Are the semicircular canals of the European mole, Talpa europaea, adapted to a subterranean habitat?
The mechanical sensitivity of vertebrate semicircular canals is directly influenced by the canal dimensions. Three key canal parameters, whose dimensions have been shown to be critical in determining the mechanical sensitivity of semicircular canals, are the streamline length, the cross-sectional area of the canal lumen and the plane area. These parameters were measured in ten specimens of adult T. europaea and compared with the dimensions of the same parameters in R. norvegicus. The major determinant of sensitivity, canal lumen area, is significantly larger in T. europaea.
McVean
A
A
School of Biological Sciences, University of London, Surrey, UK. a.mcvean@rhbnc.ac.uk
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008971:Moles / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012665:Semicircular Canals / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*