New research from The University of Texas at Arlington shows that some fish species can change their egg-laying habits to avoid predators and survive. Fish adapt their reproductive patterns based on their environment and predators.
Professor Matthew Walsh noted that while it was known that fish adapted to predators, this study reveals how quickly they can adjust. His findings were published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Dr. Walsh and lab technician Christopher Roden studied Trinidadian killifish, small adaptable fish that can live on land to avoid predators. They compared how killifish with and without predators adapted their egg-hatching habits.
They tested the hatching rates of eggs laid in water versus on moist peat moss and compared the two groups’ timing, hatching success, and offspring growth.
Walsh said, “Our study found big differences in how killifish hatch their eggs in various habitats. This research shows how aquatic organisms adapt to environmental changes and could help predict how species will respond to pressures like climate change.”
The study concluded that fish can change their reproduction methods to adapt to the presence of predators. This ability helps them survive by adjusting their egg-laying habits based on their environment.
Journal reference:
Matthew R. Walsh, Christopher Roden, et al.., Fish (eggs) out of water: evolutionary divergence in terrestrial embryonic plasticity in Trinidadian killifish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0083.
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