More Like this

1. The effects of age, sex, and habitat on body size and shape of the blackstripe topminnow, Fundulus notatus (Cyprinodontiformes: Fundulidae) (Rafinesque 1820): Size and Shape of the Blackstripe Topminnow

   https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12022  

   Welsh, Daniel P.; Zhou, Muchu; Mussmann, Steven M.; Fields, Lauren G.; Thomas, Claire L.; Pearish, Simon P.; Kilburn, Stephanie L.; Parker, Jerrod L.; Stein, Laura R.; Bartlett, Jennifer A.; et al (April 2013, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society)
2. Complete mitochondrial genome of the Starhead Topminnow Fundulus dispar (Cyprinodontiformes: Fundulidae)

   https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2024.2327564  

   Fast, Kayla M; Larrimore, John D; Alley, Zachariah D; Sandel, Michael W (March 2024, Mitochondrial DNA Part B)
3. Doublesex mediates species-, sex-, environment- and trait-specific exaggeration of size and shape

   https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0241  

   Rohner, Patrick T.; Linz, David M.; Moczek, Armin P. (June 2021, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)

   Context-dependent trait exaggeration is a major contributor to phenotypic diversity. However, the genetic modifiers instructing development across multiple contexts remain largely unknown. We use the arthropod tibia, a hotspot for segmental differentiation, as a paradigm to assess the developmental mechanisms underlying the context-dependent structural exaggeration of size and shape through nutritional plasticity, sexual dimorphism and segmental differentiation. Using an RNAseq approach in the sexually dimorphic and male-polyphenic dung beetle Digitonthophagus gazella , we find that only a small portion (3.7%) of all transcripts covary positively in expression level with trait size across contexts. However, RNAi-mediated knockdown of the conserved sex-determination gene doublesex suggests that it functions as a context-dependent master mediator of trait exaggeration in D. gazella as well as the closely related dung beetle Onthophagus taurus . Taken together, our findings suggest (i) that the gene networks associated with trait exaggeration are highly dependent on the precise developmental context, (ii) that doublesex differentially shapes morphological exaggeration depending on developmental contexts and (iii) that this context-specificity of dsx -mediated trait exaggeration may diversify rapidly. This mechanism may contribute to the resolution of conflict arising from environment-dependent antagonistic selection among sexes and divergent developmental contexts in a wide range of animals. 

   more » « less
4. Tailoring the Shape and Size of Artificial Cells

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.9b05112  

   Bhattacharya, Ahanjit; Devaraj, Neal K. (July 2019, ACS Nano)
5. Environmental and population influences on mummichog ( Fundulus heteroclitus ) gut microbiomes

   https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00947-24  

   Ma, Lei; Hahn, Mark E; Karchner, Sibel I; Nacci, Diane; Clark, Bryan W; Apprill, Amy; Zhang, Zhen (March 2025, Microbiology Spectrum)

   Iwanowicz, Luke R (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT The mummichog,Fundulus heteroclitus, an abundant estuarine fish broadly distributed along the eastern coast of North America, has repeatedly evolved tolerance to otherwise lethal levels of aromatic hydrocarbon exposure. This tolerance is linked to reduced activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling pathway. In other animals, the AHR has been shown to influence the gastrointestinal-associated microbial community, particularly when activated by the model toxic pollutant 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-126) and other dioxin-like compounds. To understand host population and PCB-126 exposure effects on mummichog gut microbiota, we sampled two populations of wild fish, one from a PCB-contaminated environment (New Bedford Harbor, MA, USA) and the other from a much less polluted location (Scorton Creek, MA, USA), as well as laboratory-reared F2 generation fish originating from each of these populations. We examined the microbes associated with the gut of these fish using amplicon sequencing of bacterial and archaeal small subunit ribosomal RNA genes. Fish living in the PCB-polluted site had high microbial alpha and beta diversity compared to fish from the low PCB site. These differences between wild fish were not present in laboratory-reared F2 fish that originated from the same populations. Microbial compositional differences existed between wild and lab-reared fish, with the wild fish dominated by Vibrionaceae and the lab-reared fish by Enterococceae. These results suggest that mummichog habitat and/or environmental conditions have a stronger influence on the mummichog gut microbiome compared to population or hereditary-based influences. Mummichog are important eco-evolutionary model organisms; this work reveals their importance for exploring host-environmental-microbiome dynamics. IMPORTANCEThe mummichog fish, a common resident of North America's east coast estuaries, has evolved the ability to survive in waters contaminated with toxic chemicals that would typically be deadly. Our study investigates how living in and adapting to these toxic environments may affect their gut microbiomes. We compared mummichogs from a polluted area in Massachusetts with those from a non-polluted site and found significant differences in their gut microbes. Interestingly, when we raised the next generation of these fish in a lab, these differences disappeared, suggesting that the environment plays a more crucial role in shaping the gut microbiome than genetics. Understanding these changes helps shed light on how animals and their associated microbiomes adapt to pollution, which can inform conservation efforts and our broader understanding of environmental impacts on host-microbe dynamics. 

   more » « less