Facts For Kids

Male seahorses are the "mothers" in the natural real father when their role also includes responsibility pregnancy. Although males story pillar role in the family is quite normal, but the male pregnancy is a complex process with only the fish family Syngnathidae, which includes pipefish, seahorses and sea dragons. Researchers evolutionary biologist Adam Jones and colleagues at the University of Texas A & M is conducted to find out how the body structure needed during pregnancy can evolve - review journal. The researchers hope to get more insight on the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for changes in the structure of the species over time.

Jones said: "We are using seahorses and their relatives to address one of the field's most exciting research in modern evolutionary biology: the origin of complex traits. The brood pouch on male seahorses body and pipefish where males some interesting facts hold eggs during mating is an interesting feature to influential research biology of species due to the ability of the males was pregnant completely changed the dynamics of the mating act ".

When seahorses mate, the female inserts its ovipositor into the male's brood pouch (organs outside the body males) then lays unfertilized eggs into the pouch. The male then releases sperm into the pouch to fertilize the eggs. Jones said: "If the bag simply folds of skin to the female lays the eggs into it and normally developing eggs inside the bag instead of growing up in the ocean floor, nothing is fun . But the male pregnancy in some species of seahorses and pipefish terms of physiological functions was much more complicated than that"

After the female lays unfertilized eggs into the male, the outer shell of the egg is broken. Sperm of males will surround the egg. After fertilization, amazing animal facts .The male on duty controls embryonic environment in the pouch. It will keep the blood flowing around the embryos, controls the salt concentrations in the pouch, and provides oxygen and nutrients for the development of the offspring through a placenta-like structure until birth.

The male pregnancy with a sense of fun about gender roles in mating. Because in most species, males compete for access to females, so we often see the evolution of secondary characteristics shown by the male gender, such as the peacock's tail or antlers in deer. But in some species of pipefish, the roles of the sexes are reversed. Because males can get pregnant even the size of the pouch should also limit children compete against each other to win the males are also "lonely". So secondary sexual characteristics (eg, bright colors such) evolve in female pipefish instead of males.

Jones said: "In view of the study, this is very interesting because not many species in nature that gender roles reversed. This is a rare opportunity to learn sex selection in the context of the role is reversed. "

To learn mating behavior of seahorses and pipefish, Jones' lab has used molecular markers in forensic analysis role as mother to find out which one is seahorses mother of the children male belly seahorses. Group noticed that the pipefish mate manner "classic polyandry", the male receives eggs from a female but females can mate with multiple males. Due to attractive females can mate multiple mating should this cause fierce competition in the selection for mating. Female pipefish have evolved the secondary sex characteristics are important.

However, seahorses are living aquatic species in pairs during the breeding season. For this method, if the sex ratio is equal, then there will be no competition among females because males have sufficient numbers to mate. Seahorse should in no secondary sexual characteristics like important evolutionary pipefish.

The pregnancy of males also causes disturbance in behavior related to gender. Jones said: "Seahorses the competitive behaviors that are characteristic of males, while males again 'picky' - a characteristic of the child". His laboratory group also studies the evolutionary steps leading to reversal behavior and the role of hormones in this transformation.

At the same time the group also studied the original pouch evolved in seahorses and pipefish like. "A big question in evolutionary biology that is somehow an incredible bodies like to have all the genes and parts needed to complete the function plants for kids. We are trying to understand how the brood pouch and the genes required for the pregnancy of males formed during evolution ".

One of the interesting things about the male's brood pouch is seems it has evolved independently several times. There are two groups of seahorses and pipefish main village and hamlet tail relatives. Brood pouch structures evolved independently in two groups.

Another aspect that Jones's lab studies the evolutionary steps that form the general shape of the species unique seahorses. Jones said: "Somehow we find out an unusual species like the horses from these fish normally shaped? Certainly there are a lot of evolutionary steps involved in this process. "

John explains that the first step in the evolutionary process was the elongation of the body - the group is currently studying this step. The second step is the formation of additional features unique structure that possesses such seahorse transform into specific shapes. Seahorse head unlike most other fish. It is perpendicular to their body. Seahorses also have a prehensile tail can be, which means that unlike other fish we own a tail hold objects.

"These are all exciting changes. We are very interested in studying how the unusual features appear and the evolutionary formation of such characteristics. Basically, we hope to get a better understanding of the mechanisms of evolution helped form the incredible changes in the bodies of organisms occurred during the history of life on the left land".