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Fish Inner Ear Otolith Growth Under Real Microgravity (Spaceflight) and Clinorotation

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Abstract

Using late larval stages of cichlid fish (Oreochromis mossambicus) we have shown earlier that the biomineralization of otoliths is adjusted towards gravity by means of a neurally guided feedback loop. Centrifuge experiments, e.g., revealed that increased gravity slows down otolith growth. Microgravity thus should yield an opposite effect, i.e., larger than normal otoliths. Consequently, late larval cichlids (stage 14, vestibular system operational) were subjected to real microgravity during the 12 days FOTON-M3 spaceflight mission (OMEGAHAB-hardware). Controls were kept at 1g on ground within an identical hardware. Animals of another batch were subsequently clinorotated within a submersed fast-rotating clinostat with one axis of rotation (2d-clinostat), a device regarded to simulate microgravity. Temperature and light conditions were provided in analogy to the spaceflight experiment. Controls were maintained at 1g within the same aquarium. After all experiments, animals had reached late stage 21 (fish can swim freely). Maintenance under real microgravity during spaceflight resulted in significantly larger than normal otoliths (both lapilli and sagittae, involved in sensing gravity and the hearing process, respectively). This result is fully in line with an earlier spaceflight study in the course of which otoliths from late-staged swordtails Xiphophorus helleri were analyzed. Clinorotation resulted in larger than 1g sagittae. However, no effect on lapilli was obtained. Possibly, an effect was present but too light to be measurable. Overall, spaceflight obviously induces an adaptation of otolith growth, whereas clinorotation does not fully mimic conditions of microgravity regarding late larval cichlids.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the following: Prof. em. Dr. D.-P. Häder, Priv.-Doz. Dr. M. Lebert, Dr. S. Strauch and M. Schuster for an extremely successfull mutual cooperation in the context of the FOTON-M3 Mission as well as the personnel of the Scientific-Technical Workshop of the University of Hohenheim for constructing basic features and attachments of OMEGAHAB.

Kayser-Threde (Munich) provided the interface to FOTON and took care of logistics, in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA).

This work was financially supported by the German Aerospace Center (DLR Space Administration) (50 WB 0527).

Conflict of Interest

We, the authors declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Linder Höhe, 51147, Cologne, Germany

    Ralf Anken & Sonja Brungs

  2. Zoological Institute, University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany

    Ralf Anken, Dennis Grimm, Miriam Knie & Reinhard Hilbig

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  1. Ralf Anken
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  2. Sonja Brungs
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  3. Dennis Grimm
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  4. Miriam Knie
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  5. Reinhard Hilbig
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Correspondence to Ralf Anken.

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Anken, R., Brungs, S., Grimm, D. et al. Fish Inner Ear Otolith Growth Under Real Microgravity (Spaceflight) and Clinorotation. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 28, 351–356 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-015-9459-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-015-9459-4

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