Have you seen a spotted plaice? Probably. However, marine biologistHelen Nilsson Sköld at the University of Gothenburg is the firstperson to research the spotted insides of plaice.
Many species of animal have skin or fur with intricate pigmentationpatterns, which they use for camouflage, communication, regulation ofbody heat and protection against the sun. A study conducted byresearchers at the Department of Marine Ecology at the University ofGothenburg has found that several species of fish also havehighly-coloured internal pigmentation.
Adapts to its surroundings
In a study published in Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, marinebiologist Helen Nilsson Sköld and her colleagues show that the numberof internal pigment cells has a direct link to the degree of transparency of the fish.Transparent fish can change colour using their internal pigment cells,thus enhancing external skin pigmentation and their ability to adaptto the background colours of their surroundings.
Bewildering display of colour
Mysteriously, plaice also have a high number of internal pigment cellsin, for instance, the ear and brain and around their internal organs.Plaice however are not particularly transparent. The internal pigmentcells ofthis fishcannot be seen easily from the outside, which makes its internaldisplay of colour somewhat bewildering.
Unknown functions
According to Helen Nilsson Sköld and her colleagues, the fact thatless transparent fish also have this internal pigmentation indicatesthat the pigment cells may have other, as yet unknown, functions.
"We believe that the internal pigment cells either function as vesselsfor excess pigment or perhaps provide various forms of protection orcontribute to the immune system. We hope to investigate this subjectfurther," says Helen Nilsson Sköld.
Source: University of Gothenburg