Stripes ordering in self-stratification experiments of binary and ternary granular mixtures

The self-stratification of binary and ternary granular mixtures has been experimentally investigated. Ternary mixtures lead to a particular ordering of the strates which was not accounted for in former explanations. Bouncing grains are found to have an important effect on strate formation. A complementary mechanism for self-stratification of binary and ternary granular mixtures is proposed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. submitted for pubication, guess wher

Critical parameters for the partial coalescence of a droplet

The partial coalescence of a droplet onto a planar liquid/liquid interface is investigated experimentally by tuning the viscosities of both liquids. The problem mainly depends on four dimensionless parameters: the Bond number (gravity vs. surface tension), the Ohnesorge numbers (viscosity in both fluids vs. surface tension), and the density relative difference. The ratio between the daughter droplet size and the mother droplet size is investigated as a function of these dimensionless numbers. Global quantities such as the available surface energy of the droplet has been measured during the coalescence. The capillary waves propagation and damping are studied in detail. The relation between these waves and the partial coalescence is discussed. Additional viscous mechanisms are proposed in order to explain the asymmetric role played by both viscosities.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Morphofunctional analysis of the feeding apparatus in four Pomacentridae species: <i>Dascyllus aruanus, Chromis retrofasciata, Chrysiptera biocellata</i> and <i>C. unimaculata</i>

Pomacentrids display a significant biodiversity through a variety of sympatric species with various feeding habits. The use of ecomorphological methods, based on the study of skeletal and muscular structures of the feeding apparatus could result in a better understanding of the adaptive radiation of this family. Significant differences in teeth and in the shape and thickened areas of the different bones were observed. The strongest structures occur in species which had teeth characteristic of suction feeding, and the weakest structures in species with biting teeth

Relationships between inner ear and sagitta growth during ontogenesis of three <i>Carapini</i> species, and consequences of life-history events on the otolith microstructure

Three species of Carapidae have in common a tenuis larval stage, during which they settle in the lagoon and take refuge in the same species of holothuroid. From the juvenile stage, Carapus homei and C. boraborensis are commensal, whereas Encheliophis gracilis is parasitic. The aims of this study were to analyse to what extent the ontogenetic changes of the otic capsule affected the shape of the inner ear and how environmental cues, due to the above-mentioned life history and the style, could influence the structure of the sagitta. Sagittal sections revealed a three-dimensional asymmetry with a nucleus close to the proximal surface. Observations of the growth axis of the sagitta suggest it has a morphogenetic impact on the otic cavity. Each sagitta contains three main zones related to the life stages of the fish. Bands and checks were observed in the third zone in C. homei and C. boraborensis, but this pattern was less discernible in E. gracilis. These structural differences in zone 3 could be related to the commensal and parasitic life styles of these fishes. Further studies dealing with otosac features and otolith functions are suggested

Sound production in red-bellied piranhas (<i>Pygocentrus nattereri</i>, Kner): an acoustical, behavioural and morphofunctional study

Piranhas are known to be sound-producing animals. Nevertheless, the biological significance of piranha calls remains unclear because sounds have been recorded only when specimens were held by hand or trapped in a gill net. These sounds are generated by rapid contractions of sonic muscles that insert on a broad tendon surrounding ventrally the cranial sac of the swimbladder. The piranha swimbladder is thought to play an important role in sound production as an impedance-matching device and as a resonator. However, the vibratory capacities of the cranial and caudal sacs and the exact role of both sacs in sound production remain poorly understood. In this study, three sounds were each associated to a specific behaviour. The first sound (type 1) was produced during frontal display; it had numerous pulses and lasted 140!±17 ms, with a fundamental frequency of 120±4 Hz. It corresponded to the sound made by hand-held fishes. The second sound (type 2) was produced during circling and fighting behaviour; it was a single pulse lasting 36±8 ms, with a fundamental frequency of 43±10 Hz. The third sound (type 3) corresponded to chasing behaviour and comprised three to four pulses, each lasting 3±1 ms, with a fundamental frequency of 1739±18 Hz. Using a laser vibrometer to study the swimbladder displacement when stimulated at different frequencies, it was demonstrated that the first two sounds corresponded to the swimbladder mechanism. By contrast, the third sound was associated with the jaw mechanism. The vibrometer indicated that the swimbladder is a highly damping structure, simply copying the sonic muscle contraction rate. This study provides two interesting insights. First, it shows the relationships between three kinds of piranha sound and three specific behaviours. Second, using muscle stimulation at different rates, it shows which simultaneous conditions are required for production of sound in this species. Swimbladder calls were produced by a muscle contraction rate of approximately 100 Hz because this periodicity allowed the swimbladder to vibrate. At this frequency range, the contraction–relaxation cycles of the swimbladder muscles engendered wall displacements that had short amplitudes and with only a small variability between them

Particularities of the bucco-pharyngeal apparatus in <i>Zenarchopterus kampeni</i> (Pisces: Hemiramphida) and their probable significance in feeding

The present study shows several new anatomical particularities of the buccal and pharyngeal parts of the halfbeak Zenarchopterus kampeni. The upper buccal jaw consists of premaxillaries and maxillaries tightly joined by ligaments. A 10° lowering of the mandible leads to a 30° elevation of the upper jaw. The adductor mandibulae is reduced to bundles A²and A omega. As in the Labridae, the lower pharyngeal jaw articulates with the scapular girdle. The upper pharyngeal jaw consists of distinct second pharyngobranchials followed by the third pharyngobranchials fused into a powerful posterior component. This part fits into and slides along a longitudinal ventral gutter of the neuroranium, thanks not only to the dorsal retractor muscles but also to specific retractors of the second pharyngobranchials. The power and dentition of the pharyngeal parts contrasts with the fragility of the buccal elements

Identification of tenuis of four French Polynesian <i>Carapini</i> (Carapidae: Teleostei)

Four species of adult Carapini (Carapidae) occur on Polynesian coral reefs: Encheliophis gracilis, Carapus boraborensis, C. homei and C. mourlani. Samples collected in Rangiroa and Moorea allowed us to obtain different tenuis (larvae) during their settlement phases or directly inside their hosts. These were separated into four lots on the basis of a combination of pigmentation, meristic, morphological, dental and otolith (sagittae) features. Comparison of these characters with those of the adults allows, for the first time, taxonomic identification of these tenuis-stage larvae

Geographical variation in sound production in the anemonefish <i>Amphiprion akallopisos</i>

Because of pelagic-larval dispersal, coral-reef fishes are distributed widely with minimal genetic differentiation between populations. Amphiprion akallopisos, a clownfish that uses sound production to defend its anemone territory, has a wide but disjunct distribution in the Indian Ocean. We compared sounds produced by these fishes from populations in Madagascar and Indonesia, a distance of 6500?km. Differentiation of agonistic calls into distinct types indicates a complexity not previously recorded in fishes' acoustic communication. Moreover, various acoustic parameters, including peak frequency, pulse duration, number of peaks per pulse, differed between the two populations. The geographic comparison is the first to demonstrate ‘dialects’ in a marine fish species, and these differences in sound parameters suggest genetic divergence between these two populations. These results highlight the possible approach for investigating the role of sounds in fish behaviour in reproductive divergence and speciation