Behaviour to increased water velocity is examined in fast stream fish (Otocinclus, Hypostomus, Pterygoplichthys, Chaetostoma and Gyrinocheilus) and a slow water form (Farlowella). Behaviour can be divided into two stages; resting and adhesion (Chapter I). In Otocinclus a third fin extension stage is apparent. Based on the slipping velocity of live and dead fish it is determined that Gyrinocheilus has the greatest station holding ability on a smooth perspex surface. This is attributed to a complete seal produced by its oral sucker lips (closed sucker). Station-holding ability is also examined on rougher surfaces. Slipping does not occur in any of the genera at water velocities up to 90 cm s⁻¹. Morphological adaptations (eg. oral sucker, pectoral fins, frictional pad and odontodes) that may contribute to increasing slipping velocity are examined. In Otocinclus these structures are analyzed using a Scanning Electron Microscope. Otocinclus is the only genera with the ventral dermal plates between the pelvic and pectoral fins organized laterally into a frictional pad. Drag on fish is directly measured with strain gauges and used to calculate drag coefficients (0.10 - 0.94; Chapter II). Drag coefficients for low fineness ratio (length/height < 10) forms at Reynold's numbers below 10⁴ compare poorly with literature values for technical bodies. Drag coefficients determined for fish are high due to roughness and interference drag produced by the fins. Using morphological measurements, dead slipping velocities, drag coefficients, static frictional coefficients and submerged body weight, lift coefficients (-0.55 - 1.23) calculated. Fast stream fish maximize slipping speed by having high frictional coefficients (0.67 - 0.95, on a smooth perspex surface), density (1.03 -1.10 g cm⁻³), rheotactic suction pressure (13 - 173 N m⁻²) and negative lift Although Farlowella has high density (1.129 g cm⁻³) and a low drag coefficient (0.23), its lift to drag ratio is high (6.71) and rheotactic suction pressures (2 - 27 N m⁻²) are low. In general Farlowella does not exhibit hydrodynamic, behavioural or morphological characteristics that enhance station-holding. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

The hydrodynamics and mechanics of obliquely swimming characoid species Chilodus punetatus, Nannostomus eques, Nannostomus unifasciatus, Thayeria. boehlkei and Thayeria obliqua are investigated. In Chilodus punctatug, Nannostomus eques and Nannostomus unifasciatus the position of the centre of mass relative to the centre of buoyancy is the reverse of what would be expected from their pitch. The centre of mass is in front of the centre of buoyancy in the two Nannostomus species which swim with a positive pitch and vice versa in Chilodus punctatus which swims with negative pitch. The relative positions of these two centres are in such a way that they help to bring the fish horizontal during fast swimming. Pitch in these species is maintained by the action of the pectoral and caudal fins. In the two Thayeria species the centre of mass is behind the centre of buoyancy and their separation is responsible for the positive pitch. The fins are used to correct for this pitch to the desirable level. The enlarged lower lobe of the caudal fin in Nannostomus species has an epibatic effect and does not contribute to the forces responsible for the pitch in hovering as previously proposed. Relative vertebrae size in Nannostomus eques and Nannostomus unifasciatus when compared to Nannostomus becfordi and Nannostomus trifasciatus which swim horizontally show adaptations towards a strategy of rapid start from rest. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Unknown

Fast-starts are high powered events of short duration, used by fish for prey capture and escape from predation. Here, the energetic cost of fast-starts in escape and prey capture for a fast-start specialist, the northern pike, Esox lucius, are determined and physiological and behavioural constraints assessed. This is done by comparing costs with literature values for physiological limits set my muscle mechanics and biochemistry, and comparing costs with other components of the energy budget. The combination of high speed film analysis (200-250Hz) and hydrodynamic models are used to determine the mechanical costs, hydrodynamic efficiencies and power output of fast-starts in prey capture (S-starts) and escape behaviour (C-starts). Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is used to estimate the metabolic cost of fast-starts. A comparison of model predictions with required (acceleration) force estimates shows results are within 22% and similar to previous findings at lower film speeds. The caudal region including the caudal, dorsal and anal fins contribute the most to thrust (>90%) and the dorsal and anal fins contribute 28%. Due to the necessity for deceleration of fin sections during each tail beat, kinematics are not always optimal as predicted by the Weihs model. Mechanical power output, hydrodynamic efficiency and kinematic parameters (maximum velocities and maximum angle of attack of the caudal fin) are determined for fast-starts during prey capture and escape. Hydrodynamic efficiency averages 0.37 (range: 0.34 to 0.39) for C-starts and 0.27 (range: 0.16 to 0.37) for S-starts. The acceleration of added mass contributes the most to power output at 39%. Power output and efficiency for S-starts are more variable than C-starts and hydromechanical efficiency increases with number of tail beats for S-starts. Maximum muscle power output and maximum muscle stress during fast-starts in comparison to literature values for muscle function shows muscle power output during fast-starts is at its physiological limit but muscle stress is not. Metabolic efficiency is higher at 0.094 for C-starts than S-starts at 0.047. However, muscle efficiency estimates are similar averaging 0.252 for both fast-start types. Mean energetic cost of fast-starts is determined to be 26.5 J/kg for C-starts and 18.6 J/kg for S-starts. Based on the observation that pike can repeatedly fast-start up to 170 times before becoming exhausted and on estimates of available energy reserves from literature values for ATP and CrP concentrations in white muscle, the duration of fast-starts is concluded to not be limited by muscle physiology. Average power output is found to be similar for C and S-starts at 406 to 412 W/kg. Only hydrolysis of ATP and CrP can supply energy at this rate. Therefore, based on fish white muscle biochemistry and mechanics, power output during fast-starts appears to be limited by muscle physiology. The cost of fast-starts represents 0.03 to 2% of maintenance costs for pike and therefore only 5 to 30 fast-starts per day would be required to increase the daily energy budget by 10%. In addition, the cost of fast-starts represents 0.52 to 27.4% of surplus energy available from assimilated prey. Therefore, the cost of fast-starts can be significant and reducing fast-start duration is a probable strategy for minimising activity costs and thus increasing the energy available for growth or reproduction. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

Although most batoids (skates and rays) are benthic, only the skates (Rajidae) have been described as performing benthic locomotion, termed 'punting'. While keeping the rest of the body motionless, the skate's specialized pelvic fins are planted into the substrate and then retracted caudally, which thrusts the body forward. This may be advantageous for locating and feeding on prey, avoiding predators, and reducing energetic costs. By integrating kinematic, musculoskeletal, material properties, and compositional analyses across a range of morphologically and phylogenetically diverse batoids, this dissertation (i) demonstrates that punting is not confined to the skates, and (ii) provides reliable anatomical and mechanical predictors of punting ability. Batoids in this study performed true punting (employing only pelvic fins), or augmented punting (employing pectoral and pelvic fins). Despite the additional thrust from the pectoral fins, augmented punters failed to exceed the punting c apabilities of the true punters. True punters' pelvic fins had greater surface area and more specialized and robust musculature compared to the augmented punters' fins. The flexural stiffness of the main skeletal element used in punting, the propterygium, correlated with punting ability (3.37 x 10-5 - 1.80 x 10-4 Nm2). Variation was due to differences in mineral content (24.4-48-9% dry mass), and thus, material stiffness (140-2533 MPa), and second moment of area. The propterygium's radius-to-thickness ratio (mean = 5.52 +-0.441 SE) indicated that the propterygium would support true and augmented punters, but not non-punters, in an aquatic environment. All propterygia would fail on land. Geometric and linear morphometric analyses of 61 batoid pelvic girdles demonstrated that pelvic girdle shape can predict punting and swimming ability and taxonomic attribution to Order. / Characteristics of true punters' pelvic girdles, such as laterally facing fin articulations, large surface area formuscle attachment, and tall lateral pelvic processes are similar to characteristics of early sprawled-gait tetrapods' pelvic girdles. This dissertation demonstrates that punting is common in batoids, illustrates the convergent evolution of true punter and early tetrapod pelvic anatomy, and gives possible explanations for the restriction of elasmobranchs to aquatic habitats. / by Laura Jane Macesic. / Thesis ({Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Film is commonly used to estimate the fast-start performance of fish. An analysis of hypothetical, film-derived, and accelerometer-measured acceleration-time data of fish fast-starts indicates that the total error in film studies is the sum of the sampling frequency error (i.e., the error due to over-smoothing at low film speeds) and measurement error. The error in film based studies on the acceleration performance of fish is estimated to be about 33 to 100% of the maximum acceleration, suggesting that other methods of estimating acceleration should be employed. The escape performance of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and northern pike Esox lucius (mean lengths 0.32 m and 0.38 m, respectively) were measured here with subcutaneously implanted accelerometers. Acceleration-time plots reveal two types of escape fast-starts for trout and three for pike. Simultaneous high-speed ciné films demonstrate a kinematic basis for these differences. Trout performing C-shaped fast-starts produce a unimodal acceleration-time plot (type I), while during S-shaped fast-starts a bimodal acceleration-time plot (type II) results. Pike also exhibit similar type I and II fast-starts, but also execute a second S-shaped fast-start that does not involve a net change of direction. This is characterized by a trimodal acceleration-time plot (type III). Intraspecific and interspecific comparisons of displacement, time, mean and maximum velocity, and mean and maximum acceleration rate indicate that fast-start performance is significantly higher for pike than for trout, for all performance parameters. This indicates that performance is related to body form. Overall mean maximum acceleration rates for pike were 120.2 ± 20 m s⁻² (x ± 2S.E.) and 59.7 ± 8.3 m s⁻² for trout. Performance values directly measured from the accelerometers exceed those previously reported. Maximum acceleration rates for single events reach 97.8 m s⁻² and 244.9 m s⁻² for trout and pike, respectively. Maximum final velocities of 7.06 m s⁻¹ (18.95 L s⁻¹, where L is body length) were observed for pike and 4.19 m s⁻¹ (13.09 L s⁻¹) for trout; overall mean maximum velocities were 2.77 m s⁻¹ for trout and 3.97 m s⁻¹ for pike. The fast-start performance of pike during prey capture was also measured with subcutaneously implanted accelerometers. Acceleration-time plots and simultaneous high-speed cin6 films reveal four behaviours with characteristic kinematics and mechanics. As for the escape data, fast-start types are identified by the number of large peaks that appear in the acceleration-time and velocity-time data. Comparisons of mean performance were made between each type of feeding fast-start. Type I fast-starts were of significantly (i.e., p < 0.05) shorter duration (0.084 s) and displacement (0.132 m) than type III (0.148 s and 0.235 m) and type IV (0.189 s and 0.307 m) behaviours, and higher mean and maximum acceleration (38.6 and 130.3 m s⁻², respectively) than the type II (26.6 and 95.8 m s⁻²), type III (22.0 and 91.2 m s⁻²), and type IV (18.0 and 66.6 m s⁻²) behaviours. The type II behaviours were also of shorter duration and displacement, and of higher mean acceleration than type IV fast-starts, and were of significantly shorter duration than the type LU behaviours. Prey capture performance was compared to escapes by the same individuals. When data are combined, regardless of mechanical type, mean acceleration (37.6 versus 25.5 m s⁻²), maximum acceleration (120.2 versus 95.9 m s⁻²), mean velocity (1.90 versus 1.57 m s⁻¹), and maximum velocity (3.97 versus 3.09 m s⁻¹) were larger, and duration shorter (0.108 versus 0.133 s) during escapes than during prey capture. No differences were found through independent comparisons of the performance of feeding and escape types II and III, but type I escapes had significantly higher mean velocity (2.27 versus 1.58 m s⁻¹), maximum velocity (4.70 versus 3.12 m s⁻¹), and mean acceleration (54.7 versus 38.6 m s⁻²) than the type I feeding behaviours. Prey capture performance was also related to prey size, apparent prey size (defined as the angular size of the prey on the pike's retina), and strike distance (the distance from the pike to the prey at the onset of the fast-start). Mean and maximum acceleration increased with apparent size and decreased with strike distance, while the duration of the event increased with strike distance and decreased with apparent size. No relation was found between the actual prey size and any performance parameter. Strike distance ranged from 0.087 to 0.439 m, and decreased as the apparent size increased from 2.6 to 9.9° (r² = 0.75). The type I behaviour was usually employed when the strike distance was small and the prey appeared large. As strike distance increased and apparent size decreased, there was a progressive selection of type II, then III, then IV behaviours. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (S.M. in Oceanographic Engineering)--Joint Program in Ocean Engineering/Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-75). / Mean maximum start-up accelerations and velocities achieved by the fast-start specialist, northern pike, are reported at 120 ms-2 and 4 ms-1, respectively (Harper and Blake, 1990). In this thesis, a simple mechanical system was created to closely mimic the startle response that produces these extreme acceleration events. The system consisted of a thin metal beam covered by a urethane rubber fish body. The mechanical fish was held in curvature by a restraining line and released by a pneumatic cutting mechanism. The potential energy in the beam was transferred into the fluid, thereby accelerating the fish. The fish motion was recorded and the kinematics analyzed while using a number of different tail shapes and materials. Performance of the mechanical fish was determined by maximum acceleration, peak and averaged maximum velocity, and hydrodynamic efficiency. Maximum start-up acceleration was calculated at 48 ms-2. Peak and averaged maximum velocity was calculated at 0.96 ms-1 and 0.8 ms-1, respectively. The hydrodynamic efficiency of the fish, calculated by the transfer of energy, was 11%. Flow visualization of the mechanical fast-start wake was also analyzed. The visualization uncovered two specific vortex-shedding patterns; a single and a double-vortex pattern are described. / by Matthew Nicholas Watts. / S.M.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Ocean Engineering and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-155). / This thesis takes a look at the near boundary flow about fish-like swimming bodies. Experiments were performed up to Reynolds number 106 using laser Doppler velocimetry and particle imaging techniques. The turbulence in the boundary layer of a waving mat and swimming robotic fish were investigated. How the undulating motion of the boundary controls both the turbulence production and the boundary layer development is of great interest. Unsteady motions have been shown effective in controlling flow. Tokumaru and Dimotakis (1991) demonstrated the control of vortex shedding, and thus the drag on a bluff body, through rotary oscillation of the body at certain frequencies. Similar results of flow control have been seen in fish-like swimming motions. Taneda and Tomonari (1974) illustrated that, for phase speeds greater than free stream velocity, traveling wave motion of a boundary tends to retard separation and reduce near-wall turbulence. In order to perform experiments on a two-dimensional waving plate, an apparatus was designed to be used in the MIT Propeller tunnel, a recirculating water tunnel. It is an eight-link piston driven mechanism that is attached to a neoprene mat in order to create a traveling wave motion down the mat. A correlation between this problem and that of a swimming fish is addressed herein, using visualization results obtained from a study of the MIT RoboTuna. The study of the MIT RoboTuna and a two-dimensional representation of the backbone of the robotic swimming fish was performed to further asses the implications of such motion on drag reduction. PIV experiments with the MIT RoboTuna indicate a laminarisation of the near boundary flow for swimming cases compared with non-swimming cases along the robot body. Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) and PIV experiments were performed. / (cont.) LDV results show the reduction of turbulence intensity, near the waving boundary, for increasing phase speed up to 1.2 m/s after which the intensities begin to increase again through Cp = 2.0 where numerical simulations by Zhang (2000) showed separation reappearing on the back of the crests. Velocity profiles who an acceleration of the fluid beyond the inflow speed at the crest region increases with increased phase speed and no separation was present in the trough for the moving wall. The experimental techniques used are also discussed as they are applied in these experiments. / by Alexandra Hughes Techet. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Ocean Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-244). / In biology, the importance of fluid drag, diffusion, and heat transfer both internally and externally, suggest the boundary layer as an important subject of investigation, however, the complexities of biological systems present significant and unique challenges to analysis by experimental fluid dynamics. In this investigation, a system for automatically profiling the boundary layer over free-swimming, deforming bodies was developed and the boundary layer over rigid and live mackerel, bluefish, scup and eel was profiled. The profiling system combined robotics, particle imaging velocimetry, a custom particle tracking code, and an automatic boundary layer analysis code. Over 100,000 image pairs of flow in the boundary layer were acquired in swimming fish alone, making spatial and temporal ensemble averaging possible. A flat plate boundary layer was profiled and compared to known laminar and turbulent boundary layer theory. In general, profiles resembled those of Blasius for sub-critical length Reynolds numbers, Rex. Transition to a turbulent boundary layer was observed near the expected critical Rex and subsequent profiles agreed well with the law of the wall. The flat plate analysis demonstrated that the particle tracking and boundary layer analysis algorithms were highly accurate. / (cont.) In rigid fish, separation of flow was clearly evident and the boundary layer transitioned to turbulent at lower Rex than in swimming fish and the flat plate. Wall shear stress, [tao]o, forward of separation was slightly higher than flat plate values. Friction drag in rigid and swimming fish was determined by integrating [tao]o over the surface of the fish. The analysis was facilitated by the definition of the relative local coefficient of friction. In general, there was no significant difference in friction drag between the rigid-body and swimming cases. In swimming, separation was, on average, delayed. Therefore, pressure drag was estimated on the basis of thickness ratio and used to calculate an upper-bound total drag on a swimming fish. Total drag was used to determine the required muscle power output during swimming and compare that with existing muscle power data. [tau]o and boundary layer thickness oscillated with undulatory phase. The magnitude of oscillation appears to be linked to body wave amplitude. / by Erik J. Anderson. / Ph.D.