Ontogenetic Changes of the Aquatic Food Uptake Mode in the Danube Crested Newt (Triturus dobrogicus Kiritzescu 1903)

The study of the feeding mechanisms in vertebrates requires an integrative approach since the feeding event consists of a chain of behaviors. In the present study we investigated the food uptake behavior in different ontogenetic stages in the Danube crested newt (Triturus dobrogicus). We focused on the coordination in the kinematics of the elements of the locomotor and the feeding systems at the transition between the approach of the newt to the prey and the food uptake start. In the feeding strategy of the larvae of T. dobrogicus, the phase of food search is replaced by an initial “food detection phase.” In both larvae and adult specimens, the animals approached the food to a close distance by a precise positioning of the snout besides the food item. The larvae were able to reach food items offered at over 80° relative to the longitudinal midline of the head. When the food was offered at a large distance or laterally, the food uptake was either not successful or the coordination chain at the transition between food approach and food uptake was interrupted. In young larvae we detected an abrupt change in the activity of the locomotor system and the feeding system. The larvae approached the food by tail undulation and after reaching the final position of attack, no further activity of the locomotor apparatus was detectable. The larvae used a pure form of inertial suction to ingest food. In pre-metamorphic larvae and adults we registered an integrated activation of the locomotor apparatus (both limbs and tail) and the feeding apparatus during prey capture in the form of compensatory suction. The drastic change in the feeding mode of the pre-metamorphotic larvae and the adults compared to the younger larvae in T. dobrogicus may indicate the evolutionary development of a defined relation in the activity of the locomotor system and the control of the feeding apparatus. We propose that in newts, the interaction between the control execution in both systems switched from successive (body movement – feeding) into integrated (body movement – body movement and feeding) during the ontogeny. The main trigger for such a switch (at least in T. dobrogicus) is the formation of functional limbs during the late larval development.

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Memoirs: The Development of the Serpiilid Pomatoeeros Triqueter L

Journal of Cell Science ◽

10.1242/jcs.s2-82.327.467 ◽

1941 ◽

Vol s2-82 (327) ◽

pp. 467-540 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

F. SEGROVE

Keyword(s):

Body Wall ◽

Feeding Activity ◽

Dorsal Surface ◽

The Body ◽

Single Pair ◽

Feeding Apparatus ◽

Food Material ◽

Locomotor Apparatus ◽

Adult Feeding ◽

Branchial Crown

1. The larvae of Pomatoceros triqueter L. were obtained by artificial fertilization and reared through metamorphosis and for several months afterwards. Larval development took three weeks in summer, and about the same time in winter when the temperature was maintained at 65° F. 2. The eggs are small and give rise to typical trochosphere larvae with well-developed prototroch, metatroch, neurotroch, and feeding cilia, a spacious blastocoelic body-cavity and paired protonephridia. A head-vesicle and a conspicuous anal vesicle are also present. The right eye develops before the left. The larva is very active and grows rapidly at the expense of collected food material. 3. Three setigerous segments arise simultaneously; a fourth is added prior to metamorphosis. The lateral collar-folds develop in two capacious pockets which arise by invagination of the body-wall behind the metatroch, the ventral collar-fold by outgrowth of the ventral body-wall. The rudiments of the thoracic membrane appear above the lateral collar-folds. 4. Metamorphosis commences with the shrinkage of the locomotor apparatus, which leads to the exposure of the lateral collar-folds. The larva settles to the bottom and creeps about on its ventral surface by means of the neurotroch. The branchial crown arises as tripartite outgrowths on the sides of the head. The remaining tissues of the head, apart from the cerebral ganglion and eyes, are gradually resorbed. No tissue is thrown off. 5. The neurotroch gradually disappears and is replaced by cilia on the dorsal surface. The worm begins to secrete a calcareous tube. The resorption of the head is completed and the mouth assumes a terminal position surrounded by the branchial crown. 6. A fourth pair of filaments is added to the branchial crown. The dorsal pair of filaments develops into 'palps'. The third filament on the left side is modified as the operculum; the remaining filaments develop pinnules. 7. Further segments are added to the trunk. Those first added are of the thoracic type from the beginning. The eighth and succeeding setigers are of the abdominal type. The thoracic membrane gradually extends backwards to the posterior end of the thorax. 8. The thoracic nephridia arise as a single pair of cells which give rise to the dorsal unpaired duct by outgrowth. 9. The influence of the egg on the course of development is discussed. It is suggested: (a) that the small size of the egg is responsible for the active habits and protracted pelagic life of the larva; (b) that the mode of development of the collar is significant in that interference with the locomotor and feeding apparatus is thereby avoided; (c) that the general shrinkage which occurs at metamorphosis is related to a suspension of feeding activity in the period between the degeneration of the larval and the establishment of the adult feeding apparatus. 10. The development of Pomatoceros is compared with that of the Serpulid Psygmobranchus and the Sabeilid Branchiomma.

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First evidence of prey capture and meat eating by wild Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus bieti in Yunnan, China

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/czoolo/56.2.227 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 227-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Baoping Ren ◽

Dayong Li ◽

Zhijin Liu ◽

Baoguo Li ◽

Fuwen Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nonhuman Primates ◽

Prey Capture ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Group Structure ◽

Feeding Strategy ◽

Rhinopithecus Bieti ◽

Spatial Spread ◽

Meat Eating ◽

Begging Behavior ◽

Animal Consumption

Abstract Most extant nonhuman primates occasionally prey on fast-moving, warm-blooded animals; however, Indriidae, Lepilemuridae, and Colobinae either scavenged for meat or did not eat meat at all. Here we report six cases of animal consumption by the snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus bieti in a wild, habituated group between 2004 and 2009 in Yunnan, China. At present, only males in an all-male unit within the study group were involved in active hunting. Such a male-biased activity may be related to the group structure and spatial spread of R. bieti. Two females were observed eating freshly killed birds. The findings confirmed that R. bieti engaged in scavenging and, when hunting, employed a cranio-cervical bite to kill their prey. Meat eating is likely a nutrient maximization feeding strategy in R. bieti, especially in males. A begging behavior occurred after successful prey capture. Although begging was observed, no sharing of the meat was seen. The present findings illuminate the dietary diversity of R. bieti and their ability to expand their dietary spectrum.

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A unique feeding strategy of the extinct marine mammal Kolponomos : convergence on sabretooths and sea otters

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2016.0044 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 283 (1826) ◽

pp. 20160044 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Z. Jack Tseng ◽

Camille Grohé ◽

John J. Flynn

Keyword(s):

Prey Capture ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Feeding Strategy ◽

Structural Stiffness ◽

Sea Otters ◽

Form Function ◽

Masticatory Biomechanics ◽

Prey Killing ◽

Head Flexion ◽

Shape Analyses

Mammalian molluscivores feed mainly by shell-crushing or suction-feeding. The extinct marine arctoid, Kolponomos , has been interpreted as an otter-like shell-crusher based on similar dentitions. However, neither the masticatory biomechanics of the shell-crushing adaptation nor the way Kolponomos may have captured hard-shelled prey have been tested. Based on mandibular symphyseal morphology shared by Kolponomos and sabre-toothed carnivores, we hypothesize a sabretooth-like mechanism for Kolponomos prey-capture, whereby the mandible functioned as an anchor. Torque generated from jaw closure and head flexion was used to dislodge prey by prying, with prey then crushed using cheek teeth. We test this hypothesized feeding sequence using phylogenetically informed biomechanical simulations and shape analyses, and find a strongly supported, shared high mandibular stiffness in simulated prey-capture bites and mandibular shape in Kolponomos and the sabre-toothed cat Smilodon . These two distantly related taxa converged on using mandibles to anchor cranial torqueing forces when prying substrate-bound prey in the former and sabre-driving forces during prey-killing in the latter. Simulated prey-crushing bites indicate that Kolponomos and sea otters exhibit alternative structural stiffness-bite efficiency combinations in mandibular biomechanical adaptation for shell-crushing. This unique feeding system of Kolponomos exemplifies a mosaic of form-function convergence relative to other Carnivora.

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Quantitative analysis of prey-capture kinematics in Anolis equestris (Reptilia: Iguanidae)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z90-304 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 68 (10) ◽

pp. 2192-2198 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Vincent L. Bels

Keyword(s):

High Speed ◽

Prey Capture ◽

Anterior Part ◽

The Body ◽

Original Position ◽

Forward Movement ◽

Live Prey ◽

Capture Process ◽

Locomotor System ◽

Cyclic Movement

High-speed cinematography was employed to study the mechanics of prey capture in Anolis equestris. Capture of live prey (adult locusts) consists of a cyclic movement of the upper and lower jaws combined with tongue protraction. Kinematic profiles are presented for the jaws, tongue, and forelimbs. The tongue is projected during the "slow open" stage and most of the "fast open" stage. The tongue protrudes beyond the mandibular symphysis during the slow open stage, and rotates simultaneously around a transverse anteromedian axis. The prey is thus contacted by the dorsal sticky surface of the tongue, and then pulled backward into the oral cavity by a combination of a forward movement of the jaws and retraction of the tongue. Gape angle, defined as the angle between the upper and lower jaws, continues to increase during the initial stages of tongue retraction. During the capture process, the anterior part of the body lunges forward, followed by a return to its original position; this displacement is mediated by the forelimbs, which usually remain well anchored to the floor. The cyclic food-capture movements of the jaws and tongue–hyoid system in A. equestris (Iguanidae) and Chameleo dilepis (Chamaeleontidae) are compared. I argue that one of the primary selection forces in the evolution of the different mechanisms of prey prehension in these two lizard groups was enhancement of the locomotor system and, consequently, foraging ability.

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Biological aspects of an interesting fossil fish: Paramblypterus duvernoyi (Amblypteridae, Actinopterygii)

Fossil Record ◽

10.5194/fr-4-121-2001 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 121-138

Author(s):

K. Dietze

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Benthic Invertebrate ◽

Feeding Apparatus ◽

Oder Eine ◽

Food Uptake ◽

Fossil Fish ◽

Biological Aspects ◽

Dimensional Models ◽

Three Dimensional Models

Based on three-dimensional models of the skull and body of Paramblypterus duvernoyi, function of the feeding apparatus and potential of locomotion are interpreted. Compared to most other lower actinopterygians, certain modified features regarding the suspensory apparatus, snout bones, gape, dermohyal and suborbital region, and palaloquadrate-maxillary chamber, are present in P. duvernyoi. These features suggest an increased versatility of the skull and/or enlargement of underlying muscles, thus improving the ability of food uptake. The weak, pin-like teeth present in P. duvernoyi suggest a main diet of small or soft-bodied planktonic or benthic invertebrate organisms. Axial locomotion of P. duvernoyi appears to lie within the range of moderate swimming speeds. P. duvernoyi probably had a flat belly indicating that this species lived close to the bottom. Anhand drei-dimensionaler Modelle des Schädels und Körpers von Paramblypterus duvernoyi werden Funktionsweise des Ernährungsapparates und Möglichkeiten der Fortbewegung interpretiert. Im Vergleich mit anderen basalen Actinopterygiern erscheint die Schädelrekonstruktion von P. duvernoyi hinsichtlich des Suspensoriums. der Schnauzenknochen, der Mundöffnung, des Dermohyal- und Suborbitalbereiches, sowie der Palatoquadratum-Maxillare-Kammer abgeleitet. Dies deutet auf eine erhöhte Beweglichkeit in diesen Bereichen und/oder eine Vergrößerung der darunter liegenden Muskeln hin, was vorteilhaft für die Nahrungsaufnahme ist. Die schmalen, stiftförmigen Zähne von P. duvernoyi deuten auf eine Ernährung von kleineren oder weichkörperigen benthischen und planktischen Invertebraten hin. Vermutlich zeichnete sich die axiale Fortbewegungsweise von Paramblypterus durch mäßige mittlere Schwimmgeschwindigkeit aus. Der Bauch von P. duvernoyi war wahrscheinlich abgeflacht, was darauf hinweist, dass diese Art bodenbezogen gelebt hat. doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.20010040109" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.20010040109</a>

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Introduction

Integrative Document and Content Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-055-4.ch001 ◽

2003 ◽

pp. 1-27

Author(s):

Len Asprey ◽

Michael Middleton

Keyword(s):

Content Management ◽

Document Management ◽

Historical Background ◽

Evolutionary Development ◽

Integrative Approach ◽

Web Content ◽

Systems Architecture ◽

Technological Developments ◽

Disciplinary Background ◽

High Level

This chapter provides a brief historical perspective on the evolution of document types and introduces a new document paradigm that has emerged with digitization. It reviews the role of documents in the overall context of today’s business world. The review then covers the contributions made by various disciplines to our understanding of the evolution of DMS and the emergence of solutions for managing content of documents, particularly for Web presentation. This chapter also introduces the benefits of an integrative approach to document and Web content management solutions. Our objectives are to: • Provide some historical background and show its influence on contemporary approaches to document management. • Examine the way a “document” is presently understood and how this may vary according to disciplinary background. • Review technological developments that have impacted on the evolution of document formats and methods of registering documents. • Review the development of DMS and show how the consideration of systems for managing documents and their content has been heavily influenced by the emergence of digital documents. • Consider the emergence of Content Management Systems (CMS) within the overall evolutionary development of document technologies. • Introduce an integrative approach to planning and implementing solutions for document and Web content management, depicted in an IDCM planning model. • Cover the high-level features of the IDCM model, which comprises a management framework and conceptual systems architecture.

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Functional morphology and feeding strategy of the hydrothermal-vent polychaete Archinome rosacea (family Archinomidae)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z03-034 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 582-590 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Megan E Ward ◽

Cheryl D Jenkins ◽

Cindy Lee Man Dover

Keyword(s):

Hydrothermal Vent ◽

Trophic Ecology ◽

Prey Capture ◽

Feeding Strategy ◽

Gut Content ◽

Large Component ◽

Feeding Mode ◽

Morphological Studies ◽

Toxic Materials ◽

Content Analyses

Polychaetes are a large component of deep-sea hydrothermal-vent invertebrate faunas, yet little is known about the trophic ecology of most species. In this study, the feeding mode of a common and widespread vent polychaete, Archinome rosacea (order Amphinomida), is investigated through morphological studies and gut-content analyses. The foregut of this polychaete is similar in structure to that of other shallow-water Amphinomida. Prey capture is facilitated by a ventral muscular eversible proboscis with two glandular lateral-lip structures. Extracellular digestion is suggested by packets of digestive enzymes observed to be discharged from the apical ends of the midgut epithelial cells into the lumen. Midgut tissues also contain inclusions resembling spherocrystals, possibly sites where toxic materials are sequestered. Gut-content analyses indicate a preference for mobile prey, including polychaetes and crustaceans. We propose that predation and scavenging are important trophic strategies for A. rosacea.

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Testing Darwin’s hypothesis about the most wonderful plant in the world: The Venus flytrap’s marginal spikes are a ‘horrid prison’ for moderate-sized insect prey

10.1101/318790 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Alexander L. Davis ◽

Matthew H. Babb ◽

Brandon T. Lee ◽

Christopher H. Martin

Keyword(s):

Prey Capture ◽

Feeding Strategy ◽

Adaptive Landscape ◽

Large Prey ◽

Capture Success ◽

Dionaea Muscipula ◽

Lab Experiments ◽

Morphological Adaptations ◽

The World ◽

Laboratory Results

AbstractBotanical carnivory is a novel feeding strategy associated with numerous physiological and morphological adaptations. However, the benefits of these novel carnivorous traits are rarely tested. Here, we used field observations and lab experiments to test the prey capture function of the marginal spikes on snap traps of the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). Our field and laboratory results suggested surprisingly inefficient capture success: fewer than 1 in 4 prey encounters led to prey capture. Removing the marginal spikes decreased the rate of prey capture success for moderate-sized cricket prey by 90%, but this effect disappeared for larger prey. The nonlinear benefit of spikes suggests that they provide a better cage for capturing more abundant insects of moderate and small sizes, but may also provide a foothold for rare large prey to escape. Our observations support Darwin’s hypothesis that the marginal spikes form a ‘horrid prison’ that increases prey capture success for moderate-sized prey, but the decreasing benefit for larger prey is unexpected and previously undocumented. Thus, we find surprising complexity in the adaptive landscape for one of the most wonderful evolutionary innovations among all plants. These findings further enrich our understanding of the evolution and diversification of novel trap morphology in carnivorous plants.

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Marine Protection Induces Morphological Variation in the California Moray, Gymnothorax mordax

Integrative and Comparative Biology ◽

10.1093/icb/icaa061 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 522-534

Author(s):

Rita S Mehta ◽

Katherine E Dale ◽

Benjamin A Higgins

Keyword(s):

Local Community ◽

Prey Capture ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Feeding Strategy ◽

Marine Conservation ◽

Large Prey ◽

Community Interactions ◽

Conservation Area ◽

Adductor Muscles ◽

Insight Into

Synopsis The effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) on the general health and conservation of species, habitats, and community interactions is of great interest to researchers, managers, and recreationalists. However, the ecological and behavioral diversity of vertebrate predators of southern California kelp forests limits our ability to make general conclusions about MPA effectiveness across a variety of species. Identifying and studying species with extreme feeding habits or prey-capture strategies may offer greater insight into predator–prey relationships and reveal the trophic importance of an animal in the larger community. Moray eels (family Muraenidae) have been shown to have morphological and behavioral adaptations that allow them to consume large prey whole, identifying them as important predators. From 2015 to 2018, we studied the health and feeding behavior of a long-lived, elusive, and benthic kelp forest predator, the California moray eel (Gymnothorax mordax). We trapped eels inside and outside of Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area, an MPA on the northwest side of Santa Catalina Island, CA which prohibits the take of any species. Over 4 years, we captured 1736 eels. Overall, we found that morays were longer, older, heavier, had higher body condition, and were found in greater abundance within the MPA. Although fish comprised the majority of their summer diet, morays outside of the MPA were consuming a more diverse set of fish, while kelp bass comprised more than half of the diet for morays inhabiting the MPA. Additionally, we found that morays within the MPA had larger relative vertical gape distances (VGDs) and narrower heads. Our recapture data support the high site fidelity of morays, indicating that their diet and morphology are influenced by their local community. While the majority of morays are thriving in the MPA, as suggested by their robust sizes and longevity, high abundance appears to result in higher frequencies of cannibalism, the presence of an undescribed disease, and lower growth rates. Our results suggest that the MPA affects the life history of morays and may select for an alternative feeding strategy in which eels develop larger VGDs, smaller adductor muscles, and a specialized diet which is presumably influenced by the local environment. In addition, observations of cannibalistic behavior and species-specific disease provide us with important insight into natural factors that may still regulate populations removed from anthropogenic disturbances such as fishing.

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