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Flow Sensing in Sharks: Lateral Line Contributions to Navigation and Prey Capture

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Abstract

Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays), like other fishes, possess a mechanosensory lateral line system that detects weak water motions. The anatomy of the lateral line system of elasmobranchs is subtly different from that of bony fishes. Found along the head and body in species-specific patterns, it is composed of neuromasts that lie in grooves or pits on the surface of the skin, as well as neuromasts that line fluid-filled subepidermal canals which may be open to the environment via pores or may be closed (nonpored). While there is a growing wealth of knowledge on lateral line function in bony fishes, comparatively less is known about the behavioral role of this sensory system in elasmobranchs. Recent research suggests that in sharks, as in bony fishes, the lateral line functions in navigation and obstacle avoidance, orientation to currents, and feeding behavior, where it contributes to prey tracking, prey localization, and capture precision.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Robert Hueter and Philip Motta for helpful comments on the manuscript. Aspects of this work were supported by a University of South Florida Presidential Doctoral Fellowship, a Lerner-Gray Grant for Marine Research, an American Elasmobranch Society Donald R. Nelson Behavioral Research Award, and an American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Raney Fund Award to JMG, a collaborative National Science Foundation grant (IOS-0843440, IOS-0841478, and IOS-081502), and support from the Porter Family Foundation. This manuscript was prepared during JMG’s tenure as a Mote Postdoctoral Fellow.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Jayne M. Gardiner

  2. Center for Shark Research, Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL, 34236, USA

    Jayne M. Gardiner

  3. Boston University Marine Program, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Jelle Atema

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Correspondence to Jayne M. Gardiner .

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  1. Institute for Zoology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Horst Bleckmann

  2. Institute for Zoology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Joachim Mogdans

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA

    Sheryl L. Coombs

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Gardiner, J.M., Atema, J. (2014). Flow Sensing in Sharks: Lateral Line Contributions to Navigation and Prey Capture. In: Bleckmann, H., Mogdans, J., Coombs, S. (eds) Flow Sensing in Air and Water. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41446-6_5

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