Graduation Date
Spring 2026
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Biology
Committee Chair Name
Allison Bronson Ph.D.
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
John Reiss Ph.D.
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy Ph.D.
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Fourth Committee Member Name
Jose Marin Jarrin Ph.D.
Fourth Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Morphology, Evolution, Anatomy, Kidneys, Stickleback, Gasterosteales, Tubesnout, Histology, In situ hybridization, CT scanning
Subject Categories
Biology
Abstract
Aulorhynchus flavidus (Gasterosteidae, Gasterosteales) is a common schooling fish that inhabits nearshore habitats on the Pacific Coast of North America. Breeding male Aulorhynchus have been observed excreting a glue-like substance from their vents to create nests in macroalgae (Macrocystis, Nereocystis, and Zostera); Aulorhynchus is the only non-stickleback within the Gasterosteales known to exhibit this trait. Glue production also occurs in all stickleback members of the Gasterosteales, and the genomic and morphological source of the glue, as well as the amino acid structures of the substance itself, has been characterized. In Aulorhynchus, the substance is hypothesized to be produced from homologous structures and genes, but this has not yet been confirmed. Thus, the objective of this study was to use a combination of gross dissection, histology, in situ hybridization, peptide fingerprinting, and computed tomography to characterize glue production in Aulorhynchus. Histology showed that the renal morphology of breeding male Aulorhynchus includes greatly hypertrophied kidneys and kidney tubules, similar to the condition found in breeding male sticklebacks. Additionally, proteins in Aulorhynchus glue were found to be similar to stickleback glue proteins; glue production genes from sticklebacks are also expressed in the kidneys of breeding males, suggesting homology of these genetic and anatomical mechanisms. Ancestral state reconstructions using recent topologies of the Gasterosteales were also performed to place the clade’s glue production trait in a phylogenetic context, which may indicate that glue production arose in the common ancestor of the Gasterosteales. These findings add to the limited morphological and life history data available for A. flavidus, highlighting the importance of basic biology studies of abundant forage fish.
Citation Style
Copeia
Recommended Citation
Kebow, Lucas, "A sticky situation: Renal morphology and glue production of Aulorhynchus flavidus in comparative perspective" (2026). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2548.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2548
Included in
Animal Structures Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Evolution Commons, Fluids and Secretions Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Tissues Commons, Urogenital System Commons, Zoology Commons