Credit: Tane Sinclair-Taylor. The pattern of distinctive white stripes on clownfish depends on the species of sea anemone in which the young fish develop — and could be a response to the conditions offered by a specific anemone.
Natl Acad. USA Download references. Research Highlight 12 NOV Article 10 NOV Article 27 OCT Duox , which makes the protein dual oxidase, plays an important role in the formation of thyroid hormones, previous research has shown. The duox gene showed higher levels of activity in clownfish from the giant carpet anemone, compared to clownfish from the magnificent sea anemone.
When the duox gene is inactivated in mutant zebrafish, development of the iridophore pigment cells is delayed, the study found. Taken together, the data suggests that increased activity of duox in clownfish living in the giant carpet anemone result in higher levels of thyroid hormones, and thus the faster rate of white bar formation as iridophore pigment cells develop quicker. However, the research raises still more questions for the scientists to answer, including the ecological reason for this variation in the rate of white bar formation.
It may be because the giant carpet anemone is more toxic, with thyroid hormone levels increasing as a response to stress, the researchers speculated. Original written by Dani Ellenby.
Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Science News. Parichy, Serge Planes, Vincent Laudet. Ultimately, A. In all two-striped species, the stripe nearest the tail has been lost, while the head and the trunk stripes are retained.
All one-striped species have retained the head stripe and have lost the trunk and tailfin stripes. So, some fish have no stripes at all, while others have one stripe near the head, one stripe each near the head and on the trunk, or three stripes near the head, on the trunk, and near the tail, but you will never find a clownfish with just one stripe near the tail, or one stripe near the tail and one near the head. The study authors theorized that the different stripe patterns may allow clownfish to recognize individuals belonging to the same species, including potential mating partners.
The research is published in the journal BMC Biology. By Chrissy Sexton , Earth. In an attempt to understand the origin of these patterns, the scientists delved into the evolutionary history of clown fish. They discovered that their common ancestor sported three stripes. Just like today's clown fish, these ancestral stripes were made up of pigmented cells called iridophores containing reflective crystals.
Over the course of evolutionary history, some species of clown fish gradually lost stripes, resulting in today's range of color patterns.
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