Journal
BIOLOGY OPEN
Volume 11, Issue 9, Pages -Publisher
COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/bio.059447
Keywords
Sarcopterygian; Biomechanics; X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology; Feeding kinematics
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation [DBI 1338066, DEB 1541547, DGE 1644760, IOS 1655756, OAC 1626552]
- Bushnell Research and Education Fund
- University of Chicago
- National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation [MRI 1338036, 1626552]
- University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences
- Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC)
- Direct For Computer & Info Scie & Enginr [1626552] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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This study used XROMM to investigate the kinematics of cranial bones and muscles during feeding in West African lungfish. The results revealed the unique motion patterns of cranial elements and the contribution of muscle shortening to successful suction feeding.
Suction feeding in fishes is characterized by rapid cranial movements, but extant lungfishes (Sarcopterygii: Dipnoi) exhibit a reduced number and mobility of cranial bones relative to actinopterygian fishes. Despite fusion of cranial elements, lungfishes are proficient at suction feeding, though the impacts of novel cranial morphology and reduced cranial kinesis on feeding remain poorly understood. We used X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology (XROMM) to study the kinematics of seven mobile elements (neurocranium, upper jaw, lower jaw, tongue, ceratohyal, clavicle, and cranial rib) and two muscles (costoclavicular portion of the hypaxialis and rectus cervicis) during the feeding strikes of West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens). We found that feeding by P. annectens on non-evasive prey is relatively slow, with a mean time to peak gape of 273 ms. Lower jaw depression and clavicular rotation were hinge-like, with one degree of freedom, but the ceratohyals rotated in a complex motion involving depression and long-axis rotation. We quantified the relative contributions to oral cavity volume change (RCVC) and found that oral cavity expansion is created primarily by ceratohyal and clavicle motion. P. annectens suction feeds relatively slowly but successfully through muscle shortening of hypaxial and rectus cervicis muscles contributing to hyoid mobility.
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