This study examined the neuroarchitecture of the male and female killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) hypothalamus to evaluate whether sexual dimorphism of this brain region exists in fishes as it does in mammals and other vertebrates. The rostral medulla, a brain region distinct from the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, was also examined to determine if any observed differences were region-sp...

We recently determined that rapid changes in environmental salinity alter endothelin-1 (EDN1) mRNA levels in the euryhaline killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, so we hypothesized that EDN1 may be a local regulator of gill ion transport in teleost fishes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of changes in environmental salinity on the gill endothelin receptors: EDNRA, EDNRB,...

Neuronal NOS (nNOS) is a constitutively expressed enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of L-arginine and water to L-citrulline and the gas nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is involved in regulation of a variety of processes, including: vascular tone, neurotransmission, and ion balance in mammals and fishes. In this study, we have cloned and characterized a putative NOS homologue from the brain of...

Although the term environmental stress is used across multiple fields in biology, the inherent ambiguity associated with its definition has caused confusion when attempting to understand organismal responses to environmental change. Here I provide a brief summary of existing definitions of the term stress, and the related concepts of homeostasis and allostasis, and attempt to unify them to deve...

Killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) and amphipods (Gammarus oceanicus) were exposed separately to either a No. 2 fuel oil, AP dispersant, or emulsions of the two in a static system. Both species exhibited a concentration-dependent response to all three treatments. However, emulsification of oil with dispersant clearly increased its lethal effect on killifish survival, but did not cause a differen...

The common killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, has historically been a favorite organism for the study of euryhalinity in teleost fish. Despite the species' large range of salinity tolerance, studies of osmoregulation in high salinity are rare, with most previous studies focused on fish transferred between freshwater and seawater. Similarly, while branchial transport properties have been studied ...

BACKGROUND The Atlantic Wood Industries Superfund site on the Elizabeth River (ER) in Portsmouth, Virginia, is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) derived from creosote. Embryos and larvae of ER killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) are refractory to the induction of enzymes regulated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor including cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) and are resistant to PAH...

The taxonomic status of the extraintestinal piscine coccidium Calyptospora funduli is based in part on its requirement of an intermediate host (the daggerblade grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio). In the present study, grass shrimp fed livers of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) infected with sporulated oocysts of C. funduli exhibited numerous sporozoites suspended in the intestinal contents when ...

Goldfish (Family Cyprinidae, Carassius auratus) and killifish (Family Cyprinodontidae, Fundulus heteroclitus) were acclimated to 10, 20 and 35 °C for 4 weeks. The thermal acclimation of C-start (escape swimming) performance and the physiological properties of fast twitch muscle fibres that underlie it were investigated in these species at the molecular (myosin isoform expression), biochemic...

Cold acclimation of ectotherms results typically in enhanced oxidative capacities and lipid remodeling, changes that should increase the risk of lipid peroxidation (LPO). It is unclear whether activities of antioxidant enzymes may respond in a manner to mitigate the increased potential for LPO. The current study addresses these questions using killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus macrolepidotus) an...