Functional Morphology of Feeding and Locomotion in Sharks

这个项目将研究鲨鱼在进化过程中进食和游泳行为之间的相互关系。第一项研究测试了生态栖息地是否会影响鲨鱼的游泳行为。将利用高速视频和肌电图分析在公海游泳的角鲨和海底生活的竹鲨在游泳时的鳍、身体和尾巴的运动。这项研究解决了公海鲨鱼的游泳方式是否与其他鲨鱼不同的问题。另一个需要解决的问题是，生活在海底和开阔海洋的鲨鱼是否能控制它们的鳍运动来改变游泳时产生的力。第二项研究调查了鲨鱼捕食硬猎物的进食机制。鲨鱼很少以硬猎物为食。高速视频和肌电图将用于分析喂食过程中头部和下巴的运动和肌肉活动。PI将分析吃硬猎物的竹鲨、吃软猎物的竹鲨和吃硬猎物的帽头鲨。研究结果将用于验证之前对鲨鱼颚力和杠杆系统的预测。这项研究将增加我们对鲨鱼进食和游泳行为的理解。

This project will investigate interrelationships between feeding and swimming behavior in the evolution of sharks. The first study tests whether ecological habitat influences swimming behavior in sharks. High-speed video and electromyography will be used to analyze fin, body, and tail movements during swimming in the spiny dogfish shark, a shark that is an open ocean swimmer, and the bamboo shark, a bottom-dwelling shark. The study addresses the question of whether open ocean sharks swim differently than other sharks. Another question that will be addressed is whether bottom-dwelling and open ocean sharks can control their fin movements to change the forces generated during swimming. The second study investigates the feeding mechanism of sharks eating hard prey. Feeding on hard prey is rare in sharks. High-speed video and electromyography will be used to analyzing head and jaw movements and muscle activity during feeding. The PI will analyze bamboo sharks eating hard prey, bamboo sharks eating soft prey, and bonnethead sharks eating hard prey. The results will be used to test previous predictions for jaw force and lever systems in sharks. This research will increase our understanding of feeding and swimming behavior in sharks.