scholarly journals Molecular mechanisms underlying the exceptional adaptations of batoid fins

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (52) ◽  
pp. 15940-15945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Nakamura ◽  
Jeff Klomp ◽  
Joyce Pieretti ◽  
Igor Schneider ◽  
Andrew R. Gehrke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Integration Site ◽  
The Body ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Bony Fishes ◽  
Genetic Module ◽  
Fin Development ◽  
Pelvic Fin

Extreme novelties in the shape and size of paired fins are exemplified by extinct and extant cartilaginous and bony fishes. Pectoral fins of skates and rays, such as the little skate (Batoid, Leucoraja erinacea), show a strikingly unique morphology where the pectoral fin extends anteriorly to ultimately fuse with the head. This results in a morphology that essentially surrounds the body and is associated with the evolution of novel swimming mechanisms in the group. In an approach that extends from RNA sequencing to in situ hybridization to functional assays, we show that anterior and posterior portions of the pectoral fin have different genetic underpinnings: canonical genes of appendage development control posterior fin development via an apical ectodermal ridge (AER), whereas an alternative Homeobox (Hox)–Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf)–Wingless type MMTV integration site family (Wnt) genetic module in the anterior region creates an AER-like structure that drives anterior fin expansion. Finally, we show that GLI family zinc finger 3 (Gli3), which is an anterior repressor of tetrapod digits, is expressed in the posterior half of the pectoral fin of skate, shark, and zebrafish but in the anterior side of the pelvic fin. Taken together, these data point to both highly derived and deeply ancestral patterns of gene expression in skate pectoral fins, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms behind the evolution of novel fin morphologies.

Quebecius quebecensis (Whiteaves), a porolepiform crossopterygian (Pisces) from the Late Devonian of Quebec, Canada

1987 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 2351-2361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Peter Schultze ◽  
Marius Arsenault
Keyword(s):  
Ventral Side ◽  
The Body ◽  
Late Devonian ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Median Fins ◽  
Pelvic Fin

Quebecius quebecensis (Whiteaves 1889) is a porolepiform crossopterygian related to Glyptolepis. A large nariodal, a large tabular, a separate intertemporal, and a large fused nasosupraorbital are features of Quebecius that characterize it as a porolepiform. The small size of the operculum, median extrascapular larger than the lateral one, small lower squamosals, and deep maxilla are additional features separating Quebecius from Glyptolepis. As in Glyptolepis, the median fins are not lobed. The pectoral fin possesses a long fleshy lobe. The internal, ventral side of the broadly based pelvic fin suggests that the internal axis has shifted towards the body. Pectoral fins with a long fleshy lobe are a common feature of porolepiforms, but lobed bases in the pelvic and unpaired fins are a feature found in Holoptychius, and not in Glyptolepis and Quebecius. Quebecius quebecensis is conspecific with Quebecius williamsi Schultze 1973, mistakenly described as an onychodont crossopterygian.

Fluid dynamics of flapping aquatic flight in the bird wrasse:three-dimensional unsteady computations with fin deformation

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (19) ◽  
pp. 2997-3008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravi Ramamurti ◽  
William C. Sandberg ◽  
Rainald Löhner ◽  
Jeffrey A. Walker ◽  
Mark W. Westneat
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Force Production ◽  
Time History ◽  
The Body ◽  
Vertical Acceleration ◽  
Field Variation ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Pectoral Fins

SUMMARY Many fishes that swim with the paired pectoral fins use fin-stroke parameters that produce thrust force from lift in a mechanism of underwater flight. These locomotor mechanisms are of interest to behavioral biologists,biomechanics researchers and engineers. In the present study, we performed the first three-dimensional unsteady computations of fish swimming with oscillating and deforming fins. The objective of these computations was to investigate the fluid dynamics of force production associated with the flapping aquatic flight of the bird wrasse Gomphosus varius. For this computational work, we used the geometry of the wrasse and its pectoral fin,and previously measured fin kinematics, as the starting points for computational investigation of three-dimensional (3-D) unsteady fluid dynamics. We performed a 3-D steady computation and a complete set of 3-D quasisteady computations for a range of pectoral fin positions and surface velocities. An unstructured, grid-based, unsteady Navier—Stokes solver with automatic adaptive remeshing was then used to compute the unsteady flow about the wrasse through several complete cycles of pectoral fin oscillation. The shape deformation of the pectoral fin throughout the oscillation was taken from the experimental kinematics. The pressure distribution on the body of the bird wrasse and its pectoral fins was computed and integrated to give body and fin forces which were decomposed into lift and thrust. The velocity field variation on the surface of the wrasse body, on the pectoral fins and in the near-wake was computed throughout the swimming cycle. We compared our computational results for the steady, quasi-steady and unsteady cases with the experimental data on axial and vertical acceleration obtained from the pectoral fin kinematics experiments. These comparisons show that steady state computations are incapable of describing the fluid dynamics of flapping fins. Quasi-steady state computations, with correct incorporation of the experimental kinematics, are useful when determining trends in force production, but do not provide accurate estimates of the magnitudes of the forces produced. By contrast, unsteady computations about the deforming pectoral fins using experimentally measured fin kinematics were found to give excellent agreement, both in the time history of force production throughout the flapping strokes and in the magnitudes of the generated forces.

scholarly journals New species of Cetopsidium (Siluriformes: Cetopsidae: Cetopsinae) from the upper rio Branco system in Guyana

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P. Vari ◽  
Carl J. Ferraris Jr.
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
River System ◽  
The Body ◽  
Dna Barcodes ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Pelvic Fin

Cetopsidium soniae, new species, is described from the Takutu River basin of southwestern Guyana, within the upper portions of the rio Branco of the Amazon basin. The new species differs from its congeners in details of pigmentation, the length of the pelvic fin, the form of the first rays of the dorsal and pectoral fins in mature males, the relative alignment of the dorsal and ventral profiles of the postdorsal portion of the body, the position of the anus, and the depth of the body. DNA barcodes were generated for the holotype and paratype. An examination of other samples of Cetopsidium from the rio Branco system extends the range of C. pemon into the Ireng River system of Guyana.

scholarly journals A mechanical piston action may assist pelvic–pectoral fin antagonism in tree-climbing fish

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (8) ◽  
pp. 2121-2131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adhityo Wicaksono ◽  
Saifullah Hidayat ◽  
Bambang Retnoaji ◽  
Adolfo Rivero-Müller ◽  
Parvez Alam
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Finite Element Simulations ◽  
Morphological Investigation ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Terrestrial Locomotion ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Biomimetic Robots ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Pelvic Fin

In this research, we compared the anatomy and biomechanics of two species of mudskipper vs an aquatic sandgoby in view of terrestrial locomotion. Of particular interest was the relationship (if any) of pectoral fin movement with pelvic fin movement. We show that the pelvic fins of the terrestrial mudskippers studied herein, are retractable and move antagonistically with the pectoral fins. The pelvic fin of the sandgoby studied here is contrarily non-retractable and drags on any underlying substrate that the sandgoby tries to crawl across. We find that the pelvic and pectoral fin muscles of all fish are separated, but that the pectoral fins of the mudskipper species have bulkier radial muscles than the sandgoby. By coupling a detailed morphological investigation of pectoral-pelvic fins musculature with finite element simulations, we find that unlike sandgobies, the mudskipper species are able to mechanically push the pelvic fins downward as pectoral fins retract. This allows for an instant movement of pelvic fins during the pectoral fin backward stroke and as such the pelvic fins stabilize mudskippers through Stefan attachment of their pelvic fins. This mechanism seems to be efficient and energy saving and we hypothesize that the piston-like action might benefit pelvic–pectoral fin antagonism by facilitating a mechanical down-thrust. Our research on the biomechanics of tree-climbing fish provides ideas and greater potential for the development of energetically more efficient systems of ambulation in biomimetic robots.

scholarly journals Distinct tissue-specific requirements for the zebrafish tbx5 genes during heart, retina and pectoral fin development

Open Biology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 140014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aina Pi-Roig ◽  
Enrique Martin-Blanco ◽  
Carolina Minguillon
Keyword(s):  
Heart Development ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Zebrafish Embryos ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Developing Heart ◽  
Specific Manner ◽  
Limb Malformations ◽  
Fin Development

The transcription factor Tbx5 is expressed in the developing heart, eyes and anterior appendages. Mutations in human TBX5 cause Holt–Oram syndrome, a condition characterized by heart and upper limb malformations. Tbx5 -knockout mouse embryos have severely impaired forelimb and heart morphogenesis from the earliest stages of their development. However, zebrafish embryos with compromised tbx5 function show a complete absence of pectoral fins, while heart development is disturbed at significantly later developmental stages and eye development remains to be thoroughly analysed. We identified a novel tbx5 gene in zebrafish— tbx5b— that is co-expressed with its paralogue, tbx5a , in the developing eye and heart and hypothesized that functional redundancy could be occurring in these organs in embryos with impaired tbx5a function. We have now investigated the consequences of tbx5a and/or tbx5b downregulation in zebrafish to reveal that tbx5 genes have essential roles in the establishment of cardiac laterality, dorsoventral retina axis organization and pectoral fin development. Our data show that distinct relationships between tbx5 paralogues are required in a tissue-specific manner to ensure the proper morphogenesis of the three organs in which they are expressed. Furthermore, we uncover a novel role for tbx5 genes in the establishment of correct heart asymmetry in zebrafish embryos.

scholarly journals Pectoral Fin Anomalies in tbx5a Knockdown Zebrafish Embryos Related to the Cascade Effect of N-Cadherin and Extracellular Matrix Formation

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenn-Kan Lu ◽  
Tzu-Chun Tsai ◽  
Hsinyu Lee ◽  
Kai Hsia ◽  
Chih-Hsun Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Zebrafish Embryos ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Morpholino Knockdown ◽  
Cascade Effect ◽  
Related Proteins ◽  
Functional Knockdown ◽  
Fin Development

Functional knockdown of zebrafish tbx5a causes hypoplasia or aplasia of pectoral fins. This study aimed to assess developmental pectoral fin anomalies in tbx5a morpholino knockdown zebrafish embryos. The expression of cartilage-related genes in the tbx5a morphant was analyzed by DNA microarray, immunostaining, and thin-section histology to examine the detailed distribution of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during different pectoral fin developmental stages. Chondrogenic condensation (CC) in the tbx5a morpholino knockdown group was barely recognizable at 37 h postfertilization (hpf); the process from CC to endoskeleton formation was disrupted at 48 hpf, and the endoskeleton was only loosely formed at 72 hpf. Microarrays identified 18 downregulated genes in tbx5a-deficient embryos, including 2 fin morphogenesis-related (cx43, bbs7), 4 fin development-related (hoxc8a, hhip, axin1, msxb), and 12 cartilage development-related (mmp14a, sec23b, tfap2a, slc35b2, dlx5a, dlx1a, tfap2b, fmr1, runx3, cdh2, lect1, acvr2a, mmp14b) genes, at 24 and 30 hpf. The increase in apoptosis-related proteins (BAD and BCL2) in the tbx5a morphant influenced the cellular component of pectoral fins and resulted in chondrocyte reduction throughout the different CC phases. Furthermore, tbx5a knockdown interfered with ECM formation in pectoral fins, affecting glycosaminoglycans, fibronectin, hyaluronic acid (HA), and N-cadherin. Our results provide evidence that the pectoral fin phenotypic anomaly induced by tbx5a knockdown is related to disruption of the mesoderm and ECM, consequently interfering with mesoderm migration, CC, and subsequent endoskeleton formation.

Ituglanis paraguassuensis sp. n. (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae):  a new catfish from the rio Paraguaçu, northeastern Brazil

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1471 (1) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAFAEL M. CAMPOS-PAIVA ◽  
WILSON J.E.M. COSTA
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Color Pattern ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Posterior Edge ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Pelvic Fin

Ituglanis paraguassuensis, new species, is described from the rio Paraguaçu, Bahia, northeastern Brazil. It is distinguished from the remaining species of the genus by the following combination of characters: color pattern composed of several irregular pale brown blotches aligned along the body (Fig. 1), parietal fontanel extending to posterior edge of medial parietal border (Fig. 2), pectoral fin i,6, pelvic fin i,4 and the unusual reduced number of vertebrae 34–36. Some of these features are considered to be plesiomorphic within the genus. On the other hand, I. paraguassuensis shares several features with members of the derived TSVSG clade. Comparisons with others trichomycterids are presented, including a detailed description and illustration of the body and skeleton including the laterosensory canal and cephalic pores.

Genetic analysis of fin formation in the zebrafish, Danio rerio

Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.J. van Eeden ◽  
M. Granato ◽  
U. Schach ◽  
M. Brand ◽  
M. Furutani-Seiki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Sonic Hedgehog ◽  
Danio Rerio ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Normal Complement ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Embryonic Skin ◽  
Skin Formation ◽  
Fin Development

In the zebrafish, Danio rerio, a caudal and pectoral fin fold develop during embryogenesis. At larval stages the caudal fin fold is replaced by four different fins, the unpaired anal, dorsal and tail fins. In addition the paired pelvic fins are formed. We have identified a total of 118 mutations affecting larval fin formation. Mutations in 11 genes lead to abnormal morphology or degeneration of both caudal and pectoral fin folds. Most mutants survive to adulthood and form a surprisingly normal complement of adult fins. Mutations in nine genes result in an increased or reduced size of the pectoral fins. Interestingly, in mutants of one of these genes, dackel (dak), pectoral fin buds form initially, but later the fin epithelium fails to expand. Expression of sonic hedgehog mRNA in the posterior mesenchyme of the pectoral fin bud is initiated in dak embryos, but not maintained. Mutations in five other genes affect adult fin but not larval fin development. Two mutants, longfin (lof) and another longfin (alf) have generally longer fins. Stein und bein (sub) has reduced dorsal and pelvic fins, whereas finless (fls) and wanda (wan) mutants affect all adult fins. Finally, mutations in four genes causing defects in embryonic skin formation will be briefly reported.

Design and Analysis of a Wire-Driven Robot Tadpole

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Li ◽  
Wenqi Gao ◽  
Ruxu Du ◽  
Baofeng Liao
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Power Supply ◽  
The Body ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Caudal Fin ◽  
Moving Direction ◽  
And Control ◽  
System Power ◽  
Pelvic Fin

Besides fish there are a lot of animals can swim effectively in the water, such as tadpole. Different from fishes using multiple fins to swim, tadpole has only one tail. It is well known that most fish employ the caudal fin to generate thrust, and use the pectoral fin, pelvic fin, etc. to balance the body and control its moving direction. However, the tadpole fulfilled all these tasks by the tail only. Hence, it is interesting to build a robot tadpole and study its motion. In this paper, a robot tadpole is designed. It has a blunt head and a tail. The control system, power supply and actuator are inside the head. The tail is a novel wire driven flapping propeller. The tail has a serpentine backbone with 7 joints, which are controlled by just one actuator. A prototype is built. The overall length of the robot tadpole is 328cm. Experiment results show that the robot tadpole can swim freely in the water. Its speed is affected by the flapping amplitude and frequency. In the experiments, the tadpole’s speed can reach 0.413 body length per second (BL/s), which matches the prediction from the propulsion model.

The Role Of The Fins In The Equilibrium Of The Swimming Fish

1938 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. HARRIS
Keyword(s):  
Static Stability ◽  
Small Extent ◽  
Mathematical Treatment ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Rolling Moment ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Bony Fishes ◽  
Flying Fishes ◽  
Pelvic Fin

1. The paired fins of fishes are largely concerned with the production of vertical forces, and thus principally affect the pitching (rising and diving) equilibrium. 2. In the sharks the pelvic fins increase to a small extent the static stability for pitching movements. Nevertheless, the relatively large area and forward position of the pectoral fins preponderates over the influence of the pelvics on the pitching stability, so that the contribution of the latter is very small. This is borne out by amputation experiments. 3. In the bony fishes, the development of the actinopterygian fin leads to a much greater mobility of the fins. In consequence, the pelvic fins of the bony fishes exhibit a considerable adaptive radiation. 4. In the percoid fishes the use of the pectoral fins as brakes produces a lift as well as a drag force. It is shown that the neutralization of this lift force by a downward force produced by the pelvic fins necessitates the forward migration of the latter. If this migration did not take place, the fish would either tilt upwards or rise bodily during the stop. 5. The dynamical basis for this migration of the paired fins is considered in an approximate mathematical treatment of the equilibrium during the stop. 6. This hypothesis is confirmed by amputation experiments, and also by the occurrence of a convergent fin migration in the Coelacanthidae. The absence of the forward pelvic fin migration in flying fishes also affords indirect support. 7. There is no evidence to suggest that the pelvic fins can function as bilge keels, though they may be used actively to produce a rolling moment.

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