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Oufiero CE, Garikipati L, McMillan E, Katherine Sullivan M, Turnbaugh R. Modulation of prey capture kinematics in relation to prey distance helps predict success. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247311. [PMID: 38785337 PMCID: PMC11213525 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Predators are not perfect, as some of their prey capture attempts result in failure. Successful attempts may be partly due to predators modulating their capture kinematics in relation to variation in the visual cues of the prey to increase the probability of success. In praying mantises, which have been suggested to possess stereoscopic vision, variation in prey distance has been shown to elicit variation in the probability of an attempt. However, it remains to be examined whether variation in prey distance results in mantises modulating their attempt to successfully capture prey. The goals of this study were to examine these relationships using the praying mantis system. Using 11 adult female Sphodromantis lineola, we recorded 192 prey capture attempts at 1000 Hz with two cameras to examine the 3D kinematics of successful and unsuccessful prey capture attempts. Using a combination of principal component analysis (PCA) and logistic regression, our results show that as prey distance increases, mantises adjust through greater and faster expansion of the forelegs and body (PC1), which significantly predicts capture success. However, PC1 only explains 22% of the variation in all prey capture attempts, suggesting that the other components may be related to additional aspects of the prey. Our results suggest that the distances at which mantises prefer to attempt to capture prey may be the result of their greater probability of successfully capturing the prey. These results highlight the range of motions mantises use when attempting to capture prey, suggesting flexibility in their prey capture attempts in relation to prey position.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elizabeth McMillan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA
| | | | - Ryan Turnbaugh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA
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Parmentier E, Herrel A, Banse M, Hornstra H, Bertucci F, Lecchini D. Diving into dual functionality: Swim bladder muscles in lionfish for buoyancy and sonic capabilities. J Anat 2024; 244:249-259. [PMID: 37891703 PMCID: PMC10780155 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the primary function of the swim bladder is buoyancy, it is also involved in hearing, and it can be associated with sonic muscles for voluntary sound production. The use of the swim bladder and associated muscles in sound production could be an exaptation since this is not its first function. We however lack models showing that the same muscles can be used in both movement and sound production. In this study, we investigate the functions of the muscles associated with the swim bladder in different Pteroinae (lionfish) species. Our results indicate that Pterois volitans, P. radiata and Dendrochirus zebra are able to produce long low-frequency hums when disturbed. The deliberate movements of the fin spines during sound production suggest that these sounds may serve as aposematic signals. In P. volitans and P. radiata, hums can be punctuated by intermittent louder pulses called knocks. Analysis of sonic features, morphology, electromyography and histology strongly suggest that these sounds are most likely produced by muscles closely associated with the swim bladder. These muscles originate from the neurocranium and insert on the posterior part of the swim bladder. Additionally, cineradiography supports the hypothesis that these same muscles are involved in altering the swim bladder's length and angle, thereby influencing the pitch of the fish body and participating in manoeuvring and locomotion movements. Fast contraction of the muscle should be related to sound production whereas sustained contractions allows modifications in swim bladder shape and body pitch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Parmentier
- Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology, FOCUS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, Bâtiment, UMR 7179 MECADEV C.N.R. S/M.N.H.N., d'Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France
| | - Marine Banse
- Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology, FOCUS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Heidie Hornstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Frédéric Bertucci
- UMR MARBEC, IRD-CNRS-IFREMER-INRAE-University of Montpellier, Sète, France
| | - David Lecchini
- PSL University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL", Perpignan, France
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Thompson AA, Peterson AN, McHenry MJ, Paley DA. A lionfish-inspired predation strategy in planar structured environments . BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2023; 18:046022. [PMID: 37339652 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ace016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
This paper investigates a pursuit-evasion game with a single pursuer and evader in a bounded environment, inspired by observations of predation attempts by lionfish (Pterois sp.). The pursuer tracks the evader with a pure pursuit strategy while using an additional bioinspired tactic to trap the evader, i.e. minimize the evader's escape routes. Specifically, the pursuer employs symmetric appendages inspired by the large pectoral fins of lionfish, but this expansion increases its drag and therefore its work to capture the evader. The evader employs a bioinspired randomly-directed escape strategy to avoid capture and collisions with the boundary. Here we investigate the trade-off between minimizing the work to capture the evader and minimizing the evader's escape routes. By using the pursuer's expected work to capture as a cost function, we determine when the pursuer should expand its appendages as a function of the relative distance to the evader and the evader's proximity to the boundary. Visualizing the pursuer's expected work to capture everywhere in the bounded domain, yields additional insights about optimal pursuit trajectories and illustrates the role of the boundary in predator-prey interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony A Thompson
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States of America
| | - Ashley N Peterson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Matthew J McHenry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Derek A Paley
- Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States of America
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Bortoni A, Swartz SM, Vejdani H, Corcoran AJ. Strategic predatory pursuit of the stealthy, highly manoeuvrable, slow flying bat Corynorhinus townsendii. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230138. [PMID: 37357862 PMCID: PMC10291723 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
A predator's capacity to catch prey depends on its ability to navigate its environment in response to prey movements or escape behaviour. In predator-prey interactions that involve an active chase, pursuit behaviour can be studied as the collection of rules that dictate how a predator should steer to capture prey. It remains unclear how variable this behaviour is within and across species since most studies have detailed the pursuit behaviour of high-speed, open-area foragers. In this study, we analyse the pursuit behaviour in 44 successful captures by Corynorhinus townsendii, Townsend's big-eared bat (n = 4). This species forages close to vegetation using slow and highly manoeuvrable flight, which contrasts with the locomotor capabilities and feeding ecologies of other taxa studied to date. Our results indicate that this species relies on an initial stealthy approach, which is generally sufficient to capture prey (32 out of 44 trials). In cases where the initial approach is not sufficient to perform a capture attempt (12 out of 44 trials), C. townsendii continues its pursuit by reacting to prey movements in a manner best modelled with a combination of pure pursuit, or following prey directly, and proportional navigation, or moving to an interception point.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Bortoni
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Sharon M. Swartz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Hamid Vejdani
- Mechanical, Robotics, and Industrial Engineering, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI 48075, USA
| | - Aaron J. Corcoran
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
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Peterson AN, McHenry MJ. The persistent-predation strategy of the red lionfish ( Pterois volitans). Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221085. [PMID: 35919997 PMCID: PMC9346346 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The pursuit of prey is vital to the biology of a predator and many aspects of predatory behaviour are well-studied. However, it is unclear how a pursuit can be effective when the prey is faster than a non-cryptic predator. Using kinematic measurements, we considered the strategy of red lionfish (Pterois volitans) as they pursued a faster prey fish (Chromis viridis) under laboratory conditions. Despite swimming about half as fast as C. viridis, lionfish succeeded in capturing prey in 61% of our experiments. This successful pursuit behaviour was defined by three critical characteristics. First, lionfish targeted C. viridis with pure pursuit by adjusting their heading towards the prey's position and not the anticipated point of interception. Second, lionfish pursued prey with uninterrupted motion. By contrast, C. viridis moved intermittently with variation in speed that included slow swimming. Such periods allowed lionfish to close the distance to a prey and initiate a suction-feeding strike at a relatively close distance (less than 9 cm). Finally, lionfish exhibited a high rate of strike success, capturing prey in 74% of all strikes. These characteristics comprise a behaviour that we call the 'persistent-predation strategy', which may be exhibited by a diversity of predators with relatively slow locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley N. Peterson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Matthew J. McHenry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
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