NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: The Behavioral, Neurophysiological, and Physical Mechanisms of Ink as an Antipredation Strategy

Simonitis, Lauren Eve, Galveston TX

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. Inking is a predator defense which attacks both a predator’s visual system by acting as a smokescreen and their chemosensory system as a chemical deterrent. Inking is found in evolutionary distant animals such as sea hares, cephalopods, and even whales. These animals produce ink with different chemicals, yet their ink has similar negative effects on their predators. Unlike previous studies which focus on one type of ink, this project compares ink from three different animals: California sea hares, common cuttlefish, and pygmy whales. This work will investigate the behavioral, physiological, and physical effects of these three inks on sharks, a common predator. Does ink stop a shark from attacking food? Are sharks able to smell ink? How does ink flow within a shark’s nostril? This will be the first data of its kind for cuttlefish and any inking vertebrate. The fellow will work at University of Washington and Florida Atlantic University, a Hispanic serving institution, to broaden participation at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate level. This research uses comparative and integrative behavioral, electrophysiological, and hydrodynamic approaches to examine the antipredator effects of ink from three disparate taxa. This research will look at the effect of ink behaviorally, by quantifying the effect of ink on a food motivated shark through kinematic swimming analysis (Aim 1); physiologically, by recording the response of the shark olfactory system to ink through electro-olfactorgrams (EOGs; Aim 2); and physically, by investigating the effects of the physical properties of ink on flow within the shark olfactory organ (Aim 3). Through these objectives, the fellow will test the following hypotheses: H1: ink will act as a deterrent, negatively impacting normal feeding behavior; H2: ink will yield adequately sized EOG responses, demonstrating that ink stimulates the olfactory system of sharks; and H3: ink forms a physical barrier on the olfactory organs of sharks, disrupting flow and covering sensory epithelium. The fellow will teach and mentor current students, recruit new students, and work with members of minority serving organizations such as Minorities in Shark Science and Latinx in Marine Science. Finally, the fellow will develop Spanish science communication content to disseminate research to the local Hispanic communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.