Meeting Abstract
The intertidal zone is characterized by high energy and tidal exchange, resulting in a highly dynamic environment with frequent aquatic-air transitions. This dynamic ecosystem may be responsible for the evolution of specialized morphological and physiological adaptations to help organisms survive in this environment. One unusual intertidal adaption is found in an exposed intertidal sculpin, Clinocottus (Blennicottus) globiceps, which feeds on anemones. Anemones have barbed nematocysts that make them a hazardous food source not consumed by many organisms, including the other Clinocottus species. Do specialized morphologies or behaviors facilitate anemone-feeding in C. globiceps? We predicted that the blunt, rounded head and specialized dentition of C. (B.) globiceps allow it to effectively feed on anemones while protecting the fish from the stinging tentacles. We used high-speed video to analyze the feeding behavior of Clinocottus globiceps. We also used micro-computed tomography scanning coupled with iodine contrast-staining, as well as scanning electron microscopy of the jaws to resolve a feeding morphospace for the Blennicottus subgenus, and compare C. globiceps to its immediate relatives. We found that skeletal morphology does differ across species in the Blennicottus subgenus, and that C. (B.) globiceps is a morphological outlier. However, little is known about the factors that cause this differentiation. We found that full body-shaking movement (similar to an alligator’s ‘death-roll’) exhibited by C. (B.) globiceps, as well as teeth shaped for tearing, play the largest role in C. (B.) globiceps ability to feed on anemones effectively.
