Meeting Abstract

79.1  Sunday, Jan. 6  Fluid-structure interaction in the fish lateral line system MCHENRY, M/J*; STROTHER, J/A; VAN TRUMP, W/J; U.C. Irvine mmchenry@uci.edu

A tremendous diversity of aquatic animal sense water flow with ciliated receptor organs. The sensitivity of these organs depends on their mechanical interactions with the surrounding fluid. In order to understand these dynamics, we have developed analytical and computational models of the fluid structure interaction (FSI) between the superficial neuromasts of the fish lateral line system and the flow generated by a stimulus. We verified these models with deflection measurements in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae. Our FSI models suggest that superficial neuromasts encode the velocity of flow at the surface of the body and their resonant properties serve to attenuate high-frequency stimuli. Their sensitivity is largely determined by the height of the cupula and the height and number of hair cell kinocilia. The boundary layer over the body�s surface acts as a high-pass filter of flow stimuli. Therefore, the both the boundary layer and morphology of the cupula contribute layers of filtering to a superficial neuromast that have substantive effects on it the sensitivity of superficial neuromasts.