Camp, Ariel L 
ORCID: 0000-0002-3355-4312 and Brainerd, Elizabeth L
(2022)
A new conceptual framework for the musculoskeletal biomechanics and physiology of ray-finned fishes
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY, 225 (Suppl_).
jeb243376-.
ISSN 0022-0949, 1477-9145
Abstract
Suction feeding in ray-finned fishes requires substantial muscle power for fast and forceful prey capture. The axial musculature located immediately behind the head has been long known to contribute some power for suction feeding, but recent XROMM and fluoromicrometry studies found nearly all the axial musculature (over 80%) provides effectively all (90–99%) of the power for high-performance suction feeding. The dominance of axial power suggests a new framework for studying the musculoskeletal biomechanics of fishes: the form and function of axial muscles and bones should be analysed for power production in feeding (or at least as a compromise between swimming and feeding), and cranial muscles and bones should be analysed for their role in transmitting axial power and coordinating buccal expansion. This new framework is already yielding novel insights, as demonstrated in four species for which suction power has now been measured. Interspecific comparisons suggest high suction power can be achieved in different ways: increasing the magnitude of suction pressure or the rate of buccal volume change, or both (as observed in the most powerful of these species). Our framework suggests that mechanical and evolutionary interactions between the head and the body, and between the swimming and feeding roles of axial structures, may be fruitful areas for continued study.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Muscle power, Suction feeding, Swimming, Locomotion, Performance |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health & Life Sciences Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Life Courses & Medical Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Mar 2022 17:01 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jun 2026 11:33 |
| DOI: | 10.1242/jeb.243376 |
| Open Access URL: | https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/225/Su... |
| Related Websites: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3150369 |
| Disclaimer: | The University of Liverpool is not responsible for content contained on other websites from links within repository metadata. Please contact us if you notice anything that appears incorrect or inappropriate. |
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