Amphibious fish jump better on land after acclimation to a terrestrial environment

Analysis of morphology, histology characteristics, and circadian clock gene expression of Onychostoma macrolepis at the overwintering period and the breeding period

Fish typically adapt to their environment through evolutionary traits, and this adaptive strategy plays a critical role in promoting species diversity. Onychostoma macrolepis is a rare and endangered wild species that exhibits a life history of overwintering in caves and breeding in mountain streams. We analyzed the morphological characteristics, histological structure, and expression of circadian clock genes in O. macrolepis to elucidate its adaptive strategies to environmental changes in this study. The results showed that the relative values of O. macrolepis eye diameter, body height, and caudal peduncle height enlarged significantly during the breeding period. The outer layer of the heart was dense; the ventricular myocardial wall was thickened; the fat was accumulated in the liver cells; the red and white pulp structures of the spleen, renal tubules, and glomeruli were increased; and the goblet cells of the intestine were decreased in the breeding period. In addition, the spermatogenic cyst contained mature sperm, and the ovaries were filled with eggs at various stages of development. Throughout the overwintering period, the melano-macrophage center is located between the spleen and kidney, and the melano-macrophage center in the cytoplasm has the ability to synthesize melanin, and is arranged in clusters to form cell clusters or white pulp scattered in it. Circadian clock genes were identified in all organs, exhibiting significant differences between the before/after overwintering period and the breeding period. These findings indicate that the environment plays an important role in shaping the behavior of O. macrolepis, helping the animals to build self-defense mechanisms during cyclical habitat changes. Studying the morphological, histological structure and circadian clock gene expression of O. macrolepis during the overwintering and breeding periods is beneficial for understanding its unique hibernation behavior in caves. Additionally, it provides an excellent biological sample for investigating the environmental adaptability of atypical cavefish species.

Patterns and processes in amphibious fish: biomechanics and neural control of fish terrestrial locomotion

Amphibiousness in fishes spans the actinopterygian tree from the earliest to the most recently derived species. The land environment requires locomotor force production different from that in water, and a diversity of locomotor modes have evolved across the actinopterygian tree. To compare locomotor mode between species, we mapped biomechanical traits on an established amphibious fish phylogeny. Although the diversity of fish that can move over land is large, we noted several patterns, including the rarity of morphological and locomotor specialization, correlations between body shape and locomotor mode, and an overall tendency for amphibious fish to be small. We suggest two idealized empirical metrics to consider when gauging terrestrial 'success' in fishes and discuss patterns of terrestriality in fishes considering biomechanical scaling, physical consequences of shape, and tissue plasticity. Finally, we suggest four ways in which neural control could change in response to a novel environment, highlighting the importance and challenges of deciphering when these control mechanisms are used. We aim to provide an overview of the diversity of successful amphibious locomotion strategies and suggest several frameworks that can guide the study of amphibious fish and their locomotion.

More than Breathing Air: Evolutionary Drivers and Physiological Implications of an Amphibious Lifestyle in Fishes

Amphibious and aquatic air-breathing fishes both exchange respiratory gasses with the atmosphere, but these fishes differ in physiology, ecology, and possibly evolutionary origins. We introduce a scoring system to characterize interspecific variation in amphibiousness and use this system to highlight important unanswered questions about the evolutionary physiology of amphibious fishes.

Gravitational Influence on Human Living Systems and the Evolution of Species on Earth

Gravity constituted the only constant environmental parameter, during the evolutionary period of living matter on Earth. However, whether gravity has affected the evolution of species, and its impact is still ongoing. The topic has not been investigated in depth, as this would require frequent and long-term experimentations in space or an environment of altered gravity. In addition, each organism should be studied throughout numerous generations to determine the profound biological changes in evolution. Here, we review the significant abnormalities presented in the cardiovascular, immune, vestibular and musculoskeletal systems, due to altered gravity conditions. We also review the impact that gravity played in the anatomy of snakes and amphibians, during their evolution. Overall, it appears that gravity does not only curve the space–time continuum but the biological continuum, as well.

Introducing the Amphibious Mudskipper Goby as a Unique Model to Evaluate Neuro/Endocrine Regulation of Behaviors Mediated by Buccal Sensation and Corticosteroids

Some fish have acquired the ability to breathe air, but these fish can no longer flush their gills effectively when out of water. Hence, they have developed characteristic means for defense against external stressors, including thirst (osmolarity/ions) and toxicity. Amphibious fish, extant air-breathing fish emerged from water, may serve as models to examine physiological responses to these stressors. Some of these fish, including mudskipper gobies such as Periophthalmodon schlosseri, Boleophthalmus boddarti and our Periophthalmus modestus, display distinct adaptational behaviors to these factors compared with fully aquatic fish. In this review, we introduce the mudskipper goby as a unique model to study the behaviors and the neuro/endocrine mechanisms of behavioral responses to the stressors. Our studies have shown that a local sensation of thirst in the buccal cavity—this being induced by dipsogenic hormones—motivates these fish to move to water through a forebrain response. The corticosteroid system, which is responsive to various stressors, also stimulates migration, possibly via the receptors in the brain. We suggest that such fish are an important model to deepen insights into the stress-related neuro/endocrine-behavioral effects.

Fluctuating environments during early development can limit adult phenotypic flexibility: insights from an amphibious fish

The interaction between developmental plasticity and the capacity for reversible acclimation (phenotypic flexibility) is poorly understood, particularly in organisms exposed to fluctuating environments. We used an amphibious killifish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) to test the hypotheses that organisms reared in fluctuating environments (i) will make no developmental changes to suit any one environment because fixing traits to suit one environment could be maladaptive for another, and (ii) will be highly phenotypically flexible as adults because their early life experiences predict high environmental variability in the future. We reared fish under constant (water) or fluctuating (water-air) environments until adulthood and assessed a suite of traits along the oxygen cascade (e.g. neuroepithelial cell density and size, cutaneous capillarity, gill morphology, ventricle size, red muscle morphometrics, terrestrial locomotor performance). To evaluate the capacity for phenotypic flexibility, a subset of adult fish from each rearing condition was then air-exposed for 14 days before the same traits were measured. In support of the developmental plasticity hypothesis, traits involved with O2 sensing and uptake were largely unaffected by water-air fluctuations during early life, but we found marked developmental changes in traits related to O2 transport, utilization and locomotor performance. In contrast, we found no evidence supporting the phenotypic flexibility hypothesis. Adult fish from both rearing conditions exhibited the same degree of phenotypic flexibility in various O2 sensing- and uptake-related traits. In other cases, water-air fluctuations attenuated adult phenotypic flexibility despite the fact that phenotypic flexibility is hypothesized to be favoured when environments fluctuate. Overall, we conclude that exposure to environmental fluctuations during development in K. marmoratus can dramatically alter the constitutive adult phenotype, as well as diminish the scope for phenotypic flexibility in later life.

Hypoxia-seeking behavior, metabolic depression and skeletal muscle function in an amphibious fish out of water

Several animals enter a state of dormancy to survive harsh environmental conditions. During dormancy, metabolic depression can be critical for economizing on limited endogenous energy reserves. We used two isogenic strains (strain 1 and strain 2) of a self-fertilizing amphibious fish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) to test the hypothesis that animals seek hypoxic microhabitats that, in turn, accentuate metabolic depression during dormancy. Using custom-built tunnels that maintained a longitudinal O₂ gradient (hypoxic to normoxic), we assessed the O₂ preference of K. marmoratus during prolonged air exposure. In support of our hypothesis, we found that one isogenic strain (strain 2) spent more time in hypoxia compared with normoxia after 21 days in air. Prolonged air exposure in both strains resulted in lower O₂ consumption rates compared with active fish (35% depression), which was accentuated (51% depression) when fish were exposed to aerial hypoxia acutely. We then tested the hypothesis that chronic aerial hypoxia acclimation would protect endogenous energy reserves and skeletal muscle integrity, thereby maintaining locomotor performance, possibly owing to hypoxic hypometabolism. We found that air-acclimated fish from both strains were in poorer body condition relative to fish acclimated to aerial hypoxia. Furthermore, aerial hypoxia acclimation minimized glycogen usage (strain 1), lipid catabolism (strain 2) and white muscle atrophy (strain 2), as well as preserved terrestrial locomotor performance compared with fish in air (strain 2). Overall, our findings suggest that some K. marmoratus strains seek microhabitats that accentuate metabolic depression during dormancy, and that microhabitat O₂ availability may have significant implications for energy metabolism, and the structure and function of skeletal muscle. Furthermore, the differential responses between isogenic strains suggests that genetic factors also contribute to phenotypic differences in the emersion behavior and physiology of this species.

Amphibious fish 'get a jump' on terrestrial locomotor performance after exercise training on land

Many amphibious fishes rely on terrestrial locomotion to accomplish essential daily tasks, but it is unknown whether terrestrial exercise improves the locomotor performance of fishes on land. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that terrestrial exercise improves locomotion in amphibious fishes out of water as a result of skeletal muscle remodeling. We compared the jumping performance of Kryptolebias marmoratus before and after an exercise training regimen, and assessed the muscle phenotype of control and exercise-trained fish. We found that exercise-trained fish jumped 41% farther and 48% more times before reaching exhaustion. Furthermore, exercise training resulted in the hypertrophy of red muscle fibers, and an increase in red muscle capillarity and aerobic capacity. Lactate accumulation after jumping indicates that white muscle is also important in powering terrestrial jumps. Overall, skeletal muscle in K. marmoratus is highly responsive to terrestrial exercise, and muscle plasticity may assist in the effective exploitation of terrestrial habitats by amphibious fishes.

Factors affecting terrestrial movement in the amphibious mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus)

We hypothesised that the exploration tendency of the amphibious mangrove rivulus Kryptolebias marmoratus would be inhibited in the terrestrial environment because of constraints on terrestrial locomotion or orientation. Using a novel object test, we showed that the fish explored objects in the aquatic but not the terrestrial environment, supporting the existence of constraints on terrestrial exploration. In further tests of the effects of extrinsic factors on terrestrial movement between aquatic refuges, shallow water depth simulating desiccation risk and the presence of a conspecific simulating intraspecific competition increased emersion outside of refuges, while high water salinity had no effect. These extrinsic factors had little effect on terrestrial movement between different aquatic refuges, except possibly for the lowest water depth tested. A significant association observed between emersion activity and movement between aquatic refuges suggested that terrestrial movement in K. marmoratus might depend on the tendency of individuals to emerse.

Ageing impacts phenotypic flexibility in an air-acclimated amphibious fish

The ability to tolerate environmental change may decline as fishes age. We tested the hypothesis that ageing influences the scope for phenotypic flexibility in the mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus), an amphibious fish that transitions between two vastly different environments, water and land. We found that older fish (4-6 years old) exhibited marked signs of ageing; older fish were reproductively senescent, had reduced fin regenerative capacity and body condition, and exhibited atrophy of both oxidative and glycolytic muscle fibers relative to younger adult fish (1-2 years old). However, age did not affect routine O₂ consumption. We then acclimated adult fish (1-6 years) to water (control) or air for 10 days to assess the scope for phenotypic flexibility in response to terrestrial exposure. In support of our hypothesis, we found that older air-acclimated fish had a diminished scope for gill remodeling relative to younger fish. We also found that older fish exhibited poorer terrestrial locomotor performance relative to younger adult fish, particularly when acclimated to air. Our results indicate that ageing diminishes skeletal muscle integrity and locomotor performance of amphibious fishes, and may, therefore, impair terrestrial foraging ability, predator avoidance, or dispersal across the terrestrial environment. Remarkably, older fish voluntarily left water to a similar degree as younger fish despite the age-related deterioration of traits important for terrestrial life.

Phenotypic flexibility in respiratory traits is associated with improved aerial respiration in an amphibious fish out of water

Amphibious fishes have evolved multiple adaptive strategies for respiring out of water, but there has been less focus on reversible plasticity. We tested the hypothesis that when amphibious fishes leave water, enhanced respiratory performance on land is the result of rapid functional phenotypic flexibility of respiratory traits. We acclimated four isogenic strains of Kryptolebias marmoratus to air for 0, 1, 3 or 7 days. We compared respiratory performance out of water with traits linked to the O₂ cascade. Aerial O₂ consumption rate was measured over a step-wise decrease in O₂ levels. There were significant differences between strains, but time out of water had the largest impact on measured parameters. K ryptolebias marmoratus had improved respiratory performance [lower aerial critical oxygen tension (P _crit), higher regulation index (RI)] after only 1 day of air exposure, and these changes were strongly associated with the change in hematocrit and dorsal cutaneous angiogenesis. Additionally, we found that 1 h of air exposure induced the expression of four angiogenesis-associated genes - vegfa, angpt2, pecam-1 and efna1 - in the skin. After 7 days in air, respiratory traits were not significantly linked to the variation in either aerial P _crit or RI. Overall, our data indicate that there are two phases involved in the enhancement of aerial respiration: an initial rapid response (1 day) and a delayed response (7 days). We found evidence for the hypothesis that respiratory performance on land in amphibious fishes is the result of rapid flexibility in both O₂ uptake and O₂ carrying capacity.

Skeletal stiffening in an amphibious fish out of water is a response to increased body weight

Terrestrial animals must support their bodies against gravity, while aquatic animals are effectively weightless because of buoyant support from water. Given this evolutionary history of minimal gravitational loading of fishes in water, it has been hypothesized that weight-responsive musculoskeletal systems evolved during the tetrapod invasion of land and are thus absent in fishes. Amphibious fishes, however, experience increased effective weight when out of water - are these fishes responsive to gravitational loading? Contrary to the tetrapod-origin hypothesis, we found that terrestrial acclimation reversibly increased gill arch stiffness (∼60% increase) in the amphibious fish Kryptolebias marmoratus when loaded normally by gravity, but not under simulated microgravity. Quantitative proteomics analysis revealed that this change in mechanical properties occurred via increased abundance of proteins responsible for bone mineralization in other fishes as well as in tetrapods. Type X collagen, associated with endochondral bone growth, increased in abundance almost ninefold after terrestrial acclimation. Collagen isoforms known to promote extracellular matrix cross-linking and cause tissue stiffening, such as types IX and XII collagen, also increased in abundance. Finally, more densely packed collagen fibrils in both gill arches and filaments were observed microscopically in terrestrially acclimated fish. Our results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of the fish musculoskeletal system can be fine-tuned in response to changes in effective body weight using biochemical pathways similar to those in mammals, suggesting that weight sensing is an ancestral vertebrate trait rather than a tetrapod innovation.

Emersion behaviour underlies variation in gill morphology and aquatic respiratory function in the amphibious fish Kryptolebias marmoratus

Fishes acclimated to hypoxic environments often increase gill surface area to improve O₂ uptake. In some species, surface area is increased via reduction of an interlamellar cell mass (ILCM) that fills water channels between gill lamellae. Amphibious fishes, however, may not increase gill surface area in hypoxic water because these species can, instead, leave water and breathe air. To differentiate between these possibilities, we compared wild amphibious mangrove rivulus Kryptolebias marmoratus from two habitats that varied in O₂ availability - a hypoxic freshwater pool versus nearly anoxic crab burrows. Fish captured from crab burrows had less gill surface area (as ILCMs were enlarged by ∼32%), increased rates of normoxic O₂ consumption and increased critical O₂ tension compared with fish from the freshwater pool. Thus, wild mangrove rivulus do not respond to near-anoxic water by decreasing metabolism or increasing O₂ extraction. Instead, fish from the crab burrow habitat spent three times longer out of water, which probably caused the observed changes in gill morphology and respiratory phenotype. We also tested whether critical O₂ tension is influenced by genetic heterozygosity, as K. marmoratus is one of only two hermaphroditic vertebrate species that can produce both self-fertilized (inbred) or out-crossed (more heterozygous) offspring. We found no evidence for inbreeding depression, suggesting that self-fertilization does not impair respiratory function. Overall, our results demonstrate that amphibious fishes that inhabit hypoxic aquatic habitats can use a fundamentally different strategy from that used by fully aquatic water-breathing fishes, relying on escape behaviour rather than metabolic depression or increased O₂ extraction ability.

Oxygen drives skeletal muscle remodeling in an amphibious fish out of water

Skeletal muscle remodeling in response to terrestrial acclimation improves the locomotor performance of some amphibious fishes on land, but the cue for this remodeling is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that muscle remodeling in the amphibious Kryptolebias marmoratus on land is driven by higher O2 availability in atmospheric air, and the alternative hypothesis that remodeling is induced by a different environmental or physiological condition fish experience on land. Fish were acclimated to 28 days of air, aquatic hyperoxia, hypercapnia, hypoxia, elevated temperature, or fasting conditions. Air, fasting, and hyperoxic conditions increased (>25%) the size of oxidative fibers in K. marmoratus while hypoxia had the reverse effect (23% decrease). Surprisingly, hyperoxia-acclimation also resulted in a transformation of the musculature to include large bands of oxidative-like muscle. Our results show that K. marmoratus is highly responsive to environmental O2 levels and capitalize on O2-rich opportunities to enhance O2 utilization by skeletal muscle.