Submitted by acf199
on
Analyzing the growth and plasticity of fin rays
Abstract:
Fin rays are skeletal rods that support the fin webs of many fishes. The rays are arranged in a series along the length of a fin and can be segmented and branching. As a fish grows, new segments and branches are added to the tips of rays. In a previous study, we found that swimming behaviors likely impact how the fin skeleton grows, changing patterns of fin ray branching. We are now trying to more thoroughly compare the complex branching anatomies of these rays between different experimental groups to discover how fins respond to hydrodynamic loading and to understand how fishes adapt to new environments.