Journal Article
No role for direct touch using the pectoral fins, as an information gathering strategy in blind fish
Windsor, S., Paris, J. and Burt de Perera, T.
Record Number:
2459
Year:
2011
Journal:
Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Pages:
321-327
Volume:
197
Abstract:
Blind Mexican cave fish (Astyanax fasciatus) lack a functional visual
system and have been shown to sense their environment using a
technique called hydrodynamic imaging, whereby nearby objects are
detected by sensing distortions in the flow field of water around the body
using the mechanosensory lateral line. This species has also been noted to
touch obstacles, mainly with the pectoral fins, apparently using this tactile
information alongside hydrodynamic imaging to sense their surroundings.
This study aimed to determine the relative contributions of hydrodynamic
and tactile information during wall following behaviour in blind Mexican
cave fish. A wall was custom built with a "netted" region in its centre, which provided very similar tactile information to a solid tank wall, but
was undetectable using hydrodynamic imaging. The fish swam
significantly closer to and collided more frequently with the netted region
of this wall than the solid regions, indicating that the fish did not perceive
the netted region as a solid obstacle despite being able to feel it as such
with their pectoral fins. We conclude that the touching of objects with the
pectoral fins may be an artefact of the intrinsic link between pectoral fin
extensions and tail beating whilst swimming, and does not function to
gather information. During wall following, hydrodynamic information
appears to be used strongly in preference to tactile information in this
non-visual system. KW: Cave fish, Navigation, Lateral line, Sensory
system, Active touch.
Times Cited:
1
Relevent Species: