North Sea Robin (prionotus carolinus) is one of the most unusual sea fish that drags its body along the ocean floor using its leg-like fins.
New research has revealed that these appendages not only help with locomotion, but also allow fish to “taste” what they find as they search for food. The discovery may explain why other marine animals follow this fish in search of debris.
This bizarre game of chasing the leader has prompted an international team behind a new study to take a closer look at North Sea robins and test captured fish to uncover buried shellfish in a laboratory setting.
Observation of the captured fish revealed that the hidden food was gradually revealed by briefly swimming or strolling along the sandy floor of the aquarium and intermittently scratching its body. It appears they had a hidden sense, considering that no seawater control capsule was found.
Later, the robins’ ability to find and dig up hidden food led to the discovery that the fish’s slender legs were covered in sensory papillae. Sensory papillae are packed with touch-sensitive taste receptors, similar to the tiny nubs on our tongues.
Looking deeper, animal genomeThe research team also discovered genes involved in the development of these special appendages, and how sensory papilla adaptations have evolved in some breeds of robins but not in others. I was able to figure it out.
“Robins are an example of a species that is very rare and has very novel characteristics.” say Corey Allard, a cell biologist and electrophysiologist at Harvard University; “We wanted to use them as a model to ask how we would build a new organ.”
Through genetic analysis, researchers were able to identify: tbx3a Genes key to these sensory leg adaptations. In fish with a dysfunctional form of this gene, legs, papilla formation, and foraging behavior were negatively affected.
Another discovery came when the robins delivered the second time did not have the ability to taste or dig out food with their feet. It turned out that it was because the fish was a different kind prionotus evoransa type of robin that uses its legs to walk, but lacks the sensory abilities of its close relatives.
Researchers found that species with “taste feet” occur in just a few places, suggesting that sensory adaptations may be recent from an evolutionary perspective. are. Furthermore, the way these genes are organized is common to limb development in many other species, including humans.
“It used the same genes that contribute to the development of our limbs to grow legs, and the same genes that help our tongues taste food to repurpose those legs to find prey.” It’s a fish. It’s quite wild.” say Nicholas Bellono, a cell physiologist at Harvard University.
The research team believes that explaining how such complex traits develop in wildlife (in this case the sensory limbs of the northern robin) can also help us understand other lesser-known species. states.
“Many traits look new, but they are usually built from genes and modules that have been around for a long time.” say David Kingsley is a developmental biologist at Stanford University. “That’s how evolution works: tinkering with old parts and building new ones.”
