Mangrove rivulus

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Mangrove rivulus
Kriptolebias marmoratus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Rivulidae
Genus: Kryptolebias
Species:
K. marmoratus
Binomial name
Kryptolebias marmoratus
(Poey, 1880)
Synonyms [2]
  • Rivulus marmoratusPoey, 1880
  • Rivulus heyei Nichols, 1914
  • Rivulus bonairensis Hoedeman, 1958
  • Rivulus garciaide la Cruz & Dubitsky, 1976

The mangrove rivulus or mangrove killifish, Kryptolebias marmoratus (syn. Rivulus marmoratus), [2] [3] is a species of killifish in the family Rivulidae. It lives in brackish and marine waters (less frequently in fresh water) along the coasts of Florida, through the Antilles, and along the eastern and northern Atlantic coasts of Mexico, Central America and South America (south to Brazil). [1] [2] It has a very wide tolerance of both salinity (0–68 ) [4] and temperature (12–38 °C or 54–100 °F), [5] can survive for about two months on land, [6] and mostly breeds by self-fertilization. [7] It is typically found in areas with red mangrove and sometimes lives in burrows of Cardisoma guanhumi crabs. [5]

Contents

The mangrove rivulus is up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) long, [2] but most individuals are 1–3.8 cm (0.4–1.5 in). [4]

Overall the mangrove rivulus is widespread and not threatened, [1] but in the United States it is considered a Species of Concern by the National Marine Fisheries Service. [8]

Ecology

Land living

The mangrove rivulus can spend up to 66 consecutive days out of water, which it typically spends inside fallen logs, breathing air through its skin. [6] [9] It enters burrows created by insects inside trees where it relaxes its territorial, aggressive behavior. During this time, it alters its gills so it can retain water and nutrients, while nitrogen waste is excreted through the skin. The change is reversed once it re-enters the water. [6]

When jumping on land, the mangrove rivulus does a "tail flip", flipping its head over its body towards the tail end. The rivulus' jumping technique gives it an ability to direct its jumps on land and to make relatively forceful jumps. A team of scientists associated with the Society for Experimental Biology released a video in 2013 showing the jumping technique. [10]

Breeding

Mangrove rivulus in Guadeloupe K. marmoratus Guadeloupe.jpg
Mangrove rivulus in Guadeloupe

Spawning has not yet been observed in the wild in the mangrove rivulus, but captive studies show that the eggs are positioned in shallow water, sometimes even in places that periodically are on land during low tide. The eggs can continue their development when out of water, but once they are ready to hatch this is delayed until again submerged. [11] [12]

The species consists mostly of hermaphrodites which are known to reproduce by self-fertilization, but males do exist, [7] and strong genetic evidence indicates occasional outcrossing. [13] The concentration of males to hermaphrodites can vary depending on the local requirement for genetic diversity (for example, if an increase in the local parasite population occurred, secondary male numbers might increase). [14] In Florida, almost all (>99%) are homozygous clones, but in highly colonized South and Central American pools males typically are 3 to 8% of the population, and in offshore cays in Belize 20 to 25% are males. [5]

K. marmoratus produces eggs and sperm by meiosis and routinely reproduces by self-fertilization. [15] Each individual hermaphrodite normally fertilizes itself when an egg and sperm that it has produced by an internal organ unite inside the fish's body. [16] In nature, this mode of reproduction can yield highly homozygous lines composed of individuals so genetically uniform as to be, in effect, identical to one another. [17] [18] The capacity for self-fertilization in these fishes has apparently persisted for at least several hundred thousand years. [19] Meioses that lead to self-fertilization can reduce genetic fitness by causing inbreeding depression. However, self-fertilization does provide the benefit of “fertilization assurance” (reproductive assurance) at each generation. [17] Meiosis can also provide the adaptive benefit of efficient recombinational repair of DNA damages during formation of germ cells at each generation. [20] This benefit may have prevented the evolutionary replacement of meiosis and selfing by a simpler type of clonal reproduction such as ameiotic or apomictic parthenogenesis. Adults may cannibalize juveniles, but only unrelated offspring. [21]

Epigenetic studies

Because K. marmoratus can reproduce consistently by self-fertilization, it gives rise to isogenic lineages. These lineages afford the opportunity to explicitly investigate epigenetic phenotypic effects in genetically identical individuals. [22] Epigenetic changes due to DNA methylation were studied, and specific patterns of DNA methylation at CpG sites in adults and during development were found to occur. [22]

Conservation

Overall the mangrove rivulus is widespread and not threatened, [1] but in the United States it is considered a Species of Concern by the National Marine Fisheries Service. [8] It is considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, [1] and was formerly listed as a species of special concern in Florida, but has since been delisted. [4] It was formerly often overlooked and considered rare in Florida, but surveys have revealed that it is locally common in this state and abundant in the Florida Keys. [1] It is considered vulnerable by the American Fisheries Society.[ citation needed ]

The mangrove rivulus is considered to have potential as a bioindicator species of estuary habitats. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asexual reproduction</span> Reproduction without a sexual process

Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes or change in the number of chromosomes. The offspring that arise by asexual reproduction from either unicellular or multicellular organisms inherit the full set of genes of their single parent and thus the newly created individual is genetically and physically similar to the parent or an exact clone of the parent. Asexual reproduction is the primary form of reproduction for single-celled organisms such as archaea and bacteria. Many eukaryotic organisms including plants, animals, and fungi can also reproduce asexually. In vertebrates, the most common form of asexual reproduction is parthenogenesis, which is typically used as an alternative to sexual reproduction in times when reproductive opportunities are limited. Komodo dragons and some monitor lizards can reproduce asexually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex</span> Trait that determines an organisms sexually reproductive function

Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inherits traits from each parent. By convention, organisms that produce smaller, more mobile gametes are called male, while organisms that produce larger, non-mobile gametes are called female. An organism that produces both types of gamete is hermaphrodite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vertebrate</span> Subphylum of chordates with backbones

Vertebrates are deuterostomal animals with bony or cartilaginous axial endoskeleton — known as the vertebral column, spine or backbone — around and along the spinal cord, including all fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The vertebrates consist of all the taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata and represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, with currently about 69,963 species described.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killifish</span> Any of various oviparous cyprinodontiform fish

A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish, including families Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Nothobranchiidae, Profundulidae, Aphaniidae and Valenciidae. All together, there are 1,270 species of killifish, the biggest family being Rivulidae, containing more than 320 species. As an adaptation to living in ephemeral waters, the eggs of most killifish can survive periods of partial dehydration. Many of the species rely on such a diapause, since the eggs would not survive more than a few weeks if entirely submerged in water. The adults of some species, such as Kryptolebias marmoratus, can additionally survive out of the water for several weeks. Most killies are small fish, from 2.5 to 5 centimetres, with the largest species growing to just under 15 centimetres (6 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mating</span> Process of pairing in biology

In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. Fertilization is the fusion of two gametes. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization. Mating may also lead to external fertilization, as seen in amphibians, fishes and plants. For most species, mating is between two individuals of opposite sexes. However, for some hermaphroditic species, copulation is not required because the parent organism is capable of self-fertilization (autogamy); for example, banana slugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germline</span> Population of a multicellular organisms cells that pass on their genetic material to the progeny

In biology and genetics, the germline is the population of a multicellular organism's cells that develop into germ cells. In other words, they are the cells that form gametes, which can come together to form a zygote. They differentiate in the gonads from primordial germ cells into gametogonia, which develop into gametocytes, which develop into the final gametes. This process is known as gametogenesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sequential hermaphroditism</span> Sex change as part of the normal life cycle of a species

Sequential hermaphroditism is one of the two types of hermaphroditism, the other type being simultaneous hermaphroditism. It occurs when the organism's sex changes at some point in its life. A sequential hermaphrodite produces eggs and sperm at different stages in life. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Species that can undergo these changes do so as a normal event within their reproductive cycle, usually cued by either social structure or the achievement of a certain age or size. In some species of fish, sequential hermaphroditism is much more common than simultaneous hermaphroditism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fish reproduction</span> Reproductive physiology of fishes

Fish reproductive organs include testes and ovaries. In most species, gonads are paired organs of similar size, which can be partially or totally fused. There may also be a range of secondary organs that increase reproductive fitness. The genital papilla is a small, fleshy tube behind the anus in some fishes, from which the sperm or eggs are released; the sex of a fish can often be determined by the shape of its papilla.

<i>Ciona</i> Genus of tunicate

Ciona is a genus of sea squirts in the family Cionidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parthenogenesis</span> Asexual reproduction without fertilization

Parthenogenesis is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development of an embryo occur directly from an egg, without need for fertilization. In animals, parthenogenesis means development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg cell. In plants, parthenogenesis is a component process of apomixis. In algae, parthenogenesis can mean the development of an embryo from either an individual sperm or an individual egg.

Androdioecy is a reproductive system characterized by the coexistence of males and hermaphrodites. Androdioecy is rare in comparison with the other major reproductive systems: dioecy, gynodioecy and hermaphroditism. In animals, androdioecy has been considered a stepping stone in the transition from dioecy to hermaphroditism, and vice versa.

<i>Rivulus</i> Genus of fishes

Rivulus is a genus of small freshwater fish in the Cyprinodontiformes family Rivulidae. It was traditionally considered to be the largest genus in its family; however, the genus's size is currently in dispute. Wilson J. E. Costa split this genus into several new genera in 2004 and 2011, leaving only a few Greater Antillean species in Rivulus itself. Despite being moved to other genera, some of the species retain the common name "rivulus", like the well-known mangrove rivulus. Shortly after the review by Costa, another review authored by J.H. Huber refuted the split, moving the proposed genera back in Rivulus and again making the genus the largest in the family Aplocheilidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermaphrodite</span> Sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes

A hermaphrodite is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual reproduction</span> Biological process

Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that involves a complex life cycle in which a gamete with a single set of chromosomes combines with another gamete to produce a zygote that develops into an organism composed of cells with two sets of chromosomes (diploid). This is typical in animals, though the number of chromosome sets and how that number changes in sexual reproduction varies, especially among plants, fungi, and other eukaryotes.

<i>Kryptolebias</i> Genus of fishes

Kryptolebias is a genus of killifish in the family Rivulidae mostly native to warm parts of South America but with one species found north through the Caribbean region to the Gulf Coast states of the United States. They are small fish, up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) in total length. They are non-annual killifish. The genus was originally named Cryptolebias but this name was pre-occupied by a genus of fossil fish.

Sex reversal is a biological process whereby the pathway directed towards the already determined-sex fate is flipped towards the opposite sex, creating a discordance between the primary sex fate and the sex phenotype expressed. The process of sex reversal occurs during embryonic development or before gonad differentiation. In GSD species, sex reversal means that the sexual phenotype is discordant with the genetic/chromosomal sex. In TSD species, sex reversal means that the temperature/conditions that usually trigger the differentiation towards one sexual phenotype are producing the opposite sexual phenotype.

Parthenogenesis is a form of reproduction where eggs develop without fertilization, resulting in unisexual species. This phenomenon is closely related with reproductive modes such as hybridogenesis, where fertilization occurs, but the paternal DNA is not passed on. Among amphibians, it is seen in numerous frog and salamander species, but has not been recorded in caecilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pregnancy in fish</span>

Pregnancy has been traditionally defined as the period of time eggs are incubated in the body after the egg-sperm union. Although the term often refers to placental mammals, it has also been used in the titles of many international, peer-reviewed, scientific articles on fish, e.g. Consistent with this definition, there are several modes of reproduction in fish, providing different amounts of parental care. In ovoviviparity, there is internal fertilization and the young are born live but there is no placental connection or significant trophic (feeding) interaction; the mother's body maintains gas exchange but the unborn young are nourished by egg yolk. There are two types of viviparity in fish. In histotrophic viviparity, the zygotes develop in the female's oviducts, but she provides no direct nutrition; the embryos survive by eating her eggs or their unborn siblings. In hemotrophic viviparity, the zygotes are retained within the female and are provided with nutrients by her, often through some form of placenta.

Inbreeding in fish is the mating of closely related individuals, leading to an increase in homozygosity. Repeated inbreeding generally leads to morphological abnormalities and a reduction in fitness in the offspring. In the wild, fish have a number of ways to avoid inbreeding, both before and after copulation.

Autogamy or self-fertilization refers to the fusion of two gametes that come from one individual. Autogamy is predominantly observed in the form of self-pollination, a reproductive mechanism employed by many flowering plants. However, species of protists have also been observed using autogamy as a means of reproduction. Flowering plants engage in autogamy regularly, while the protists that engage in autogamy only do so in stressful environments.

References

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