Shuttle-box systems for studying preferred environmental ranges by aquatic animals

Abstract Animals’ selection of environments within a preferred range is key to understanding their habitat selection, tolerance stressors and responses environmental change. For aquatic animals, ranges can be studied in so-called shuttle-boxes, where an animal choose its ambient environment by shuttling between separate choice chambers with differences variable. Over time, researchers have refined the shuttle-box technology applied them many different research contexts, we here review use shuttle-boxes as tool animals over past 50 years. Most studies on methodology been published latest decade, probably due increasing interest effects change, which underlines current popularity system. The has wide topics regards temperature, CO 2 , salinity O vast diversity species, showing broad applicability for We synthesized state-of-the-art provided best practice guidelines setup, data analyses, experimental design study reporting. also identified series knowledge gaps, should addressed future studies. conclude suggesting some obvious directions using evolutionary biology behavioural physiological ecology.