Abstract
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.
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This work was supported by the Key R&D Plan Project of Shaanxi Province (S2022-YF-YBNY-0055) and the Research and Development Program of China Se-enriched Industry Research Institute (No. 2021FXZX04-01) and the Fund of Key Sci-Tech Project of Shaanxi Province (NO.2018ZDXM-NY-034).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Yibin Ding, Jincan Li, and Yao Gao. Sample acquisition, data collection, and analysis were performed by Xiaolin Wang, Yang Wang, Qimin Liu, Chao Zhu, and Lijuan Zheng. Material preparation is handled by Meng Qi and Lijun Zhang. Wuzi Dong, Hong Ji, and Xiaoteng Fan revised the manuscript. Fangxia Yang and Wuzi Dong commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Fangxia Yang and Wuzi Dong commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Ding, Y., Li, J., Gao, Y. et al. Analysis of morphology, histology characteristics, and circadian clock gene expression of Onychostoma macrolepis at the overwintering period and the breeding period. Fish Physiol Biochem (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-024-01336-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-024-01336-3