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An Intermediate in the evolution of superfast sonic muscles
Hin-Kiu Mok1, Eric Parmentier2, Kuo-Hsun Chiu1,3
1Institute of Marine Biology and Asia-Pacific Ocean Research Center, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.
Frontiers in Zoology
|December 1, 2011
Summary
Researchers discovered a novel sonic mechanism in pearl perch, revealing an intermediate step in the evolution of superfast vertebrate muscles. This finding sheds light on the evolutionary pathways of complex adaptations in fish sound production.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Bioacoustics
- Vertebrate physiology
Background:
- Evolution of complex adaptations like flight and water-to-land transitions often lacks intermediate forms.
- The evolution of superfast sonic muscles in fish, crucial for sound production, has remained enigmatic.
- Previously, slow muscles stretching swimbladders for sound were found in ophidiiform fishes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sonic mechanism and disturbance call of the pearl perch (Glaucosomatidae).
- To understand the evolutionary intermediate condition in the development of superfast sonic muscles.
- To compare the sonic mechanisms between unrelated fish lineages.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the pearl perch disturbance call.
- Electron microscopy and protein analysis to identify muscle types.
- Comparative analysis with ophidiiform fish sonic mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Pearl perch produce a two-part sound using a fast muscle to stretch the swimbladder and a tendon-smooth muscle combination for recoil.
- Smooth muscle attachment to a tendon, previously unknown in animals, was confirmed.
- The mechanism involves rapid stretching by fast muscle and a forceful snap-back of the tendon and bladder.
Conclusions:
- Pearl perch utilize a unique mechanism combining fast muscle action with slow-type recoil for sound production.
- The findings suggest independent and convergent evolution of sonic muscles in unrelated fish lineages.
- This study identifies an intermediate form in the evolution of superfast sonic muscles, distinct from ophidiiform mechanisms.
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