AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

Comparing the Role of the Lateral Line During Rheotaxis Between a Sedentary and Mobile Species

by Joseph Brightwell Bak-Coleman




Institution: Bowling Green State University
Department: Biological Sciences
Degree: MS
Year: 2014
Keywords: Biology; Lateral Line; Fish; Swimming; Rheotaxis; Sensory Ecology; Neuroethology
Record ID: 2045410
Full text PDF: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1392913490


Abstract

Rheotaxis is a robust, multisensory behavior with many potential benefits for fish and other aquatic animals. Visual (optic flow) cues appear to be sufficient for rheotaxis, but other sensory cues can clearly compensate for the loss of vision. The role of various non-visual sensory systems, in particularly the flow-sensing lateral line, is poorly understood–largely due to widely methods employed to study rheotaxis. Here, we examine how sedentary behavior affects the relative importance of lateral line cues by comparing sedentary armored catfish (Corydoras julii) with mobile blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus). Armored catfish were observed to be sedentary and moved in a saltatory fashion, whereas blind cavefish were significantly more mobile and tended to move continuously. No effect of lateral line disruption was observed in mobile blind cavefish, suggesting it is not necessary for rheotaxis at any of the speeds tested. By contrast, rheotaxis was significantly affected by lateral line disruption in sedentary armored catfish. Taken together, these results suggest that sedentary behavior might promote reliance on lateral line cues.