Physiological and molecular mechanisms of osmoregulatory plasticity in killifish after seawater transfer

We have explored the molecular and physiological responses of the euryhaline killifish Fundulus heteroclitus to transfer from brackish water (10% seawater) to 100% seawater for 12 h, 3 days or 7 days. Plasma [Na+] and [Cl-] were unchanged after transfer, and plasma cortisol underwent a transient increase. Na+/K+-ATPase activity increased 1.5-fold in the gills and opercular epithelium at 7 days (significant in gills only), responses that were …