Schulz-Mirbach Tanja, Ladich Friedrich
Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Großhaderner Strasse 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;877:341-91. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-21059-9_16.
Fishes have evolved the largest diversity of inner ears among vertebrates. While G. Retzius introduced us to the diversity of the gross morphology of fish ears in the late nineteenth century, it was A. N. Popper who unraveled the large variety of the fine structure during the last four decades. Modifications of the basic inner ear structure-consisting of three semicircular canals and their sensory epithelia, the cristae and three otolithic end organs (utricle, saccule, lagena) including the maculae-mainly relate to the saccule and lagena and the respective sensory epithelia, the macula sacculi and macula lagenae. Despite the profound morphological knowledge of inner ears and the morphological variability, the functional significance of this diversity is still largely unknown. The aims of this review are therefore twofold. First it provides an update of the state of the art of inner ear diversity in bony fishes. Second it summarizes and discusses hypotheses on the evolution of this diversity as well as formulates open questions and promising approaches to tackle these issues.
鱼类进化出了脊椎动物中最为多样的内耳。19世纪末，G. 雷丘斯向我们介绍了鱼耳大体形态的多样性，而在过去的四十年里，A. N. 波珀揭示了其精细结构的巨大多样性。基本内耳结构由三个半规管及其感觉上皮、嵴以及三个耳石终器（椭圆囊、球囊、瓶状囊）包括黄斑组成，其变化主要与球囊和瓶状囊以及各自的感觉上皮，即球囊斑和瓶状囊斑有关。尽管对内耳有深入的形态学认识以及形态学变异性，但这种多样性的功能意义在很大程度上仍然未知。因此，本综述的目的有两个。首先，它提供了硬骨鱼内耳多样性的最新技术水平。其次，它总结并讨论了关于这种多样性进化的假说，并提出了开放性问题以及解决这些问题的有前景的方法。
