Purine levels in the skin of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) during parr-smolt transformation and adaptation to seawater.
1. Juvenile coho salmon were examined for changes in guanine and hypoxanthine levels in the skin in relation to common physiological indices of parr-smolt transformation. 2. Guanine levels correlated well with changes in smolt indices, but reached maximum levels up to 1 month earlier than the development of seawater tolerance. 3. Transfer of juveniles into seawater at different times during the smolting cycle did not cause significant alterations in guanine concentration from the cyclic changes found in fish reared in freshwater. 4. Results suggest that guanine deposition in the skin during smolting seems unresponsive to seawater adaptation and therefore may not represent an adaptation in preparation for an oceanic life.
Staley
K B
KB
Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis 97331.
Ewing
R D
RD
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D019271:Hypoxanthine; D007042:Hypoxanthines / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D011687:Purines / Q000378:metabolism*; D012474:Salmon / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D012623:Seawater; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
D007042:Hypoxanthines; D011687:Purines; D019271:Hypoxanthine