What do notothenioids have in common?
These include the presence of three flat pectoral fin radials, nostrils located laterally on each side of the head, the lack of a swim bladder, and the presence of multiple lateral lines. Because notothenioids lack a swim bladder, the majority of species are benthic or demersal in nature.
What are the unique features of the ice fish?
They have grayish, black or brown bodies, wide pectoral fins, and two dorsal fins that are supported by long, flexible spines. They can grow to a maximum length of about 30 inches. Another fairly unique trait for icefish is that they don’t have scales.
What adaptations do icefish have?
Icefish compensate for their lack of hemoglobin with a variety of other adaptations, including a large heart, wide blood vessels, large gills, and no scales. These adaptations increase their blood flow and the amount of oxygen that diffuses into their blood.
Why are Notothenioid fish important?
The ecological importance of notothenioids is reflected in their role as a key component of Antarctic marine food webs and as the primary targets of fish harvesting in the Southern Ocean [3-7].
Which statement is true of Notothenioids?
Which statement is true of the Notothenioids? Notothenioids can live in very cold, nutrient-rich waters where other fish species cannot. (Because of their antifreeze proteins, notothenioids thrive in a place where other fish species cannot live.)
What do Antarctic toothfish eat?
Antarctic Toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) Being top predators, they feed on a variety of fish and squid, but they are also important prey for Weddell seals, sperm whales, colossal squid, and a specific type of killer whale that feeds almost exclusively on toothfish.
Can you eat ice fish?
It may be perceived as a fish delicacy. than 30 inches in length.
Which of these characteristics affects the diffusion of oxygen into the icefish’s blood?
Which of these characteristics affects the diffusion oxygen into the icefish’s blood? Icefish have transparent, scale-less skin.; Without scales, oxygen diffuses directly through icefish skin. Icefish live in very cold waters (-1.8 degrees Celsius) where temperatures are below blood’s freezing point.
Which environmental change was most important to the evolution of the icefish?
Many biologists assume that the antifreeze proteins were the key to the icefish’s evolutionary success. Antarctica went through a major period of cooling around 24 million years ago. Ice sheets formed and glaciers scoured over the continent.
Why are the icefish so unique among the vertebrates?
The icefish of the Channichthyidae family are unusual in several ways—they lack scales and have transparent bones, for example—but what stands out most is their so-called white blood, which is unique among vertebrates.
How did icefish get the antifreeze gene?
How did notothenioids “get” the gene for antifreeze proteins? The gene arose from random mutations. Students may include additional details from the film, such as the fact that another gene was duplicated and several mutations occurred in the duplication.
How did the icefish antifreeze gene arise?
How did the icefish antifreeze gene arise? The antifreeze gene was caused by a single mutation. An existing gene was duplicated. It then acquired mutations, which caused it to have a different function.