spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wilkens, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by Russell, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wilkens, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by Russell, D.

Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 204, Issue 8 1381-1389, Copyright © 2001 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Prey detection in selective plankton feeding by the paddlefish: is the electric sense sufficient?

LA Wilkens, B Wettring, E Wagner, W Wojtenek and D Russell
Center for Neurodynamics and Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St Louis, St Louis, MO 63121-4499, USA. lon_wilkens@umsl.edu

The long rostrum of the paddlefish Polyodon spathula supports an extensive array of ampullary electroreceptors and has been proposed to function as an antenna for detecting planktonic prey. Evidence in support of this hypothesis is presented in experiments that preclude the use of other sensory mechanisms for plankton detection. Paddlefish swimming in a recirculating observation chamber are shown to feed normally in the dark when prey-related chemical and hydrodynamic sensory cues are masked or attenuated. Specifically, we demonstrate that the spatial distribution of plankton captured by paddlefish is little changed when the plankton are individually encapsulated in agarose, when a high background concentration of plankton extract is added to the chamber, when the nares are plugged and under turbulent water flow conditions. Paddlefish also discriminate between encapsulated plankton and 'empty' agarose particles of the same size. Although capture distributions differed somewhat under certain conditions, the general pattern and effectiveness of prey capture were not disrupted by these procedures. These results support the conclusion that paddlefish, as zooplanktivores, rely on their passive electric sense for prey detection.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
A. B. Neiman, T. A. Yakusheva, and D. F. Russell
Noise-Induced Transition to Bursting in Responses of Paddlefish Electroreceptor Afferents
J Neurophysiol, November 1, 2007; 98(5): 2795 - 2806.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Exp. Biol.Home page
M. H. Hofmann, B. Chagnaud, and L. A. Wilkens
Response properties of electrosensory afferent fibers and secondary brain stem neurons in the paddlefish
J. Exp. Biol., November 15, 2005; 208(22): 4213 - 4222.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Exp. Biol.Home page
W Wojtenek, X Pei, and L. Wilkens
Paddlefish strike at artificial dipoles simulating the weak electric fields of planktonic prey
J. Exp. Biol., January 4, 2001; 204(8): 1391 - 1399.
[Abstract] [PDF]


© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2001