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Experimental morphology of the feeding mechanism in salamanders
Author(s) -
Reilly Stephen M.,
Lauder George V.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.1052100104
Subject(s) - biology , tiger salamander , ontogeny , metamorphosis , tongue , anatomy , caudata , mechanism (biology) , kinematics , zoology , ecology , larva , endocrinology , linguistics , philosophy , physics , epistemology , classical mechanics
Abstract The subarcualis rectus I muscle (SAR) in the feeding mechanism of four tiger salamanders ( Ambystoma tigrinum ) was removed early in ontogeny and these individuals were allowed to complete metamorphosis. This procedure resulted in postmetamorphic tiger salamanders which differed from control individuals in the size (and thus force generating capacity) of the SAR muscle. The experimental manipulation of muscle ontogeny allowed a test of previous hypotheses of SAR function in postmetamorphic individuals. Multivariate analysis of variance for kinematic variables measured from high‐speed video records of feeding revealed that experimentally modified tiger salamanders did not protract the hyobranchial apparatus or project the tongue from the mouth during feeding. Removal of the SAR muscle resulted in significantly reduced hyobranchial elevation in the buccal cavity and reduced maximum tongue projection distance.