Introduction:

Zebrafish, scientifically known as Danio rerio, have gained prominence as a valuable model
organism in diverse scientific fields. This is due to their genetic resemblance to humans, the
transparency of their embryos, and their rapid development. Zebrafish have significantly
contributed to our understanding of genetics, toxicology, and developmental biology.

In this laboratory report, we aim for a more cursory exploration of zebrafish embryonic
development. Our objectives encompass observing different zebrafish developmental stages,
discerning unfertilized from fertilized zebrafish eggs, conducting a preliminary investigation into
abiotic and biotic factors influencing zebrafish embryo hatching. These objectives offer a
fundamental overview while utilizing zebrafish as a model organism.

Results and Discussion

Mortality Rate and Survival Rate

The mortality rate is the percentage that did not survive or died during the observation
period while the survival rate is the percentage that survived during the observation. The
mortality rate is computed by dividing the number of dead by the total number of embryos
(n=48) while the survival rate is computed by dividing the number of surviving embryos by the
total number of embryos. Table 1.1 shows the computed cumulative mortality rate and survival
rate of embryos from Day 1 to Day 5:

DAY MORTALITY RATE SURVIVAL RATE TOTAL

1 48%(25) 52%(23) 100%(48)

2 40%(19) 60%(29) 100%(48)

5 23%(11) 77%(37) 100%(48)

TABLE 1.1 Mortality and survival rates of embryos from Days 1,2, and 5.

The mortality rate from Days 1-5 is consistently greater than the survival rate indicating that a
significant number (37 out of 48) of embryos did not survive from Day 1 to Day 5.
Figure 1.1 and 1.2 illustrates that the mortality and survival rate have an inverse relationship.
The cumulative mortality increases from Day 1 to Day 5 while the cumulative survival rate
decreases from Day 1 to Day 5 implying that most of the embryos died after the end of
observation indicating that there are more zebrafish that died after the observation.

FIGURE 1.1

FIGURE 1.2