and thermal tolerance in a temperate fish?

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.gqnk98t2t](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gqnk98t2t)

## Description of the data and file structure

Fish were exposed to either copper or control water and had either their metabolic rate measured or their critical thermal maxima measured. The fish were then dissected and their tissues were analyzed for inorganic ion concentration.

### Files and variables

#### File: Sweden2022_rawdata.xlsx

**Description:** The \"Sweden2022_rawdata.xlsx\" file contains the raw data for the manuscript titled \"Does social isolation influence metabolism, copper accumulation, and thermal tolerance in a temperate fish?\"

##### Variables

* Water type: copper or control water
* Social context: a social isolated fish exposure or a socially paired fish exposure

## Description of the data and file structure

### Sheet: Water chemistry

This sheet contains the raw data for th...,