Developmental changes in escape response performance of five species of marine larval fish

It is generally believed that predation pressure may drive the evolution of long spines, a robust pelvic girdle, and a deep body in sticklebacks (Pisces: Gasterosteidae). However, the lack of such traits in environments under intense predation pressure suggests that there may be a limit to which these apparently defensive structures benefit sticklebacks. In some environments, well-developed defensive structures may not increase stickleback survival, but may actually reduce fitness if there is a cost associated with them. This paper focuses on a trade-off between defensive morphology and escape-response performance in the brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans). Our study of four populations of brook stickleback reveals that the population with the largest pelvic girdles and deepest bodies has a poorly developed escape response (i.e., small displacement, low maximum velocity, and low acceleration), while the population with the smallest pelvic girdles and shallowest bodies has a highly developed escape response. The two populations with intermediate defensive structures are intermediate in escape-response performance. Consideration of predation regimes in different environments may help us understand selection pressures that favor heavily versus poorly armored stickleback morphs.

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C-start: optimal start of larval fish

Journal of Fluid Mechanics ◽

10.1017/jfm.2011.558 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 698 ◽

pp. 5-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 68

Author(s):

M. Gazzola ◽

W. M. Van Rees ◽

P. Koumoutsakos

Keyword(s):

Flow Field ◽

Escape Response ◽

Larval Fish ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Evolutionary Optimization ◽

Shape Deformation ◽

Vortex Methods ◽

Flow Simulations ◽

Good Agreement

AbstractWe investigate the C-start escape response of larval fish by combining flow simulations using remeshed vortex methods with an evolutionary optimization. We test the hypothesis of the optimality of C-start of larval fish by simulations of larval-shaped, two- and three-dimensional self-propelled swimmers. We optimize for the distance travelled by the swimmer during its initial bout, bounding the shape deformation based on the larval mid-line curvature values observed experimentally. The best motions identified within these bounds are in good agreement with in vivo experiments and show that C-starts do indeed maximize escape distances. Furthermore we found that motions with curvatures beyond the ones experimentally observed for larval fish may result in even larger escape distances. We analyse the flow field and find that the effectiveness of the C-start escape relies on the ability of pronounced C-bent body configurations to trap and accelerate large volumes of fluid, which in turn correlates with large accelerations of the swimmer.

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Do dietary carotenoids improve the escape-response performance of southern corroboree frog larvae?

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/1568539x-bja10036 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 157 (12-13) ◽

pp. 987-1006

Author(s):

Emma P. McInerney ◽

Aimee J. Silla ◽

Phillip G. Byrne

Keyword(s):

Larval Development ◽

Treatment Effect ◽

Escape Response ◽

Life Stage ◽

High Dose ◽

Life Stages ◽

Response Performance ◽

Developmental Point ◽

Early Larval Development ◽

Over Time

Abstract Dietary antioxidants can improve escape-response performance in adult vertebrates, but whether juveniles receive similar benefits remains untested. Here, we investigated the effect of two dietary carotenoids (β-carotene and lutein) on the escape-response of juvenile corroboree frogs (Pseudophryne corroboree) at two developmental points (early and late larval development). We found that burst speed was lower during late larval development compared to early larval development, particularly in the low- and high-dose lutein treatments. These findings suggest that performance decreased over time, and was reduced by lutein consumption. At each developmental point we found no treatment effect on escape-response, providing no evidence for carotenoid benefits. A previous study in corroboree frogs demonstrated that carotenoids improved adult escape-response, so our findings suggest that benefits of carotenoids in this species may be life-stage dependent. Continued investigation into how carotenoids influence escape-response at different life-stages will provide insights into mechanistic links between nutrition and behaviour.

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Escape responses by jet propulsion in scallops

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2013-0004 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 91 (6) ◽

pp. 420-430 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Helga E. Guderley ◽

Isabelle Tremblay

Keyword(s):

Escape Response ◽

Reproductive Investment ◽

Adductor Muscle ◽

Exact Nature ◽

Escape Performance ◽

Locomotor System ◽

Jet Propulsion ◽

Functional Relationships ◽

Response Performance ◽

Muscle Energetic

The impressive swimming escape response of scallops uses a simple locomotor system that facilitates analysis of the functional relationships between its primary components. One large adductor muscle, two valves, the muscular mantle, and the rubbery hinge ligament are the basic elements allowing swimming by jet propulsion. Although these basic functional elements are shared among scallop species, the exact nature of the escape response varies considerably within and among species. Valve shape and density have opposing influences upon the capacity for swimming and the ease of attack by predators once captured. Patterns of muscle use can partly overcome the constraints imposed by shell characteristics. The depletion of muscle reserves during gametogenesis leads to a trade-off between escape response performance and reproductive investment. However, changes in muscle energetic status influence repeat performance more than initial escape performance. Escape response performance is influenced by habitat temperature and mariculture techniques. During scallop ontogeny, changes in susceptibility to predation and in reproductive investment may influence escape response capacities. These ontogenetic patterns are likely to vary with the longevity and maximal size of each species. Although the basic elements allowing swimming by jet propulsion are common to scallops, their exact use varies considerably among species.

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Suction feeding performance and prey escape response interact to determine feeding success in larval fish

10.1101/603316 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Noam Sommerfeld ◽

Roi Holzman

Keyword(s):

Early Development ◽

Escape Response ◽

High Speed ◽

Sparus Aurata ◽

Larval Fish ◽

Reynolds Numbers ◽

Larval Performance ◽

Larval Feeding ◽

Large Prey ◽

Feeding Success

AbstractThe survival of larval marine fishes during early development is strongly dependent on their ability to capture prey. Most larval fish capture prey by expanding their mouth cavity, generating a “suction flow” that draws the prey into their mouth. Larval fish dwell in a hydrodynamic regime of low Reynolds numbers, which has been shown to impede their ability to capture non-evasive prey. However, the marine environment is characterized by an abundance of evasive prey such as Copepods. These organisms can sense the hydrodynamic disturbance created by approaching predators and perform high-acceleration escape maneuvers. Using a 3D high-speed video system, we characterized the interaction between 8-33 day post hatchingSparus auratalarvae and prey from a natural zooplankton assemblage that contained evasive prey, and assessed the factors that determine the outcome of these interactions. Larvae showed strong selectivity for large prey that was moving prior to the initialization of the strike. As previously shown in studies with non-evasive prey, larval feeding success increased with increasing Reynolds numbers. However, larval feeding success was also strongly dependent on the prey’s escape response. Feeding success was lower for larger, more evasive prey, indicating that larvae might be challenged in capturing their preferred prey. The kinematics of successful strikes resulted in shorter response time but higher hydrodynamic signature available for the prey. Thus, despite being “noisier”, successful strikes on evasive prey depended on preceding the prey’s escape response. Our results show that larval performance, rather than larval preferences, determines their diet during early development.

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Spherulitic crystal growth in the prodissoconch larval of Crassostrea virginica

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100076263 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 518-519

Author(s):

George G. Cocks ◽

Louis Leibovitz ◽

DoSuk D. Lee

Keyword(s):

Crystal Structure ◽

Crassostrea Virginica ◽

Crystal Orientation ◽

Developmental Changes ◽

Gastrula Stage ◽

Orthorhombic Crystal ◽

Orthorhombic Crystal Structure ◽

Stages Of Growth ◽

Early Stages ◽

Initial Deposition

Our understanding of the structure and the formation of inorganic minerals in the bivalve shells has been considerably advanced by the use of electron microscope. However, very little is known about the ultrastructure of valves in the larval stage of the oysters. The present study examines the developmental changes which occur between the time of conception to the early stages of Dissoconch in the Crassostrea virginica(Gmelin), focusing on the initial deposition of inorganic crystals by the oysters.The spawning was induced by elevating the temperature of the seawater where the adult oysters were conditioned. The eggs and sperm were collected separately, then immediately mixed for the fertilizations to occur. Fertilized animals were kept in the incubator where various stages of development were stopped and observed. The detailed analysis of the early stages of growth showed that CaCO3 crystals(aragonite), with orthorhombic crystal structure, are deposited as early as gastrula stage(Figuresla-b). The next stage in development, the prodissoconch, revealed that the crystal orientation is in the form of spherulites.

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