Evaluation of Age-Dependent Changes in the Coloration of Male Killifish Nothobranchius Guentheri Using New Photoprocessing Methods

Overview

Journal Biology (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Biology

Date 2022 Feb 25

PMID 35205071

Authors

Dmitry L Nikiforov-Nikishin

Nikita I Kochetkov

Ekaterina V Mikodina

Alexei L Nikiforov-Nikishin

Yuri G Simakov

Natalya A Golovacheva

Alexander V Gorbunov

Sergei N Chebotarev

Evgeniya Yu Kirichenko

Igor Yu Zabiyaka

Ivan S Pastukhov

Anzhelika B Bren

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Fish as model objects have found wide applications in biology and fundamental medicine and allow studies of behavioral and physiological responses to various environmental factors. Representatives of the genus are one of the most convenient objects for such studies. Male fish belonging to the family are characterized by extremely diverse coloration, which constantly changes, depending on the age of the fish, environmental factors, and social hierarchical status. These fish species are characterized by a short life cycle, which allows changes in coloration, an indicator of the ontogenesis stage, to be estimated. Existing methods of fish color assessments do not allow the intensity of coloration of particular body zones to be clearly differentiated. In the present study, we suggest a method of two-factor assessment of specific fish body zones using modified methods of photofixation and image processing software. We describe the protocol of the method and the results of its application to different-aged groups of male . The coloration of selected areas (i.e., red spot on the gill cover (RSGC), black border on the caudal fin (BBCF), and white border on the dorsal fin (WBDF)) differed significantly according to the size and age of the fish ( < 0.05). The data obtained suggest that can be a model for studying aging by the intensity of body coloration in males.

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