Reduced skin mass: an adaptation for acceleration in some teleost fishes

The hypothesis is presented that skin mass is reduced in fish to improve acceleration performance when fast-starts have a key role in normal activity. The hypothesis was evaluated by measuring skin area, skin mass per unit area, and total skin mass of eight centrarchid species in which the importance of accleration would vary with piscivorous feeding habits. Observations were compared to a reference, taking into account effects of body size and shape. Variation in body area was fairly small. Skin mass per unit area varied by a factor of 2.5. Skin mass, expressed as a percentage of total mass, varied by a factor of 2.4. The more piscivorous species had a lighter skin, which would represent a saving in acceleration resistance of about 5%. Other reductions in mass, usually explained in terms of buoyancy control, will also improve acceleration performance. The variation in skin mass could not be attributed to skin flexibility.

[1]  S. Wainwright,et al.  Shark Skin: Function in Locomotion , 1978, Science.

[2]  H. Howland.  Optimal strategies for predator avoidance: the relative importance of speed and manoeuvrability. , 1974, Journal of theoretical biology.

[3]  I. E. Gray.  THE RELATION OF BODY WEIGHT TO BODY SURFACE AREA IN MARINE FISHES , 1953 .

[4]  P. Murphy,et al.  Correlations between respiration and direct uptake of DDT in the mosquito fishGambusia affinis , 1971, Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[5]  J. Siekmann.  On a pulsating jet from the end of a tube, with application to the propulsion of certain aquatic animals , 1963, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[6]  W. B. Scott,et al.  Freshwater fishes of Canada , 1974 .

[7]  P. Webb.  Hydrodynamics and Energetics of Fish Propulsion , 1975 .

[8]  Webb Pw,et al.  The effect of size on the fast-start performance of rainbow trout Salmo cairdneri, and a consideration of piscivorous predator-prey interactions. , 1976 .

[9]  D'arcy W. Thompson.  On growth and form i , 1943 .

[10]  D. J. Hall,et al.  Habitat Partitioning in a Freshwater Fish Community , 1977 .

[11]  A. Keast,et al.  Daily Feeding Periodicities, Food Uptake Rates, and Dietary Changes with Hour of Day in Some Lake Fishes , 1968 .

[12]  Allen Keast,et al.  Mouth and Body Form Relative to Feeding Ecology in the Fish Fauna of a Small Lake, Lake Opinicon, Ontario , 1966 .

[13]  M. Hixon,et al.  Night-Shocker: Predatory Behavior of the Pacific Electric Ray (Torpedo californica) , 1978, Science.