RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Marine teleost locates live prey through pH sensing
JF Science
JO Science
FD American Association for the Advancement of Science
SP 1154
OP 1156
DO 10.1126/science.1252697
VO 344
IS 6188
A1 Caprio, John
A1 Shimohara, Mami
A1 Marui, Takayuki
A1 Harada, Shuitsu
A1 Kiyohara, Sadao
YR 2014
UL http://science.sciencemag.org/content/344/6188/1154.abstract
AB Finding prey is hard enough in the light of day, but animals that are nocturnal or live in murky conditions face even greater challenges. Caprio et al. describe a sense that allows a marine catfish to detect the mere “breathing” of their prey target. External sensors on the catfish's whiskers detect pH changes generated by hidden, respiring polychaete worms.Science, this issue p. 1154We report that the Japanese sea catfish Plotosus japonicus senses local pH-associated increases in H+/CO2 equating to a decrease of ≤0.1 pH unit in ambient seawater. We demonstrated that these sensors, located on the external body of the fish, detect undamaged cryptic respiring prey, such as polychaete worms. Sensitivity is maximal at the natural pH of seawater (pH 8.1 to 8.2) and decreases dramatically in seawater with a pH <8.0.