Evolution of ion transporter Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase expression in the osmoregulatory maxillary glands of an invasive copepod.

ABSTRACT: While many freshwater invaders originate from saline habitats, the physiological mechanisms involved are poorly understood. We investigated the evolution of ion transporter Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) protein expression between ancestral saline and freshwater invading populations of the copepod Eurytemora carolleae (Atlantic clade of the E. affinis complex). We compared in situ NKA expression between populations under common-garden conditions at three salinities in the maxillary glands. We found the evolution of reduced NKA expression in the freshwater population under freshwater conditions and reduced plasticity (canalization) across salinities, relative to the saline population. Our results support the hypothesis that maxillary glands are involved in io

SUBMITTER: Popp TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11269808 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature