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Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Published on: May 7, 2016

Amphibious fishes: evolution and phenotypic plasticity.

Patricia A Wright¹, Andy J Turko²

¹Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 patwrigh@uoguelph.ca.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|August 5, 2016

Summary

Amphibious fishes show remarkable adaptations for land survival. Phenotypic plasticity, the ability to adjust traits, is crucial for amphibious fish navigating terrestrial challenges and may reveal evolutionary paths to land-dwelling in tetrapods.

Keywords:

Acclimation Air breathing fishes Air exposure Bimodal breather

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Last Updated: Mar 16, 2026

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Published on: May 7, 2016

Expression of Fluorescent Proteins in Branchiostoma lanceolatum by mRNA Injection into Unfertilized Oocytes

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Comparative Physiology
Ecology

Background:

Over 200 species of amphibious fish have evolved terrestrial adaptations independently.
Phenotypic plasticity is increasingly recognized as vital for terrestrial survival in amphibious species.
Amphibious fish face unique environmental challenges at the air-water interface.

Purpose of the Study:

To review plastic traits in amphibious fishes related to terrestrial challenges.
To explore the role of phenotypic plasticity in the evolution of terrestriality.
To identify research needs for understanding plasticity's evolutionary significance.

Main Methods:

Literature review of amphibious fish adaptations.
Analysis of plastic traits in response to environmental stressors.
Synthesis of evidence for plasticity facilitating trait evolution.

Main Results:

Amphibious fishes exhibit plastic responses to buoyancy, hydration, oxygen, CO2, and ammonia challenges.
Phenotypic plasticity is a key factor in amphibious fish adaptation to land.
Plasticity may provide insights into the evolution of terrestrial life in tetrapods.

Conclusions:

Phenotypic plasticity is essential for amphibious fish survival and adaptation to land.
Studying plasticity in amphibious fish can illuminate the evolution of terrestriality.
Further research is needed to fully understand the evolutionary role of plasticity.