Date of Award
Fall 11-26-2019
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biological Science
First Advisor
Windsor Aguirre, PhD
Second Advisor
Margaret Bell, PhD
Third Advisor
Jason Bystriansky, PhD
Abstract
Environmental fluctuations can change the phenotypic traits of ectotherms. Ectotherms such as fishes are very susceptible to changes in temperature. Recent studies on adults of the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, indicate that variation in temperature during development significantly impacts vertebral number and body shape. Since vertebral number and somite number are related, I examined whether temperature significantly impacts somitogenesis and the early development of the body axis in this species. Fertilized eggs of the surface form of lab-reared Astyanax mexicanus were subjected to temperature treatments of 20°C, 24°C, and 28°C, and fixed hourly as they developed until they hatched. Embryos were stained with DAPI and imaged using a confocal microsope. Body length, somite number, unsegmented tail length, and somite length were measured. Temperature significantly influenced the general rate of somitogenesis and all phenotypic traits measured. Surprisingly, temperature significantly influenced the unsegmented tail length even when variation in general developmental rate was accounted for, such that embryos reared at 24°C had a significantly longer unsegmented tail length than embryos reared at 20°C and 28°C. Although somite length was variable between developmental stages and along the body axis, temperature also seemed to influence somite length. For example, embryos reared at 28°C had consistently shorter posterior somites at the 40 somite stage of development than embryos reared at 20°C or 24°C. Understanding whether these temperature effects on somitogenesis also influence the phenotypic properties of adults is a major avenue of future research.This study provides a better understanding of how temperature influences the early stages of the development of the body axis in this emerging model species. It will also provide a baseline for future studies examining the influence of phenotypic plasticity on body form variation in characids colonizing new habitats.
Recommended Citation
Alharbi, Sara Mohammad, "The Impact of Temperature on the Early Stages of the Development of the Body Axis in the Model Species Astyanax mexicanus (Teleostei: Characidae)" (2019). College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations. 352.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/csh_etd/352
SLP Collection
no