The effects of opercular linkage disruption on prey-capture kinematics in the teleost fish Sarotherodon melanotheron.
The kinematics of prey capture in blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) subjected to three experimental treatments (control, anesthetization, and opercular linkage disruption) were analyzed using high-speed video to explore the role of the opercular four-bar linkage in depressing the lower jaw in teleost fishes. A series of two-way mixed model analyses of variance (random effects=fish; fixed effects=treatment) revealed that maximum gape, lower jaw angle, gape cycle, and time to lower jaw depression differed among treatments. Tukey post-hoc comparisons revealed that the opercular linkage disruption treatment differed from the control and anesthetization treatments, suggesting that severing the opercular linkage affected the ability of fish to depress the lower jaw. We hypothesize that although the opercular four-bar linkage system may not be the only linkage mechanism involved in depressing the lower jaw, it plays a very important role in opening the mouth during feeding in teleost fishes.
Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Boulevard, Melbourne Florida 32901, USA. cdurie@mail.uri.edu
Christopher J
CJ
Durie
Ralph G
RG
Turingan
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D023681:Cichlids / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006928:Hyoid Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D007568:Jaw / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D014741:Video Recording