Premium
Effects of lateral morphology on swimming performance in two sturgeon species
Author(s) -
Qu Y.,
Duan M.,
Yan J.,
Feng G.,
Liu J.,
Zhang L.,
Zhuang P.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of applied ichthyology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1439-0426
pISSN - 0175-8659
DOI - 10.1111/jai.12131
Subject(s) - snout , biology , dorsal fin , anatomy , sturgeon , fish fin , fin , trunk , peduncle (anatomy) , apex (geometry) , dorsum , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , materials science , composite material
Summary Fish express a high degree of diversity in morphology, which is closely related to behaviors such as swimming ability. The effect of morphology on swimming performance is explored using geometric morphometric analyses and classic critical swimming speed ( U crit ) tests in Chinese sturgeon A cipenser sinensis and Siberian sturgeon A . baerii . It was found that A . sinensis is a stronger swimmer compared to A . baerii, with an average 25% higher U crit (expressed in body lengths per second). In A . sinensis , the depth and length of the snout and the trailing edge length of the dorsal fin were negatively correlated with U crit , whereas the height of the trunk anterior, the leading edge length of the dorsal fin and anal fin, and the length and width of the ventral lobe were positively related to U crit ; similar relationships between U crit and morphological characters of the anterior trunk, dorsal fin, anal fin and caudal fin were found in A . baerii . Moreover, although the degree of upward bending of the snout of A . baerii was negatively related to U crit , there was a positive relationship between the length of the caudal peduncle and U crit as well as between the dorsal tail lobe and U crit . In addition, the streamline index ( SI ) was calculated by comparing landmark coordinates on the trunk displayed in the relative warp, with its corresponding point on the NACA (the U.S. N ational A dvisory C ommittee for A eronautics) airfoil shape. SI showed that the body shape in RW 1 of the A . baerii with more swimming capacity was more approximate to the NACA 0016 airfoil shape, but there was no such symmetry for A . sinensis , possibly due to body bending caused by stiffness.