Why do some fish reproduce faster than others?
A study published in Nature Communications suggests that some fish can live up to three times as long as their average counterparts.
The study, conducted by scientists from the University of Oxford, found that some marine species reproduce at rates three times faster than other fish, which can help explain why some fish have such long lifespans.
“The idea that certain species reproduce much faster than their peers may not be a surprise to some people, but for others it’s a big surprise,” said lead researcher Professor Mark Wilson, from the Department of Biological Sciences.
“What surprised us was that some species were able to reproduce much more quickly than others.”
These results suggest that there is a big difference between the speeds of different organisms, which means that different species can live longer than their cousins.
“The researchers examined the genomes of nine species of fish, including carp, tuna, king mackerel, kingfish, snapper, and herring.”
We found that the genomes are different in some species, suggesting that the speed of reproduction may be a consequence of genetic differences,” said Dr Wilson.”
Some of these differences may be caused by differences in genes and the environment that may affect reproduction, but we can’t rule out the possibility that there are some environmental factors that affect the speed at which these genes and genes interact.
“There is a lot of research showing that certain environmental factors can influence the rate at which DNA is replicated, and that this could affect how fast some organisms reproduce.”
One of the things that has been particularly interesting is that the fish genomes differed a lot in terms of the proportion of genes in their genomes that encode proteins.
“Our work indicates that the environmental differences that we observed between species were very important, and so it may be that certain genes are more important for some species and not for others.”
Dr Wilson and his colleagues analysed the genomes from fish from different locations across the world.
The scientists then compared the genomes to those from fish that were raised in captivity, and compared the sequences to those that were collected from wild fish.
“In addition to this, we found that genes that are involved in reproduction were different in certain species and genes that were involved in DNA replication were different between species,” Dr Wilson said.
“It’s important to note that these differences are not only genetic, but also environmental, and the genetic differences between species are important to understand how the genomes interact with each other and the environments they live in.”
The scientists also looked at the genomes in order to understand what genes are involved with the development of some fish.
Dr Wilson said that the new work showed that certain fish can reproduce at an extremely fast rate, but it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what genes may be involved in these processes.
“While it’s certainly possible that some genes are able to increase the number of offspring, it’s hard to say whether or not all the genes that increase the speed are actually involved in this process,” he said.
Read more about genetics,fish,biology,fish species,science,nature Communications article A new study has found that many fish reproduce more quicklythan others, with some species reproducing at rates five times faster.
This is important because the fastest fish are also the ones that live longest, the researchers said.
Scientists have long known that fish reproduce at much faster rates than other marine species, with the fastest species producing about two litters a day.
The new study, led by the University at Albany’s Mark Wilson and colleagues, analysed the genes of nine marine species.
It found that certain gene types were different among different species.
For example, some fish were able, through epigenetic mechanisms, to alter the rate of reproduction in a particular species, resulting in an increase in their offspring.
“Many of the genes involved in the process of reproduction are not expressed at the embryonic stage, but instead during adulthood,” Dr James McGeoch, from New York University, said.
These genes can then influence the size and speed of offspring produced, and can also influence their survival.
The genes that affected the rate that some animals reproduce, were called transcription factors, which are the same genes that regulate other aspects of development, such as cell growth.
The researchers also found that there were several different pathways involved in generating offspring in different species, which may have a different effect on reproduction.
“Although some of the transcription factors are involved during embryonic development, it is possible that the effects of this process are influenced by environmental factors such as temperature or stress,” Dr McGeach said.
The authors added that some of these genes are important for the development and growth of many different tissues in fish, and therefore could affect the rate by which the animals reproduce.