Meeting Abstract
Fish have evolved a variety of swimming mechanisms to move through diverse habitats. While some fish primarily use pectoral and caudal fin motion to propel themselves through water, others use body undulation to locomote. Many studies have characterized kinematic features of swimming mechanisms such as swimming speed, tail beat frequency, and bending period, but few have examined the role of vertebral morphology in swimming kinematics. Because the vertebral column is a conserved skeletal element in fishes and the main structure used for body stiffening during swimming, it can provide critical information about fish swimming kinematics. In this study we used a statistical model originally created to predict 3D swimming kinematics in elongate fishes to predict 2D swimming kinematics in six fish species that vary from elongate (elong.) to deep-bodied (non-elong.). We collected swimming kinematic data from video trials and measurements of vertebra size and shape from CT scans of Anoplarchus purpurescens (Stichaeidae; elong.), Pholis ornata (Pholidae; elong.), Ammodytes personatus (Ammodytidae; non-elong.), Ophiodon elongatus (Hexagrammidae; non-elong.), Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus (Cottidae; non-elong.), and Cymatogaster aggregata (Embiotocidae; non-elong.). Specifically, we collected size and shape data from multiple centra along the vertebral column to predict body bending amplitude along the length of the body during swimming. This estimate was then compared to the bending amplitude measured from fish swimming videos. We determined that vertebral morphology has significant power to predict body bending amplitude during swimming in both elongate and non-elongate fishes, with centrum body length and cone angle being the most important factors.
