The ultrastructure of the intestinal epithelium in fishes with different types of feeding

Abstract

The ultrastructure of the intestinal epithelium has been studied in three species of freshwater fishes, differing from one another in the type of feeding. The pike (a typical predator), the burbot (a predator‐facultative benthophage), and the bream (a typical benthophage) were examined. The differences in the condition of epithelial ceils and peculiarities in the structure of the brush border of enterocytes in fishes have been revealed in winter periods. The role of the brush border of enterocytes in the increase of the digestive and transport surface of the intestine in fish is discussed.