Animals must simultaneously engage multiple functional systems in order to navigate, feed, and survive in complex environments. Nearly all vertebrates perform rapid gaze-shifting eye movements called saccades, but we know little about the behaviour of saccades during rhythmic locomotion. This study examines how saccades are coordinated with locomotor movements in a pectoral-fin-propelled teleost fish, Cymatogaster aggregata, the shiner surfperch. Twelve individuals were filmed swimming in a flow tank at 10 cm s−1, and timing data were analyzed using circular statistics. Results reveal that Cymatogaster generates saccades non-uniformly throughout the pectoral fin cycle. Saccades primarily occur during fin abduction, when a large amount of thrust is produced, and rarely occur during the thrust-free refractory phase. Because vision is known to be impaired during saccades, we hypothesize that Cymatogaster synchronizes saccades with periods of high acceleration in order to stabilize retinal images during low-acceleration phases, which are nearly saccade-free.
Eye movements are coordinated with pectoral fin beats during locomotion in a marine teleost fish
Currently Viewing Accepted Manuscript - Newer Version Available
Joanna L. Mandecki, Paolo Domenici; Eye movements are coordinated with pectoral fin beats during locomotion in a marine teleost fish. J Exp Biol 2015; jeb.116756. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.116756
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