Building methodological consensus to ensure rigor and reproducibility in zebrafish fertility research

Abstract

Zebrafish are an increasingly popular model for studying the genetic and environmental factors that shape male and female fertility; however, the field currently lacks a standardized approach to fertility assessment. The current lack of consensus makes comparisons across studies more challenging and is an obstacle to reproducibility in the fields of reproductive biology and toxicology. Here, we review the diversity of spawning approaches used in zebrafish reproductive toxicology research to asses fertility and provide evidence that spawning parameters can result in meaningful differences in egg production and spawning success. HighlightsO_LIZebrafish fertility research lacks methodological consensus C_LIO_LIMeasures of fertility vary with age and frequency of spawning C_LIO_LIMethodological consensus will increase reproducibility in toxicology C_LI