Locomotion in elongate fishes: A contact sport

Ward, Andrea B.; Costa, Alyssa; Monroe, Stephanie L.; Aluck, Robert J.; Mehta, Rita S.

doi:10.1016/j.zool.2015.06.002

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While increasing total length improves the cost of transport during sand-swimming, this benefit diminishes at greater total lengths and incurs greater drag [23,57]. Simultaneously, the tail can provide points of static friction to push against features in a cluttered habitat [22,58,59]. However, consistent with our results, other work on semi-fossorial skinks, including Lerista, with intermediate tail lengths suggested that the tail exerted negligible propulsive forces [39,60,61].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Evolution of fossorial locomotion in the transition from tetrapod to snake-like in lizards

Morinaga

Bergmann

2020

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dramatic evolutionary transitions in morphology are often assumed to be adaptive in a new habitat. However, these assumptions are rarely tested because such tests require intermediate forms, which are often extinct. In vertebrates, the evolution of an elongate, limbless body is generally hypothesized to facilitate locomotion in fossorial and/or cluttered habitats. However, these hypotheses remain untested because few studies examine the locomotion of species ranging in body form from tetrapod to snakelike. Here, we address these functional hypotheses by testing whether trade-offs exist between locomotion in surface, fossorial and cluttered habitats in Australian Lerista lizards, which include multiple intermediate forms.We found that snake-like species penetrated sand substrates faster than more lizard-like species, representing the first direct support of the adaptation to fossoriality hypothesis. By contrast, body form did not affect surface locomotion or locomotion through cluttered leaf litter. Furthermore, all species with hindlimbs used them during both fossorial and surface locomotion. We found no evidence of a trade-off between fossorial and surface locomotion. This may be either because Lerista employed kinematic strategies that took advantage of both axial-and limb-based propulsion. This may have led to the differential occupation of their habitat, facilitating diversification of intermediate forms.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Evolution of fossorial locomotion in the transition from tetrapod to snake-like in lizards

Morinaga

Bergmann

2020

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many extant fish taxa are able to make terrestrial excursions ( Johnels, 1957 ; Chave and Randall, 1971 ; Pace and Gibb, 2011 , 2014 ; Kawano and Blob, 2013 ; Standen et al, 2016 ; Bressman et al, 2019 ) and either breathe air or withstand hypoxia for extended periods of time ( Sayer, 2005 ). Studies focused on amphibious species have mainly examined the kinematics of fishes moving on land ( Hsieh, 2010 ; Pace and Gibb, 2011 ; Kawano and Blob, 2013 ; Ward et al, 2015 ; Mehta et al, 2020 ), physiological adaptations to the terrestrial environment ( LeBlanc et al, 2010 ; Turko et al, 2019 ) and the genetics therein ( You et al, 2018 ). Fewer studies have explored other behaviors while on land such as socialization ( Taylor et al, 2008 ; Ord and Hsieh, 2011 ) and feeding ( Seghers, 1978 ; Van Wassenbergh et al, 2006 ; Van Wassenbergh, 2013 ; Michel et al, 2014 , 2015a , b ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snowflake morays, Echidna nebulosa, exhibit similar feeding kinematics in terrestrial and aquatic treatments

Mehta

Donohoe

2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Some species of durophagous moray eels (Muraenidae) have been documented emerging from the marine environment to capture intertidal crabs but how they consume prey out of water is unknown. Here we trained snowflake morays, Echidna nebulosa, to undulate out of the aquatic environment to feed on land. On land, snowflake morays remove prey from the substrate by biting and swallow prey using pharyngeal jaw enabled transport. Although snowflake morays exhibit smaller jaw rotation angles on land when apprehending their prey, transport kinematics involving dorso-ventral flexion of the head to protract the pharyngeal jaws and overall feeding times did not differ between terrestrial and aquatic treatments. We suggest that their elongate body plan, ability to rotate their heads in the dorsoventral and lateral directions, and extreme pharyngeal movements, all contribute to the ability of durophagous morays to feed in the terrestrial environment.

show abstract

“…Studies on body propulsion in limbless fishes (Gillis, 1998, 2000; Pace & Gibb, 2011; Clardy, 2012; Horner & Jayne, 2014; Ward et al. , 2015), lissamphibians (Summers & O'Reilly, 1997; Hoff & Wassersug, 2000; Ashley‐Ross & Bechtel, 2004), limbless lizards (Gans & Gasc, 1990; Gans, Morgan, & Allen, 1992; Morinaga & Bergmann, 2019), and snakes (Lissman, 1950; Gans, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1986) show how movement is often achieved through lateral undulation, where the body forms sinusoidal waves which push against irregularities of the substrate. Lateral undulation appears to be an effective form of locomotion as many members of these groups not only traverse on land but transition to land from the aquatic environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fewer studies have pursued studying the locomotor behavior of elongate or eel‐like fishes on land and how substrate type influences their locomotion (Gillis, 1998, 2000; Pace & Gibb, 2011; Clardy, 2012; Ward et al. , 2015; Standen et al. , 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial locomotion in elongate fishes: exploring the roles of morphology and substrate in facilitating locomotion

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Highly elongate body plans have evolved multiple times in the Actinopterygii, and members of many of these groups are known to use lateral undulation on land. Here, we quantified components of the axial skeleton for four phylogenetically disparate actinopterygian fishes and one sarcopterygian to determine whether axial morphology may affect their locomotor kinematics. We tested species in water and on two terrestrial substrates: loose wet pebbles and wet sand. Differences in axial morphology translated to differences in wavelengths, amplitudes, and frequencies at the center of the body and tail while swimming, but overall, we consistently observed a similar shift in kinematic patterns when fish were moving on the two terrestrial treatments. Generally, our kinematic data support our hypothesis that elongate fishes increased their wave frequency and shorten their wavelengths on terrestrial substrates but we also observed lower wave amplitudes contrary to our prediction. As anticipated, animals exhibited a higher distance ratio (DR), our metric of locomotor efficiency, at the head, center of the body, and tail in aquatic trials. DRs were between 25% and 50% higher in water compared to terrestrial treatments. Locomotion was less effective on wet sand substrate compared to loose wet pebble substrate as exhibited by the discrepancy in DRs and wave patterns along the fish. These data suggest that loose wet pebble substrates do indeed provide vertical points for lateral force transmission and that highly elongate fish have an advantage when moving along this substrate. Our species varied greatly in their total vertebral numbers, 93–129, and in their proportion of precaudal (42–102) and caudal vertebral numbers (10–64). Therefore, despite major differences in vertebral proportions, we find that fishes with anguilliform body plans share similar suites of kinematic patterns within aquatic versus terrestrial treatments and that a pebble substrate can better facilitate axial movements.

show abstract

Locomotion in elongate fishes: A contact sport

Cited by 18 publications

References 41 publications

Evolution of fossorial locomotion in the transition from tetrapod to snake-like in lizards

Evolution of fossorial locomotion in the transition from tetrapod to snake-like in lizards

Snowflake morays, Echidna nebulosa, exhibit similar feeding kinematics in terrestrial and aquatic treatments

Terrestrial locomotion in elongate fishes: exploring the roles of morphology and substrate in facilitating locomotion

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About