In 1800, Volta, inspired by the electric organs of a genus of electric fish, the Electrophorus, invented the first electric batteries, which were termed "artificial electric organs." Since then, the far-reaching implications of the fishes’ electrogenesis have come under greater attention and interest. In these fishes, the electric organ resembles a series of batteries. The electric organs are formed by electrocytes (the "batteries") with a distinct cytomorphology for discharging and charging. Although the arrangements of electrocytes in the electric organ are well-understood, the mechanisms involved in generating electric discharges within equivalent circuits remain unclear. In this thesis, the first element consists of adapting spatially defined models that we use to investigate the process of electrocyte charging and recharging under the added assumption of ion homeostasis, the process by which a cell restores its internal milieu. The study focuses on Eigenmannia and Electrophorus, two genera of electric fish. Eigenmannia's steady high-frequency dipole oscillator-like electric organ discharges enables electro-sensing and electro-communication, whilst Electrophorus's brief taser-like electric bursts serve as tetanizing predatory assaults. In addition, the second section of this study proposes a one-dimensional charge difference model that focuses on the modification of endogenous electric fields resulting from the uneven distribution of ions in a homeostatic apparatus.

Submitted by Edisangela Bastos (edisangela@ufpa.br) on 2013-03-06T21:17:08Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Dissertacao_RevisaoTaxonomicaElectrophorus.pdf: 1265346 bytes, checksum: b459d56d84c6f489f9954f899ab8440e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Rosa Silva(arosa@ufpa.br) on 2013-03-07T13:07:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Dissertacao_RevisaoTaxonomicaElectrophorus.pdf: 1265346 bytes, checksum: b459d56d84c6f489f9954f899ab8440e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-03-07T13:07:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Dissertacao_RevisaoTaxonomicaElectrophorus.pdf: 1265346 bytes, checksum: b459d56d84c6f489f9954f899ab8440e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / A dissertação foi elaborada no formato de artigo. O presente trabalho apresenta o resultado da revisão do gênero Electrophorus em um capítulo intitulado “Revisão de Electrophorus electricus com a descrição de quatro espécies novas”, com a redescrição da espécie Electrophorus electricus e descrições das espécies novas em detalhes. Este artigo será submetido à Revista Neotropical Ichthyology.