FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE

DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE

AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
FISH ADAPTATION AND PHYSIOLOGY (FISM 314)

LECTURE NOTE 1.

1. They have streamlined body

The head, trunk and the tail of a fish forms a streamlined shape. A streamlined body reduces
water resistance and helps the fishes to move easily and faster in water.
2. Presence of gills
Gills are special respiratory organs that absorb oxygen dissolved in water for respiration.
Gills helps the fishes to adapt to breathe or respire in water. They are present on either side of the
fish head. The gills are present in a gill chamber and are covered by a flap called an operculum.
The gills are involved in the gas exchange, ion regulation, osmoregulation, hormone
production etc. In sardines, the gills perform a feeding function too.
The gills of fishes have a high surface area, enhancing the gas exchange between the blood and
the environment. The gills take in oxygen that is dissolved in the water and exchange it with
carbon dioxide. Thus, carbon dioxide is exchanged with oxygen.
3. Different types of scales in different fishes
They have slippery scales present in the body, which protecting their body from the
environment, parasites, and predators. Scales develops as external growth of the skin or
the epidermis. The scales reduce the friction with the water.
4. Presence of Fins
The presence of fins in fish aids in swimming. They are also used to maintain the position of a
fish during movement, and steering of fish in water. They also help in the propulsion of the fish.
5. Strong tails
Strong tails are present in fishes that act as a rudder to change the direction and to keep their
bodies balanced in water. Tails are also used to displace the water so that the fish moves forward.
6. Colouration

Fish display a wide variety of colours and color patterns. Skin colouration can have many
functions. Many fish have color patterns that help them blend in with their environment. This
may allow the fish to avoid being seen by a predator. Some fish, such as the flat fishes
(Pleuronectiformes), can change their skin colouration to match the surrounding habitat.

Fish can also have disruptive markings to hide body parts. Species such as the jackknife fish
(Equetus lanceolatus), high-hat (Equetus acuminatus) and some angel fishes (Pomacanthidae),
have dark lines that run through the eyes. These lines may serve to hide the eyes so that other
animals cannot tell where the fish is looking or even if it is a fish. Also, horizontal lines may be a
sight-line for aiming attacks on prey. Some fishes, like butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae), have
spots on their body that resemble eyes. This may serve to confuse prey and predators alike. In
addition to coloration, some fish, like the sea dragon (Phyllopteryx), have body shapes that can
further mimic their habitat.

Fish colouration can also be useful in catching prey. Many sharks exhibit coloration known as
counter shading. Sharks that have counter shading are dark on the dorsal (upper) side and light
on the ventral (lower) side. With this color scheme any prey looking down on the shark will see a
dark shark against a dark sea bottom, making it hard to detect the shark. Conversely, any prey
looking up at the shark, will see the light belly of the shark on the light background of the ocean
surface water lit by the sun or moon.

Colouration can also be used to advertise. Fishes like the darters (Percidae) and sticklebacks
(Gasterosteus), may use color to attract and recognize potential mates

7. Light Organs

Some marine fish have the ability to produce light through bioluminescence. Most light-
producing fish live in mid-water or are bottom-dwelling deep-sea species. In fish,
bioluminescence can occur two different ways: through symbiotic bacteria living on the fish or
through self-luminous cells called photophores. Some species of deep-sea angler fish
(Lophiiformes) may use this light to attract prey, while others, like the Atlantic midshipman
(Porichthys plectrodon), may use this light to attract mates.

8. Venom

Many fish may use venom as a form of defense. Most venomous fish deliver the toxins through
the use of a spine. Venomous spines are found in a wide variety of fish including stingrays,
chimaeras, scorpionfishes, catfishes, toadfishes, rabbit fishes, and stargazers. Venomous spines
can have poison glands along the grove of the spine, as with stingrays, or at the base of the spine,
as in some catfish. While humans can be stung by a multitude of fishes, few species are life-
threatening.

9. Electric Organs

Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) possess an electric sense system known as the ampullae
of Lorenzini. This system consists of many tiny gel-filled canals positioned on the head of the
fish. Through this system these fishes are able to detect the weak electric fields produced by
prey. It is also believed that these fish can use this sense to detect the electric fields they induce
when swimming through the earth’s magnetic field, as a sort of compass. Since the fishes are
able to generate the fields they detect, this is a form of active electro-orientation.

Some species of skates and rays also have electricity-producing organs. The electric rays have
paired electric organs located on either side of the head, behind the eyes. With these organs,
electric rays are able to shock and stun their prey. The skate’s electric organs are located near the
tail. However, these electric organs only produce weak electric fields not capable of stunning
prey. Researchers believe that the skate’s electric organs are used for communication and mate
location.

The electric eel can also produce electric fields. These eels use weak electric fields for
navigation, prey location, and communication. Additionally, these eels can produce strong
electric fields to stun potential prey. The strength of the “shock” is related to the size of the eel,
with larger individuals being able to produce more of a “shock.”
10. Swim bladder

Most fish have a swim bladder. This is a balloon-like internal organ that contain gas by changing

the amount of gas in the bladder, a fish can move up and down through the water column.

11. Muscles

Fish have a system of muscles for movement. Muscle contractions ripple through the body in
waves from head to tail. The contractions whip the tail against the water to propel the fish
through the water.

12. Fish organ systems

Fish a circulatory system with a two chambered heart. Their digestive system is complete and
includes several organs and glands. Jawed fish use their jaws and teeth to grind up food before
passing it to the rest of digestive tract. This allows them to consume larger prey. They also have
a centralized nervous system with a brain. Fish brain are small compared with brains of other
vertebrates, but they are large and complex compared with the brains of other vertebrates. Fish
also have highly developed sense organs that allow them to see, hear, smell, and taste. Sharks
and some other fish can even sense the very low levels of electricity emitted by other animals.
This helps them locate prey.

13. Skeleton

Fish have a skeletal system made up of tinny bones with flexible backbone. The skeleton of
bonny fishes is made of bone and cartilage. The vertebral column, cranium, jaw, ribs and intra-
muscular bones make up a bony fishes’ skeleton. The skeleton gives structure provides
protection assists in leverage and (along with the spleen and the kidney) is a site of red blood cell
production.
14. Pheromones

In fish, pheromones play roles in fish aggregation, shoaling, social interactions, kin recognition,
prey detection, migrations and signaling the presence predators, individual identification, group
cohesion, territorial markings, sex attraction and synchronization of reproductive processes.

15. Osmoregulation

Osmoregulation is the process of maintaining an internal balance of salt and water in the fish’s
body. Fish lives in environment with a wide variety of chemical characteristics (Fresh, brackish,
and sea water, acidic, alkaline, soft and hard water) Fish have to develop a mechanism to live in
these different environments.