Measuring Fin Ray Morphology and Functional Implications in Yellow Perch
Mentor 1
Natalia Taft
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 2:30 PM
End Date
24-4-2015 3:45 PM
Description
Fins are an integral part of how fish move through their environment. The fins can be used for propulsion and maneuvering, as well as finding food, avoiding predators and finding mates. Some species have fins that are modified for interacting with substrate, defense or walking on land. The largest group of fish is Actinopterygil, which are named for the bony fin rays that support the fins. Despite their functional importance, we have much to learn about the relationship between fin ray structure and function. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) is a species of ray-finned fish that uses most of its fins for swimming along, and pelvic fins for both swimming and substrate contact. The goal of my project is to measure the following morphologic features in the fin rays of yellow perch: overall length, number of segments, length of each segment and location of branching points. These features have been shown to affect the material properties, like stiffness and flexibility of the rays. I used clearing and staining techniques to observe these features of the fin rays for all fins, soft dorsal, anal, caudal, pectoral and pelvic. I then photographed the fins, and used the program ImageJ to measure the key characteristics. I will then perform an analysis to investigate the correlations between these morphologic features with material testing experiments being conducted separately in the lab. This project will be one of the few that investigate the direct relationship between form and function in the fin rays of fishes and provide a firm foundation for future work. The hypothesis is that the results of my project will follow the same patterns as previous experiments done in the lab on fin ray stiffness.
Measuring Fin Ray Morphology and Functional Implications in Yellow Perch
Union Wisconsin Room
Fins are an integral part of how fish move through their environment. The fins can be used for propulsion and maneuvering, as well as finding food, avoiding predators and finding mates. Some species have fins that are modified for interacting with substrate, defense or walking on land. The largest group of fish is Actinopterygil, which are named for the bony fin rays that support the fins. Despite their functional importance, we have much to learn about the relationship between fin ray structure and function. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) is a species of ray-finned fish that uses most of its fins for swimming along, and pelvic fins for both swimming and substrate contact. The goal of my project is to measure the following morphologic features in the fin rays of yellow perch: overall length, number of segments, length of each segment and location of branching points. These features have been shown to affect the material properties, like stiffness and flexibility of the rays. I used clearing and staining techniques to observe these features of the fin rays for all fins, soft dorsal, anal, caudal, pectoral and pelvic. I then photographed the fins, and used the program ImageJ to measure the key characteristics. I will then perform an analysis to investigate the correlations between these morphologic features with material testing experiments being conducted separately in the lab. This project will be one of the few that investigate the direct relationship between form and function in the fin rays of fishes and provide a firm foundation for future work. The hypothesis is that the results of my project will follow the same patterns as previous experiments done in the lab on fin ray stiffness.
