Coordination of Ventilation and Feeding in Sharks

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Coordination of Ventilation and Feeding In SharksCheryl A. D. WilgaUniversity Of Rhode IslandThis research will investigate the coordination of breathing and feeding in sharks, two behaviors that are critical to individual survival. A major topic of interest in functional and evolutionary biology is the effect that anatomy has on the ability of an organism to perform a certain task. Not only does the anatomical shape of the head influence the way that a particular shark breathes and thus what habitats it can inhabit, but it plays a major role in determining the kinds of prey that can be captured and ingested. Head movements, muscle activity and pressure generation will be analyzed to address functional hypotheses about the how the breathing mechanism is altered between resting and feeding. This study will provide a quantitative measure of how the type of breathing mechanism (ram or suction) that a shark species uses is coordinated with the mechanism of capturing prey. This research will increase our knowledge of feeding mechanisms in vertebrates by evaluating the ability to decouple control of the right and left sides of the jaws in order to increase the versatility of the feeding apparatus in the most ancestral living species with jaws - sharks. Asynchronous activation of the jaws suggests that the jaw muscles have independent neural control for greater manipulation of the prey during feeding. If sharks posses bilaterally asynchronous muscle activation as well, then the trait is an ancestral feature in vertebrates. This research will also increase our knowledge of the ability of a feeding generalist and specialist fish species to modulate feeding behavior, which has long been of interest to vertebrate functional anatomists and ecologists. This research will increase our understanding of feeding relationships in two cohabitating shark species, which will provide the basis for a broader study on the ecology of a community of sharks, skates and rays in Narragansett Bay, RI. Two female graduate students and four to six undergraduate students, with preference given to underrepresented groups, will be mentored in the techniques of this research at every level for the duration of the grant. Students in associated classes will also benefit by this research through experiential learning. This research on breathing expands on previous research in feeding by the study of a new behavior that must evolve to function both independently of, and cooperatively with, other behaviors critical to the life history of the shark. The results of this research will be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding. Two educational displays will also be prepared to be placed near the shark habitat at Save the Bay and Mystic Aquarium to increase public awareness about these rapidly disappearing animals.