
ABSTRACT A fundamental question in biology is how an organism's morphology and physiology are shaped by its environment. Here, we evaluate the effects of a hypersaline environment on the morphology and physiology of a population of livebearing fish in the genus Limia (Poeciliidae). We sampled from two populations of Limia perugiae (one freshwater and one hypersaline) in the southwest Dominican Republic. We evaluated relative abundance of osmoregulatory proteins using western blot analyses and used a geometric morphometric approach to evaluate fine-scale changes to size and shape. Our data show that gill tissue isolated from hypersaline fish contained approximately two and a half times higher expression of Na+/K+ ATPase proteins. We also show evidence for mitochondrial changes within the gills, with eight times more complex I and four times higher expression of ATP synthase within the gill tissue from the hypersaline population. The energetic consequences to Limia living in saline and hypersaline environments may be a driver for phenotypic diversity, reducing the overall body size and changing the relative size and shape of the head, as well as impeding the growth of secondary sex features among the males.
Geometric morphometrics, Osmoregulation, Poeciliidae, QH301-705.5, Hypersalinity, Science, Q, Biology (General), Mitochondria, Research Article
Geometric morphometrics, Osmoregulation, Poeciliidae, QH301-705.5, Hypersalinity, Science, Q, Biology (General), Mitochondria, Research Article
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 16 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
