Effects of texture on surface attachment of spawning‐run sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus: a quantitative analysis

Abstract

Adult sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus attachment strength by the oral sucker was quantified. Surfaces with shallow, rounded discontinuities into which the oral fimbriae could be folded yielded the strongest seal and some fish could control their mouths to improve 'suction'. Narrow grooves of 1 mm width and 3 mm depth prevented P. marinus from creating a lasting attachment.This study examined the physical characteristics of 'suction' attachment in spawning-run sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus L. Throughout the paper, the term 'suction' refers to the interaction between the low pressure in P. marinus oral cavity and the higher external water pressure, which enables P. marinus to adhere to a surface. Oral disc pressures were characterized during attachments to acrylic surfaces cut with surface intrusions that varied in area and shape. Grooves were selected to simulate these surface discontinuities, as they are easily generated in a quantifiable fashion. The areas and shapes of grooves were carefully chosen to provide an estimated range of attachment ability that would be recognizable through pressure characteristic analysis. Additionally, an analysis of oral disc contortion on the varying grooved surfaces evaluated the importance of the flexibility of the oral disc and fimbriae (Lethbridge & Potter, 1979;Khidir & Renaud, 2003). Results from this study may benefit researchers examining migratory behaviour of P. marinus, specifically those interested in enhancing or blocking upstream movement.One hundred and twenty P. marinus were trapped in the Ocqueoc River (45°059 N; 84°009 W) in mid-May 2005 (mean total length, L T , 467 mm, range

Performance and scaling of a novel locomotor structure: adhesive capacity of climbing gobiid fishes

“…The adhesive performance of pelvic suckers in climbing gobiids was much greater than would have been predicted from the size of the suckers alone, indicating substantial contributions of the fin retractor muscles and potentially other factors to the adhesive performance of these species [e.g. epidermal microstructure or mucus secretion (Arita, 1967;Nachtigall, 1974;Branch and Marsh, 1978;Green, 1979;Emerson and Diehl, 1980;Grenon and Walker, 1981;Green and Barber, 1988;Das and Nag, 2004;Pinky et al, 2004;Cook et al, 1990;Das and Nag, 2005;Goodwyn et al, 2006;Adams and Reinhardt, 2008)]. In addition, the absolute performance of climbing gobiid suckers was high relative to the primary force that set the standard for our comparisons, which was the need to suspend the weight of the body against gravity.…”

Lampreys: Biology, Conservation and Control

“…Electromyogram studies of free-swimming sea lamprey indicated that they appear to move through arduous passage routes with a saltatory movement pattern, alternately bursting forward, attaching, and resting (Quintella et al 2004(Quintella et al , 2009). In these situations, the cost of attachment is likely increased, as lamprey must expend more energy in the creation of buccal pressure (Adams and Reinhardt 2008). The morphology of the oral disc allows attachment to a variety of surface types with apparently minimal energetic cost (Adams and Reinhardt 2008).…”

“…In laboratory studies and in the field, Pacific lamprey demonstrated high motivation and success after repeated ascents of a 1.5-mhigh vertical structure (Kemp et al 2009;Moser et al 2013a). Optimal attachment sites feature regular surfaces made of a slightly rugous material that allows the fimbriae and oral disc to form a tight seal (Adams and Reinhardt 2008). This strategy helps the animals to move through areas of difficult passage (Quintella et al 2004), but can only be utilized if adequate attachment surface on the substrate is available (Keefer et al 2009b).…”

Sea LampreyPetromyzon marinusBiology and Management Across Their Native and Invasive Ranges: Promoting Conservation by Knowledge Transfer

“…Where flows are exces-245 sive, however, movements of both species might be hindered by their elongated body morphology and lack of paired fins that reduces their ability of negotiating highvelocity flows when compared to most other migratory fishes (Keefer et al, 2013;Foulds and Lucas, 2013). They 250 demonstrate typical anguilliform swimming under these velocities, referred to as a "burst-and-attach" pattern (Adams and Reinhardt, 2008), which is generally ineffective in high velocity areas such as weir orifices or salmonid fish passes, as these often lack suitable attachment 255 surfaces and/or the water velocity exceeds their critical swimming speeds (Adams and Reinhardt, 2008;Foulds and Lucas, 2013). The ability of P. fluviatilis to utilize fish passage structures on blockages in European rivers was shown 260 by Aronsuu et al (2015), who revealed that all individuals that used a natural-like fish-way (fish pass) were successful in passing the barrier, with individuals showing a strong preference to using this over a technical fish-way.…”