A hydrodynamic sensory antenna used by killifish for nocturnal hunting.

ABSTRACT: The perception of sensory stimuli by an animal requires several steps, commencing with the capture of stimulus energy by an antenna that, as the interface between the physical world and the nervous system, modifies the stimulus in ways that enhance the animal's perception. The mammalian external ear, for example, collects sound and spectrally alters it to increase sensitivity and improve the detection of directionality. In view of the morphological diversity of the lateral-line system across species and its accessibility to observation and experimental intervention, we sought to investigate the role of antennal structures on the response characteristics of the lateral line. The surface-feeding killifish Aplocheilus lineatus is able to hunt in darkness by detecting surface capillary waves w

SUBMITTER: Schwarz JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3092727 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature