Back to Search
Start Over
Epidermal 'alarm substance' cells of fishes maintained by non-alarm functions: possible defence against pathogens, parasites and UVB radiation.
- Source :
-
Proceedings. Biological sciences [Proc Biol Sci] 2007 Oct 22; Vol. 274 (1625), pp. 2611-9. - Publication Year :
- 2007
-
Abstract
- Many fishes possess specialized epidermal cells that are ruptured by the teeth of predators, thus reliably indicating the presence of an actively foraging predator. Understanding the evolution of these cells has intrigued evolutionary ecologists because the release of these alarm chemicals is not voluntary. Here, we show that predation pressure does not influence alarm cell production in fishes. Alarm cell production is stimulated by exposure to skin-penetrating pathogens (water moulds: Saprolegnia ferax and Saprolegnia parasitica), skin-penetrating parasites (larval trematodes: Teleorchis sp. and Uvulifer sp.) and correlated with exposure to UV radiation. Suppression of the immune system with environmentally relevant levels of Cd inhibits alarm cell production of fishes challenged with Saprolegnia. These data are the first evidence that alarm substance cells have an immune function against ubiquitous environmental challenges to epidermal integrity. Our results indicate that these specialized cells arose and are maintained by natural selection owing to selfish benefits unrelated to predator-prey interactions. Cell contents released when these cells are damaged in predator attacks have secondarily acquired an ecological role as alarm cues because selection favours receivers to detect and respond adaptively to public information about predation.
- Subjects :
- Animal Communication
Animals
Biological Evolution
Cell Proliferation
Cyprinidae microbiology
Cyprinidae parasitology
Epidermis microbiology
Epidermis parasitology
Epidermis radiation effects
Fungi
Perciformes microbiology
Perciformes parasitology
Predatory Behavior
Trematoda
Cyprinidae physiology
Epidermal Cells
Perciformes physiology
Pheromones metabolism
Ultraviolet Rays
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0962-8452
- Volume :
- 274
- Issue :
- 1625
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Proceedings. Biological sciences
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 17686729
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0709