Aiello Brett R, Hardy Adam R, Westneat Mark W, Hale Melina E
Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Integr Comp Biol. 2018 Nov 1;58(5):844-859. doi: 10.1093/icb/icy065.
Mechanosensation is a universal feature of animals that is essential for behavior, allowing detection of animals' own body movement and position as well as physical characteristics of the environment. The extraordinary morphological and behavioral diversity that exists across fish species provide rich opportunities for comparative mechanosensory studies in fins. The fins of fishes have been found to function as proprioceptors, by providing feedback on fin ray position and movement, and as tactile sensors, by encoding pressures applied to the fin surface. Across fish species, and among fins, the afferent response is remarkably consistent, suggesting that the ability of fin rays and membrane to sense deformation is a fundamental feature of fish fins. While fin mechanosensation has been known in select, often highly specialized, species for decades, only in the last decade have we explored mechanosensation in typical propulsive fins and considered its role in behavior, particularly locomotion. In this paper, we synthesize the current understanding of the anatomy and physiology of fin mechanosensation, looking toward key directions for research. We argue that a mechanosensory perspective informs studies of fin-based propulsion and other fin-driven behaviors and should be considered in the interpretation of fin morphology and behavior. In addition, we compare the mechanosensory system innervating the fins of fishes to the systems innervating the limbs of mammals and wings of insects in order to identify shared mechanosensory strategies and how different organisms have evolved to meet similar functional challenges. Finally, we discuss how understanding the biological organization and function of fin sensors can inform the design of control systems for engineered fins and fin-driven robotics.
机械感觉是动物的一种普遍特征，对行为至关重要，它能让动物检测自身的身体运动和位置以及环境的物理特征。鱼类物种间存在的非凡形态和行为多样性为鳍的比较机械感觉研究提供了丰富的机会。鱼类的鳍已被发现具有多种功能，既作为本体感受器，通过提供鳍条位置和运动的反馈，又作为触觉传感器，通过对施加在鳍表面的压力进行编码。在不同鱼类物种以及不同鳍之间，传入反应非常一致，这表明鳍条和鳍膜感知变形的能力是鱼鳍的一个基本特征。虽然鳍的机械感觉在一些特定的、通常高度特化的物种中已为人所知数十年，但直到最近十年，我们才开始探索典型推进鳍中的机械感觉，并考虑其在行为，特别是运动中的作用。在本文中，我们综合了目前对鳍机械感觉的解剖学和生理学的理解，展望了关键的研究方向。我们认为，机械感觉视角为基于鳍的推进和其他鳍驱动行为的研究提供了信息，并且在解释鳍的形态和行为时应予以考虑。此外，我们将支配鱼类鳍的机械感觉系统与支配哺乳动物肢体和昆虫翅膀的系统进行比较，以确定共同的机械感觉策略以及不同生物体如何进化以应对类似的功能挑战。最后，我们讨论了理解鳍传感器的生物学组织和功能如何为工程鳍和鳍驱动机器人的控制系统设计提供信息。
