Department of Musculoskeletal and Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK.
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
J Exp Biol. 2022 Mar 8;225(Suppl_1). doi: 10.1242/jeb.243376.
Suction feeding in ray-finned fishes requires substantial muscle power for fast and forceful prey capture. The axial musculature located immediately behind the head has been long known to contribute some power for suction feeding, but recent XROMM and fluoromicrometry studies found nearly all the axial musculature (over 80%) provides effectively all (90-99%) of the power for high-performance suction feeding. The dominance of axial power suggests a new framework for studying the musculoskeletal biomechanics of fishes: the form and function of axial muscles and bones should be analysed for power production in feeding (or at least as a compromise between swimming and feeding), and cranial muscles and bones should be analysed for their role in transmitting axial power and coordinating buccal expansion. This new framework is already yielding novel insights, as demonstrated in four species for which suction power has now been measured. Interspecific comparisons suggest high suction power can be achieved in different ways: increasing the magnitude of suction pressure or the rate of buccal volume change, or both (as observed in the most powerful of these species). Our framework suggests that mechanical and evolutionary interactions between the head and the body, and between the swimming and feeding roles of axial structures, may be fruitful areas for continued study.
在有颌类鱼类中，抽吸式摄食需要大量的肌肉力量来快速有力地捕获猎物。头部后面的轴肌一直以来都被认为对抽吸式摄食有一定的贡献，但最近的 XROMM 和荧光微测法研究发现，几乎所有的轴肌（超过 80%）有效地提供了用于高性能抽吸式摄食的全部（90-99%）力量。轴力的主导地位为研究鱼类的肌肉骨骼生物力学提供了一个新的框架：应该分析轴肌和骨骼的形态和功能，以了解其在摄食（或至少在游泳和摄食之间的权衡）中的力量产生作用，同时还应该分析颅肌和骨骼在传递轴力和协调口扩张方面的作用。这个新的框架已经产生了新的见解，正如在四种已经测量过抽吸力量的物种中所展示的那样。种间比较表明，高强度的抽吸力量可以通过不同的方式实现：增加抽吸压力的幅度或口腔体积变化的速度，或者两者兼而有之（在这些物种中最强大的一种中观察到）。我们的框架表明，头部和身体之间，以及轴结构的游泳和摄食作用之间的机械和进化相互作用，可能是继续研究的富有成效的领域。
