Search results for "Actinopterygii"
showing 10 items of 210 documents
Marine Early Triassic Actinopterygii from Elko County (Nevada, USA): implications for the Smithian equatorial vertebrate eclipse
2017
AbstractThe Early Triassic vertebrate record from low paleolatitudes is spotty, which led to the notion of an ‘equatorial vertebrate eclipse’ during the Smithian. Here we present articulated ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii), collected from the marine Lower Triassic Thaynes Group at three new localities in Elko County (Nevada, USA), which were deposited within the equatorial zone. From the Smithian of the Winecup Ranch, we describe two partial skulls of the predatory actinopterygianBirgeria(Birgeriidae), attributed toB.americananew species andBirgeriasp.Birgeria americanan. sp. is distinguished from other species by a less reduced operculogular series. With an estimated total length of 1.7…
Diversity of Fish Scales in Late Triassic deposits of Krasiejów (SW Poland)
2018
Abstract. Taxonomy of extinct fishes is mostly based on the shapes of their bodies, teeth and skeletons and sometimes the coverage of the body. Analysis of modern fishes shows that sometimes even single-scale morphology can also be used as a taxonomic tool. In spite of the fact that variation in scales character in one species can be broad, some specific features distinguish species of the same genus. Analysis of the fossilized scales of fishes found in the Late Triassic deposits of Krasiejow (SW Poland) shows that the microstructure of the external surface of scales can also be considered as a taxonomic tool in the fossil record. Description of the ornamentation pattern of several scales o…
Assessing metabolic constraints on the maximum body size of actinopterygians: locomotion energetics of Leedsichthys problematicus (Actinopterygii, Pa…
2018
Maximum sizes attained by living actinopterygians are much smaller than those reached by chondrichthyans. Several factors, including the high metabolic requirements of bony fishes, have been proposed as possible body‐size constraints but no empirical approaches exist. Remarkably, fossil evidence has rarely been considered despite some extinct actinopterygians reaching sizes comparable to those of the largest living sharks. Here, we have assessed the locomotion energetics of Leedsichthys problematicus, an extinct gigantic suspension‐feeder and the largest actinopterygian ever known, shedding light on the metabolic limits of body size in actinopterygians and the possible underlying factors th…
First occurrence of fossil vertebrates from the Carboniferous of Colombia
2020
Data concerning Paleozoic vertebrates from the South American continent are still scarce. In Colombia, occurrences were until now restricted to the Late Devonian fish assemblage from Floresta and, ...
When phenotypes fail to illuminate underlying genetic processes in fish and fisheries science
2019
Abstract Advances in genetic and genomic technologies have become widely available and have potential to provide novel insights into fish biology and fisheries science. In the present overview, we explore cases for which genomic analyses have proven instrumental in the rejection of hypotheses that have been well-motivated based on phenotypic and ecological properties of individuals and populations. We focus on study systems for which information derived using genomic tools contradicts conclusions drawn from traditional fisheries science methodologies and assumptions. We further illustrate the non-intuitive interplay of genomics and ecology in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) owing to the re…
Learned parasite avoidance is driven by host personality and resistance to infection in a fish-trematode interaction
2016
Cognitive abilities related to the assessment of risk improve survival. While earlier studies have examined the ability of animals to learn to avoid predators, learned parasite avoidance has received little interest. In a series of behavioural trials with the trematode parasite Diplostomum pseudospathaceum , we asked whether sea trout ( Salmo trutta trutta ) hosts show associative learning in the context of parasitism and if so, whether learning capacity is related to the likelihood of infection mediated through host personality and resistance. We show that animals are capable of learning to avoid visual cues associated with the presence of parasites. However, avoidance behaviour ceased af…
Experience and dominance in fish pairs jointly shape parasite avoidance behaviour
2018
There is increasing evidence that the composition of a social group influences the fitness of its members. For example, group member identities can determine the exposure risk to contact-transmitted parasites and consequently impact the health of all group members. Here, we propose that group composition may also affect host exposure to parasite propagules prevailing in the environment via collective parasite avoidance behaviours. We explored the spatial avoidance of a trematode parasite, Diplostomum pseudospathaceum, using the simplest form of host groups, pairs of sea trout, Salmo trutta trutta. These pairs showed either (1) between-group heterogeneity in their experience with the parasit…
Migratory passage structures at hydropower plants as potential physiological and behavioural selective agents
2019
Anthropogenic activities affect fish populations worldwide. River dams have profound impacts on ecosystems by changing habitats and hindering migration. In an effort to counteract such effects, a range of mitigation measures have been installed at hydroelectric power plants. However, not all individuals in a population use these measures, potentially creating strong selection processes at hydroelectric power plants. This may be especially true during migration; fish can get heavily delayed or pass through a hydropower turbine, thus facing increased mortality compared with those using a safe bypass route. In this study, we quantify migration route choices of descending wild passive integrate…
Behavioural responses of fish groups exposed to a predatory threat under elevated CO2
2019
Most of the studies dealing with the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on fish behaviour tested individuals in isolation, even when the examined species live in shoals in the wild. Here we evaluated the effects of elevated CO2 concentrations (i.e. ∼900 μatm) on the shelter use and group cohesion of the gregarious damselfish Chromis viridis using groups of sub-adults exposed to a predatory threat. Results showed that, under predatory threat, fish reared at elevated CO2 concentrations displayed a risky behaviour (i.e. decreased shelter use), whereas their group cohesion was unaffected. Our findings add on increasing evidence to account for social dynamics in OA experiments, as living in gro…
Sandbar shark aggregation in the central Mediterranean Sea and potential effects of tourism
2021
An aggregation of sandbar sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus occurs every summer around the remote uninhabited islet of Lampione (Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area, south-western Mediterranean Sea), attracting an increasing number of tourists for a shark watching experience. Despite the ecological and socio-economic importance of this rare occurrence in Mediterranean waters, there is a lack of scientific data and lack of information as to the potential impact of tourist activities on the presence and behaviour of this shark species. Using baited underwater videos, this study provides the first assessment of this shark aggregation, as well as a preliminary evaluation of the potential effects t…