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Related Concept Videos

Osmoregulation in Fishes02:32

Osmoregulation in Fishes

When cells are placed in a hypotonic (low-salt) fluid, they can swell and burst. Meanwhile, cells in a hypertonic solution—with a higher salt concentration—can shrivel and die. How do fish cells avoid these gruesome fates in hypotonic freshwater or hypertonic seawater environments?
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Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
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Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts
07:02

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Published on: October 6, 2020

Hydrodynamic aspects of fish olfaction.

Jonathan P L Cox1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK. j.p.l.cox@bath.ac.uk

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|January 11, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Fish olfactory chambers use fluid flow, not diffusion, to transport odorants. Cilia and accessory sacs drive this convective transport, crucial for detecting smells in water.

Area of Science:

  • Hydrodynamics
  • Sensory Biology
  • Fish Olfaction

Background:

  • Odorant transport to fish olfactory epithelium relies on fluid dynamics.
  • Diffusion is too slow for efficient odorant delivery over short distances in water.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanisms of fluid flow in fish olfaction.
  • To highlight how hydrodynamics facilitates odorant transfer to the olfactory epithelium.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on fish olfactory hydrodynamics.
  • Analysis of fluid transport processes within the olfactory chamber.

Main Results:

  • Convection, driven by cilia and accessory sacs, is essential for odorant transport.

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  • External flow can also induce flow within the olfactory chamber.
  • Several factors, including boundary layer penetration and ciliary action, enhance odorant transfer.

    • Conclusions:

    • Fish olfaction heavily relies on controlled fluid flow (convection) for effective odorant detection.
    • Knowledge of fish olfactory hydrodynamics is incomplete, requiring further research.