NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology for FY 2011

Kenaley Christopher P, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2011, Intersections of Biology and Mathematical and Physical Sciences. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow whose plan involves innovation at the intersection of biology and robotics. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Christopher Kenaley is "A novel approach to exploring form, function, and behavior in the deep sea using experimental biorobotics." The host institution for this fellowship is Harvard University; and the sponsoring scientists are Drs. George Lauder and Rob Wood. Predatory deep-sea fishes are the primary consumers of crustaceans and intermediate-sized plankton in what is known as the ocean's "twilight zone," that depth in the ocean to which only a small amount of light penetrates, thus driving the largest and most frequent mass movement of animals on Earth. These fishes possess some of the most dramatic feeding morphologies among vertebrates, including huge fangs set on enormous jaws. Because of the inherent difficulties associated with studying deep-sea animals in the laboratory, how morphology limits prey choice in these fish, i.e., the ecomorphology of these fishes, remains largely unexplored. Previously, biologists have relied on manipulation of museum specimens and, more recently, on simple biomechanical models to explore how morphology limits the behavioral repertoire of these fishes. Although these models show promise for the study of feeding ecomorphology, they are limited by current understanding of the hydrodynamics of jaw adduction in fishes. To study relationships between form, function, and feeding behavior in deep-sea fishes, an innovative approach is being taken, one that does not rely on laboratory study, yet is based on empirical analyses. This fellowship supports the experimental study of feeding performance based on robotic models of stomiid dragonfishes, the most diverse group of pelagic predators. Using biorobotic models of a dragonfish lower jaw and head, this project is the first to gather empirical data for the major forces that resist jaw adduction. Experimental analysis of kinematics and fluid dynamics of biorobotic dragonfishes can answer longstanding questions surrounding feeding in deep-sea fishes and provide the empirical information needed to refine existing biomechanical models of jaw adduction and assist in studying the ecomorphology of rare, fragile, or extinct vertebrate fish. Training goals include developing skills in biomechanics and biorobotics. Broader impacts include mentoring students, presenting to K-12 classes, and revising public museum displays to showcase the importance of combining physical and biological sciences in the study of the natural world.