Lab 5 - Rheotaxis Flashcards
What is a lateral line?
Mechanosensory system used by fish to detect water motion.
The lateral line has been described as “______ _____”, whereby fish use the lateral line to feel out distant objects by interpreting how they ________ the intervening _______.
“Distant touch”
Disrupt the intervening water
What are the receptors for the lateral line?
Neuromasts
What are the components of a neuromast?
Individual hair cell with an attached cupula.
How is the hair cell of a neuromast stimulated by water?
As water moves, it stimulates the hair cell by bending it.
What does the bending of the hair cell on the neuromast do?
Depending on how the hair cell bends, different signals are sent to the brain and used to interpret disruptions in the water.
All fish have at least some free (________) _______ on their body surface or at the bottom of ______ pits called ______ neuromasts.
(superficial) neuromasts
shallow
canal
What do schooling species like shad use their lateral lines for?
Track the movements of their schoolmates.
What do hunting fish use their lateral lines for?
Detect minute prey movement
What do other fish, including prey species use their lateral line for?
Detect the charge of an oncoming predator.
What is a final use of the lateral line?
Rheotaxis
What is rheotaxis?
orientation to water current
It is believed that _______ neuromasts mediate rheotaxis.
Superficial
In this lab, what fish will we be using?
Zebrafish for rheotaxis and schooling
Round gobies for comparison
