Abstract
This is the first direct physiological evidence in support of the ionoregulatory hypothesis, challenging the long-held assumption that teleost gills develop initially for gas exchange. Resting unidirectional sodium (Na(+)) uptake and oxygen (O(2)) uptake across the skin and gills were measured simultaneously in larval rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, during development. In soft and hard water, Na(+) uptake shifted to the gills by 15 and 16 days post-hatch (dph) while O(2) uptake took 50-80% longer and shifted by 23 and 28 dph, respectively. This suggests that gills are required for ionoregulation prior to gas exchange in developing rainbow trout. The age of transition for Na(+) uptake, gill Na(+), K(+)-ATPase (NKA) alpha-subunit protein expression and gill NKA enzyme activity were not significantly different between soft and hard water-reared groups, which suggests a lack of plasticity in gill ionoregulatory development. In rainbow trout, the gills assume a dominant role in ionoregulation before gas exchange, suggesting that ionoregulation may be the initial driving force for gill development. Further investigation is required to determine whether this pattern is consistent with other teleosts and more basal fishes during early development to gain insight into the role of ionoregulation in vertebrate gill evolution.