Thursday May 23, 2024
PhysOrg —
Variations in water quality can impact the development of the visual system of one species of African fish, suggests a new study.
The research, led by Jai Tiarks, a recent graduate alum in environment and natural resources at The Ohio State University, found that age was a deciding factor in whether fish could successfully cope with new conditions in their underwater environment.
The study in the Blue Lips cichlid, a species native to swamps and lakes of Uganda, showed that the eyes and pupil size of young fish raised in cloudy water grew larger than those of fish raised in clear water. This phenomenon happened regardless of the environment each brood’s parents originated from.
The study was recently published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
Vision is a vital sense for many creatures, as being able to navigate their surroundings well gives them an edge when it comes to holding onto their spot in the food chain. But when an ecosystem is bombarded with new environmental stressors, most organisms in the animal kingdom have three ways they respond to the negative outcomes.