Abstract
Fishes have an acute sensitivity to extremely low-frequency linear acceleration, or infrasound, even down to below 1 Hz. The otolith organs are the sensory system responsible for this ability. The hydrodynamic noise generated by swimming fishes is mainly in the infrasound range, and may be important in courtship and prey predator interactions. Intense infrasound has a deterring effect on some species, and has a potential in acoustic barriers. We hypothesize that the pattern of ambient infrasound in the oceans may be used for orientation in migratory fishes, and that pelagic fishes may detect changes in the surface wave pattern associated with altered water depth and distant land formations. We suggest that the acute sensitivity to linear acceleration could be used for inertial guidance, and to detect the relative velocity of layered ocean currents. Sensitivity to infrasound may be a widespread ability among aquatic organisms, and has also been reported in cephalopods and crustaceans.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (168.4 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Chapman C. J., Sand O. Field studies of hearing in two species of flatfish Pleuronectes platessa (L.) and limanda limanda (L.) (family pleuronectidae). Comp Biochem Physiol A Comp Physiol. 1974 Jan;47(1):371–385. doi: 10.1016/0300-9629(74)90082-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- DE VRIES H. The mechanics of the labyrinth otoliths. Acta Otolaryngol. 1951 Jun;38(3):262–273. doi: 10.3109/00016485009118384. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sand O., Karlsen H. E. Detection of infrasound by the Atlantic cod. J Exp Biol. 1986 Sep;125:197–204. doi: 10.1242/jeb.125.1.197. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]