Ciliary cells in the epidermis of the larval Australian dipnoan, Neoceratodus

Breathing with fins: do the pectoral fins of larval fishes play a respiratory role?

Convective water flow across respiratory epithelia in water-breathing organisms maintains transcutaneous oxygen (O₂) partial pressure (Po₂) gradients that drive O₂ uptake. Following hatch, larval fishes lack a developed gill and the skin is the dominant site of gas transfer, yet few studies have addressed the contribution of convective water flow to cutaneous O₂ uptake in larvae. We hypothesized that the pectoral fins, which can generate water flow across the skin in larvae, promote transcutaneous O₂ transfer and thus aid in O₂ uptake. In zebrafish (Danio rerio), the frequency of pectoral fin movements increased in response to hypoxia at 4 days postfertilization (dpf), but the response was blunted by 15 dpf, when the gills become the dominant site of O₂ uptake, and was absent by 21 dpf. In rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Po₂ measured at the skin surface of ventilating larvae was lower when the pectoral fins had been surgically removed, directly demonstrating that fins contribute to convective flow that dissipates cutaneous Po₂ boundary layers. Lack of pectoral fins compromised whole animal O₂ consumption in trout during hypoxia, but this effect was absent in zebrafish. Overall, our findings support a respiratory role of the pectoral fins in rainbow trout, but their involvement in zebrafish remains equivocal.

Abnormal development in embryos and hatchlings of the Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, from two reservoirs in south-east Queensland

Few of the localities currently inhabited by the Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, are in pristine condition. Most populations of wild lungfish in south-east Queensland are now isolated in reservoirs. The barriers formed by the building of dams and weirs across natural rivers separate lungfish groups from each other, cut across possible pathways for normal movement in the environment, and have additional and more serious effects. Water levels in reservoirs fluctuate in spring when lungfish are spawning, and do not allow dense stands of submerged aquatic plants to become established. Lungfish need these plants as sites for oviposition, and newly hatched young need them as refuges and sources of food. Potential recruitment of young lungfish in reservoir populations faces another threat, that of anomalous development of the embryos, hatchlings and juveniles, severe enough to kill many embryos within days of oviposition, and destroy the young fish before they are more than a few months old. Similar anomalies are not present in young fish from a river environment raised under identical conditions. Reasons for poor development, which has now been found in two reservoirs, may be related to the diet of the adult lungfish, and possibly to genetic factors.

Fluid dynamics in developmental biology: moving fluids that shape ontogeny

Human conception, indeed fertilization in general, takes place in a fluid, but what role does fluid dynamics have during the subsequent development of an organism? It is becoming increasingly clear that the number of genes in the genome of a typical organism is not sufficient to specify the minutiae of all features of its ontogeny. Instead, genetics often acts as a choreographer, guiding development but leaving some aspects to be controlled by physical and chemical means. Fluids are ubiquitous in biological systems, so it is not surprising that fluid dynamics should play an important role in the physical and chemical processes shaping ontogeny. However, only in a few cases have the strands been teased apart to see exactly how fluid forces operate to guide development. Here, we review instances in which the hand of fluid dynamics in developmental biology is acknowledged, both in human development and within a wider biological context, together with some in which fluid dynamics is notable but whose workings have yet to be understood, and we provide a fluid dynamicist's perspective on possible avenues for future research.

Surface ciliation of anuran amphibian larvae: Persistence to late stages in some species but not others

Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the surfaces of 21 species of tadpoles from six families, from Gosner Stage 25/26 until close to metamorphosis. Contrary to most previous reports, ciliated epidermal cells persisted until late stages in many but not all species and not at all locations examined. The commonest location for ciliated cells was around the nostrils, suggesting a role in chemosensation. Ciliated cells also occurred around the circumference of the eye, suggesting a cleaning role. Several species had ciliated cells on the tail. The densest, most regular arrays of ciliated cells occurred in species that tend to hang motionless in still-water pools, suggesting a respiratory function for these cells.

Role of epidermal cilia in development of the Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri (Osteichthyes: Dipnoi)

In common with the embryos of other anamniotes, young of the Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, have ciliated cells in the epidermis. These first appear at stage 28, ˜ 10 days before hatching, and develop progressively to a peak in numbers and in activity at stage 44, just after hatching. After this point, ciliary action in the epidermal cells slowly declines, and cilia disappear completely from the outer surface of the hatchling by stage 52. Cilia are lost earlier from the oral epithelium, between stages 45 and 46, and from the epithelium covering the gills and lining the operculum at stage 51, although they are retained in the nares and in the cavity of the olfactory organ. To assess possible functions for the ciliated epidermis in lungfish hatchlings, the presence of cilia in the epidermis of young N. forsteri is compared with landmarks of development. The ciliated epidermal cells are not associated with movements of the embryo within the egg capsule, nor are they a part of a feeding mechanism. They are not related to oxygen uptake. The ciliated epidermis appears to function as a mechanism for clearing the animal of particles and settling organisms before hatching, when the egg membranes have developed holes, and after hatching, when the young fish is living among the submerged rootlets of trees growing on the river bank or in dense stands of aquatic plants. The function of a ciliated epidermis in N. forsteri hatchlings in relation to microhabitat is discussed. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Stages in the origin of vertebrates: analysis by means of scenarios

Vertebrates lack an epidermal nerve plexus. This feature is common to many invertebrates from which vertebrates differ by an extensive set of shared-derived characters (synapomorphies) derived from the neural crest and epidermal neurogenic placodes. Hence, the hypothesis that the developmental precursor of the epidermal nerve plexus may be homologous to the neural crest and epidermal neurogenic placodes. This account attempts to generate a nested set of scenarios for the prevertebrate-vertebrate transition, associating a presumed sequence of behavioural and environmental changes with the observed phenotypic ones. Toward this end, it integrates morphological, developmental, functional (physiological/behavioural) and some ecological data, as many phenotypic shifts apparently involved associated transitions in several aspects of the animals. The scenarios deal with the origin of embryonic and adult tissues and such major organs as the notochord, the CNS, grills and kidneys and propose a sequence of associated changes. Alternative scenarios are stated as the evidence often remains insufficient for decision. The analysis points to gaps in comprehension of the biology of the animals and therefore suggests further research.

Epithelial action potentials in embryos of the Australian lungfish

The epithelial cells of the skin of embryonic Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) between stages 30 and 39, are mechanosensitive and excitable, showing overshooting action potentials 400-800 ms long with a rapid rise followed by a slower repolarization (usually with a shoulder on the repolarizing phase), which propagate at around 10 mm s-1. This skin impulse system is very similar to that found in embryonic and larval Amphibia; the significance of this similarity is discussed.

Larvae of air-breathing fishes as countercurrent flow devices in hypoxic environments

Larvae of the air-breathing teleost fish Monopterus are frequently exposed to periods of critical hypoxia, which they can survive because they have (i) dense capillary networks in the skin, (ii) a small blood-water barrier, (iii) an active pectoral fin mechanism that generates a posteriorly directed respiratory water current originating from the oxygen-rich surface layer, and (iv) a principal flow of blood that runs countercurrent to the water stream. Experimental data show that the larva as a whole is a functional analog of a fish gill lamella and that similar adaptive mechanisms are present in larvae of ancient fishes and some modern teleosts inhabiting permanently or periodically hypoxic waters.