The electro-receptive lateral line system appeared early in the evolutionary history of fish. Sturgeons, members of the primitive Chondrostei group, are known for their electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on the head, which are thought to be sensitive to weak electric fields in aquatic environments and involved in feeding, mating and migration. Here, we report the results of a set of behavioral and electrophysiological experiments designed to determine the function and characteristics of the electrosense in cultured sturgeons. The results showed Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii Brandt, 1869) feeding striking at bio-electric fields produced by living feed-fish enclosed in a gel chamber and at the corrosion field produced by metal rods. With an electric stimulus that mimics the bio-electric fields produced by living prey, the relative discharge rate of electrosensory neurons in the dorsal octavolateralis nucleus (DON) was modulated by and phase-locked to sinusoidal stimulus and some units showed selectivity for dipolar direction in white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus Richardson,1836). This is the first study to provide the empirical evidence correlating with electrosensory behaviors and electrophysiological responses in cultured sturgeons, and suggesting that electrosense does play an innate role in feeding behavior of sturgeon. We believe this will have important implications for protecting sturgeons in the wild.

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The change in the toroidal rotation of plasma caused by electron cyclotron wave (ECW) injection has been observed in EAST. It is found that the response of the rotation is similar for all possible ECW toroidal injection angles. The core toroidal rotation velocity increases in the co-current direction along with a rise in the plasma temperature and stored energy. The profile of the electron temperature, ion temperature and toroidal rotation velocity gradually become peaked. The change in toroidal rotation in the core increases with the ECW injection power. Different behavior is observed when the ECWs are injected into low hybrid current drive (LHCD) target plasmas, where the electron temperature and rotation profile become peaked, while the ion temperature profile flattens after ECW injection, suggesting different transport characteristics in energy and momentum.