Skin ionocyte density of amphibious killifishes is shaped by phenotypic plasticity and constitutive interspecific differences

The purpose of this study was to test two hypotheses. The first, that the skin ionocyte density of amphibious fishes is constitutively different from that of exclusively water-breathing species in order to promote ionoregulation via the skin in terrestrial environments. The second, that in amphibious species air-exposure will plastically alter skin ionocyte density to promote ionoregulation via the skin in terrestrial environments. To test these hypotheses we examined the skin of fishes spanning a range of amphibiousness.

本研究旨在验证两个假设。其一，两栖鱼类的皮肤离子细胞密度与纯水生呼吸物种存在固有差异，以在陆地环境中通过皮肤促进离子调节；其二，两栖物种暴露于空气中时，会通过可塑性改变皮肤离子细胞密度，从而在陆地环境中通过皮肤促进离子调节。为验证上述假设，我们对涵盖不同两栖程度的鱼类皮肤进行了检测。